Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!
Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)
In 1895, the 22 year old Sergei Rachmaninov wrote Six Choral Songs for women’s chorus and piano. Finding good performances with English texts was difficult, so I’m going to provide the text for this one song, which is absolutely stunning. It’s a two handkerchief piece. (Catch the Elvis haircut on Sergei at the far right.)
In the midnight sky an angel flew and sang a quiet song:
And the moon, and the stars, and the clouds all as one,
Attending to that holy song.
He sang of the blessedness of sinless spirits
Beneath the branches of Paradise’s gardens.
He sang of God Almighty, and his praise was without guile.
He carried in his bosom a young soul,
Destined for a world of sadness and tears.
And the sound of his song, though lacking the words,
Remained alive in that young soul.
A long time it suffered in the world, filled with a wondrous longing:
For it the sounds of the heavens could not be supplanted
By the ordinary songs of earth.
A Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours, Publius.
Thanks for the translation. Interesting piece.