Te lucis ante terminum

  • for choir SSATB

  • Duration flexible

commissioned by the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music at St Pancras Parish Church, 2005

this piece is now published by CARUS

Related works

Text

Te lucis ante terminum,
Rerum Creator, poscimus,
Ut pro tua clementia
Sis praesul et custodia.

Before the ending of the day,
Creator of the world, we pray
That with thy wonted favour thou
Wouldst be our guard and keeper now.

Procul recedant somnia
Et noctium phantasmata,
Hostemque nostrum comprime,
Ne polluantur corpora.

From all ill dreams defend our eyes,
From nightly fears and fantasies,
Tread under foot our ghostly foe,
That no pollution we may know.

Praesta, Pater piisime,
Patrique compar Unice,
Cum Spiritu Paraclito
Regnans per omne saeculum.
Amen.

O Father, that we ask be done,
Through Jesus Christ, thine only Son,
Who, with the Holy Ghost and thee,
Doth live and reign eternally.
Amen.


hymn for Compline, possibly 7th century; English version by John Mason Neale (1818-1866)