Today is Michaelmas, the feast of St. Michael and All Angels. And here is an ancient hymn. Written in the 800s, it asks for the help of angels, invoking their powers as guides, guards, and conquerors of serpents. But interestingly, this hymn is not addressed to angels themselves (as, for instance, Tolkien’s Elves sing to Elbereth in Middle Earth). It’s addressed to Christ. The hymn asks Christ to “send” his angels, angelos of course being Greek for “messenger.”
The poem uses what used to be a standard anthem form — blank iambic pentameter, in which lines are five beats long and don’t rhyme. This creates an elevated style very satisfying to sing, but less satisfying to read. Check out the sheet music here for the tune.
One final caveat: If you think the hymn dwells too long on the angels themselves (including an apocryphal angel), just wait for the last verse.
Christ, the Fair Glory
Christ, the fair glory of the holy angels,
Thou who hast made us, thou who o’er us rulest,
Grant of thy mercy unto us thy servants
Steps up to heaven.
Send thine archangel Michael to our succour;
Peacemaker blessed, may he banish from us
Striving and hatred, so that for the peaceful
All things may prosper.
Send thine archangel Gabriel the Mighty;
Herald of Heaven, may he from us mortals
Spurn the old serpent, watching o’er the temples
Where thou art worshipped.
Send thine archangel Raphael, Restorer
Of the misguided ways of men who wander,
Who at thy bidding strengthens soul and body
With thine anointing.
Father Almighty, Son, and Holy Spirit,
God ever blessed, be thou our Preserver;
Thine is the glory which the angels worship,
Veiling their faces.
~ Rabanus Maurus, c. 800; trans. Athelstan Riley and Percy Dearmer, 1906
[Athelstan Riley is also the author of Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones, posted earlier this week.]
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