Poem to St. Vincent
Written in 1042 in the monastery of S. Vincenzo di Petra Pertusa
Vincent was ordained a Deacon by Bishop Valerius of Saragossa. He preached and acted as a spokesperson since the Bishop had a speech impediment. During Diocletian’s persecution of Christians (284 to 305) they were both imprisoned in Valencia by the Governor Dacian. Tortures consisted of the rack, metal hooks tearing flesh, wounds rubbed with salt, burning on a hot gridiron, and being thrown onto a prison floor strewn with broken pottery where he died. He bore all this with such quiet that his jailer was converted. His body was placed in a sack and thrown into the sea.
Aa.
Let, earth, sea, sky
Equally
All the elements express
The triumphant
Glory of the supreme king.
b.
Who has trampled down the rage of the
Roaring lion
Through the recent victor
Warrior of VIncent,
B1a.
He certainly
Spurned the anger of the judge Dacian,
Fierce threats and mad
Just as whispering insects,
Chains, whips, prison
Darkness.
The blows themselves are wounded
Deaths are added to deaths,
But the house
Having been fixed above a firm rock,
Cannot be brought down
Either by the force of wind or water. (1 Mt 7:24-25)
b.
His body emaciated by hunger
Appears
As if nourished by
The most sumptuous banquet
And with royal food. (2 2Kings 11:8)
C. (3 Ps 77:25)
The food of angels naturally.
He restores
The fabric of my mind seeking self-knowledge,
Which neither thirsts
Nor hungers for anything except for God.
2a.
Soon the bloody beast
Rages, bellows, is brought forth,
It seethes, it gnashes its teeth, he sets in motion all
Kinds of tortures:
Iron, fire, the rack,
An earthen potsherds (shards of clay);
It twists, it roasts and it separates
The fastenings of his joints,
The blind madness presses his cut off limbs
With the red hot sheets of metal cautery.
b.
The soldier of Christ counters
Force with force;
He was putting out the flames of the flesh
With the fire of the heart
Filled with the holy spirit.
C.
Having been striped with whips, having been stabbed with blows
He rejoices;
He stands erect, he abhors sluggish torturers,
He fears only the leniency of the torturer.
3a.
Wars bellow, enemies yield,
This is the law of victory.
A fight rises up, the palm (of victory) grows
As does the crown of glory.
The famous conqueror for Christ
Enterd the court
Of the highest heaven purple (with blood)
Accompanied by a gathering of splendid angels
White as snow
Singing a sweet song.
b.
Soon in wide fields a body
Is flung
Unburied; dogs are afraid,
Birds tremble with fear
To approach closer.
c. (4 Mt 6:19)
The fertile field bears a rich noble
Treasure;
So that neither plunderers nor robbers
Can dig it up in order to hide it.
4a.
For insane Datianus
Sewed this one up with in a sack,
Just as is done to a parricide
The matter is enclosed in a leather bag,
And he orders it to be submerged in the sea
Waves;
The sea cannot contain
The holy weight,
But having steered to the shore
By a heavenly governor
He comes quickly
Before swift rowers.
b. (5 Ex 24:10)
Now the victor you possess
Serene heaven,
O blessed one,
Crowned after triumph,
Unconquerable martyr.
c. (6 1Petr 2:5)
Shining in the eternal light
Of rule
Living stone, star bright
With a fiery troop
Of angels.
5a. (7 1Cor 9:24) (8 Apoc 7:13)
After having sweated and labored,
After having finished the race,
By the king’s just assigning,
You bring the promised reward
Clad in a most brilliant royal robe.
The fire of the sun, the dazzling whiteness of the moon
Proceed from your brilliance.
All things
Are conquered, to whom they show
The most wondrous sight
In this world.
b.
Ruler of heaven, son of God,
We beseech (thee):
By the great merits of Saint Vincent.
Lift us up from our fall, release those bound.
c.
Raise up those whom many faults
Oppress,
Raise our hearts on high,
Where they love nothing
Besides the thrones of the heavens.
C. (9 1Petr 1:18-19)
Give to earthly beings at their limits
To mount to high heaven,
And redeem those wretched ones
With your precious blood,
You who through the ages ordains
The law of things,
O great and eternal king,
Of whose decree all things established
Tremble,
You who reign with the father and the holy spirit
Endless through all time.
Amen.