Contents Telluris ingens Conditor
Earth's Mighty Maker
Hymni


Attributed to Pope St. Gregory the Great (540-604). This hymn continues the theme found in Monday's Vesper Hymn, Immense caeli Conditor , namely the story of Creation as outlined in the first chapter of Genesis. Continuing on with the third day, the hymn chronicles the separation of the land from the water and the creation of every species of plant (Gen 1, 9-13.) This hymn is traditionally sung at Tuesday Vespers and is used in the Liturgia Horarum at Vespers for Tuesdays of the first and third weeks of the Psalter during Ordinary Time. Likewise the hymn is also found in the Roman Breviary for Tuesday Vespers under the title Telluris alme Conditor.

TELLURIS ingens1 Conditor,
mundi solum qui eruens2,
pulsis aquae molestiis,
terram dedisti immobilem,
EARTH'S mighty Maker, whose command
raised from the sea the solid land;
and drove each billowy heap away,
and bade the earth stand firm for aye:
Ut germen aptum proferens,
fulvis decora floribus,
fecunda fructu sisteret
pastumque gratum redderet:
That so, with flowers of golden hue,
the seeds of each it might renew;
and fruit-trees bearing fruit might yield,
and pleasant pasture of the field:
Mentis perustae vulnera
munda virore gratiae,
ut facta fletu diluat,
motusque pravos atterat,
Our spirit's rankling wounds efface
with dewy freshness of Thy grace:
that grief may cleanse each deed of ill,
and o'er each lust may triumph still.
Iussis tuis obtemperet,
nullis malis approximet,
bonis repleri gaudeat,
et mortis actum3 nesciat.
Let every soul Thy law obey,
and keep from every evil way;
rejoice each promised good to win,
and flee from every mortal sin.
Praesta, Pater piissime,
Patrique compar Unice,
cum Spiritu Paraclito
regnans per omne saeculum. Amen.
Hear Thou our prayer, Almighty King!
hear Thou our praises, while we sing,
adoring with the heavenly host,
the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

From the Liturgia Horarum. The translation is by an anonymous author and dates to 1854.

Changes made by Pope Urban VIII in 1632 to the Roman Breviary:
1 alme
2 separans
3 ictu


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