Hymns Supplied Through the Gracious Generosity
of the Cyber Hymnal Website
Words: Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus, 569 (Vexilla Regis); translated from Latin to English by John Mason Neale in his Mediaeval Hymns and Sequences, 1851.
Music: "Hamburg," Lowell Mason, 1824 |
Courtesy of Yale Divinity Library |
Legend says that in 569 A.D., St. Radegund presented to the town of Poictiers a fragment of what was believed to be the true Cross. Fortunatus was the one chosen to receive the relic on its arrival at Poictiers. When the bearers of the holy fragment were two miles distant from the town, Fortunatus, with a great gathering of believers and enthusiasts, some carrying banners, crosses and other sacred emblems, went forth to meet them. As the marched, they sang this hymn, which Fortunatus had written.
The royal banners forward go,
The cross shines forth in mystic glow;
Where he in flesh, our flesh Who made,
Our sentence bore, our ransom paid.
Where deep for us the spear was dyed,
Life's torrent rushing from His side,
To wash us in that precious flood,
Where mingled water flowed, and blood.
Fulfilled is all that David told
In true prophetic song of old,
Amidst the nations, God, saith he,
Hath reigned and triumphed from the tree.
O tree of beauty, tree of light!
O tree with royal purple dight!
Elect on whose triumphal breast
Those holy limbs should find their rest.
Blest tree, whose chosen branches bore
The wealth that did the world restore,
The price of humankind to pay,
And spoil the spoiler of his prey.
Upon its arms, like balance true,
He weighed the price for sinners due,
The price which none but He could pay,
And spoiled the spoiler of his prey.
O cross, our one reliance, hail!
Still may thy power with us avail
To give new virtue to the saint,
And pardon to the penitent.
To Thee, eternal Three in One,
Let homage meet by all be done:
As by the cross Thou dost restore,
So rule and guide us evermore.
The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry.
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