Friday, April 6, 2007

The prayer of the prophet Jeremiah




The video above is a recording of Oratio Jeremiae prophetae, part of the Office of Tenebrae for Holy Saturday. It is sung at Blackfriars this year by Robert Gay OP. Here is a translation of the text:

The prayer of the prophet Jeremiah

Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us; behold, and see our disgrace!
Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to aliens.
We have become orphans, fatherless; our mothers are like widows.
We must pay for the water we drink, the wood we get must be bought.
With a yoke on our necks we are hard driven; we are weary, we are given no rest.
We have given the hand to Egypt, and to Assyria, to get bread enough.
Our fathers sinned, and are no more; and we bear their iniquities.
Slaves rule over us; there is none to deliver us from their hand.
We get our bread at the peril of our lives, because of the sword in the wilderness.
Our skin is hot as an oven with the burning heat of famine.
Women are ravished in Zion, virgins in the towns of Judah.
Princes are hung up by their hands; no respect is shown to the elders.
Young men are compelled to grind at the mill; and boys stagger under loads of wood.
The old men have quit the city gate, the young men their music.
The joy of our hearts has ceased; our dancing has been turned to mourning.
The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned!
For this our heart has become sick, for these things our eyes have grown dim,
for Mount Zion which lies desolate; jackals prowl over it.
But thou, O Lord, dost reign for ever; thy throne endures to all generations.
Why dost thou forget us for ever, why dost thou so long forsake us?
Restore us to thyself, O Lord, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old!
Or hast thou utterly rejected us? Art thou exceedingly angry with us?

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, turn again to the Lord your God.

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting the YouTube recording of the chant from the Prayer of Jeremiah from the Office of Tenebrae for Saturday.

    Now how can one obtain a copy (PDF?) of the text and neumes so we can use it ourselves?


    Fraternally,

    Hieromonk Arsenius
    Monastery of Annunciation Hermitage
    of the Diocese of Baker
    hermitage@copper.net

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautifully sung, Robert - I'm looking forward to hearing you live on Saturday! This, the Lamentations and the sequence at the end of Tenebrae just *rock*, as we used to say.

    Fantastic video too.

    Also, a hearty mazel tov on this morning's Tenebrae, which was as spine-tinglingly good as ever.

    Ixx

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am really sad that I can't be there in person. gutted in fact. I have recomended this service to my parents and I hope they come. I long to attend tenebrae services, but there are none round here. They prepare you for celebrating easter.

    As we are coming towards Easter, well done all on this brilliant contribution to Lent readings - they have really helped and obviously taken a lot of time and effort. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It is time for me to say that you do very good with this Blog. Thank you.

    Brian
    Macon, Georgia, USA

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear Br. Robert
    Fantastic!
    Your voice is very beatiful, and more.
    Take care
    Fray Ismael, op

    ReplyDelete
  6. I was very taken by this recording, and like Arsenius above, I too am very interested in obtaining the chant. Can you point me to a copy?

    Br. Matthew Spencer, OSJ
    matthew@osjoseph.org

    ReplyDelete