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Messa da Requiem
Giuseppe Verdi

Messa da Requiem
Giuseppe Verdi
(b. October 10, 1813 in Le Roncole, Italy; d. January 27, 1901 in Milan)

An Opera in Disguise?

When Messa da Requiem premiered, the conductor Hans von Bülow famously dismissed it as "Verdi’s latest opera, in ecclesiastical robes." He wasn't entirely wrong. Verdi, the titan of 19th-century Italian opera, brought the same visceral human drama to the altar that he brought to the stage. It is a work that first shakes the living to the core with the certainty of death, the ultimate unknown awaiting everyone. It is a message delivered with terrifying intensity before tender lyrical beauty offers a consolation that something worthy will be found on this side of the grave, but without comforting visions of heaven for the faithful. Rarely is Messa da Requiem performed in a liturgical context nowadays. Concert performances like the one tonight are the norm as with Mozart’s Requiem.

The Agnostic’s Prayer

Verdi was an unlikely candidate to pen a religious masterpiece. By the time he wrote Requiem, he was a wealthy celebrity of unified Italy, but inside was a man scarred by early tragedy. Decades prior, within a span of two years, his young wife and both his infant children died. This trauma provided a wellspring of grief for his art but eroded his religious conviction. His second wife, Giuseppina, described him as "a very doubtful believer." Consequently, his Requiem is agnostic in nature—it focuses less on the liturgical promise of salvation and more on the terrifying, human fear of the unknown.

The Rossini Failure

The work’s origins are both political and personal. When Gioachino Rossini died in 1868, Verdi proposed a collaboration: the top composers of Italy would each write one movement of a requiem to honor him. Verdi was assigned the finale, the Libera me. While the music was completed, squabbles over the premiere caused the project to be tabled and forgotten. (But not forever. The Rossini Requiem premiered in Stuttgart in 1988 after moldering for more than a century.)

The Manzoni Catalyst

Verdi understood the worth of his own music and refused to let his contribution go to waste. The catalyst to finish the work himself came through his idol, Alessandro Manzoni, the iconic poet and novelist who served as the literary father of Italian unification.

When Manzoni died in 1873, Verdi proposed writing a full requiem in Manzoni's honor, retrieving his abandoned Libera me and composing the rest of the mass around it. He conducted the premiere in Milan on the first anniversary of Manzoni’s death, May 22, 1874.

The Mass, Movement by Movement

The mass is written in seven sections, structured to wring every drop of emotion from the ancient text.

 - I. Requiem & Kyrie: opens as a whispered plea for eternal rest (Requiem aeternam). The orchestra and chorus seem reluctant to rise above a murmur until the soloists enter, pleading for the Lord and Christ to have mercy (Kyrie eleison / Christe eleison). The music becomes passionate and operatic, as though no mercy is possible without the deepest emotions being wrung from the soul, before the orchestra finishes with whispered chords.

 - II. Dies irae (Day of wrath): a massive undertaking, it begins with a ferocious, apocalyptic depiction of the day the world dissolves into ashes. It quickly subsides into the Tuba mirum, introduced by fanfares on-stage and off-stage, as the trumpet scatters a wondrous sound to gather all before the throne. Death stands amazed (Mors stupebit) in a stark bass solo, followed by the Liber scriptus (A written book) which intersperses the wrathful opening theme. A lament from the soloists wondering what a wretch should say (Quid sum miser) gives way to the stormy declaration to the King of awe-inspiring majesty (Rex tremendae majestatis).

We are still only halfway through this sprawling sequence. The emotional core arrives with Recordare, Jesu pie (Remember, merciful Jesus). Verdi composed the soprano and mezzo-soprano roles to show off Teresa Stolz and Maria Waldmann—the renowned stars of the European premiere of Aida only two years earlier. The solos demand the dramatic fire of Aida and the rich depth of Amneris wrapped into one, and their entrancing duet here is a stunning reunion of those two iconic voices. The tenor then offers a confessional groan for mercy in Ingemisco (I groan), and the bass sings a reflective hope to be called with the blessed in Confutatis maledictis (When the accursed have been confounded). An abrupt reprise of the opening wrath gives way to the tearful finality of Lacrymosa dies illa (Mournful that day), concluding with a prayerful Pie Jesu Domine (Merciful Lord Jesus).

 - III. Offertorio: A lyrical song of praise for the soloists beginning with Domine, Jesu Christe (Lord Jesus Christ), asking to deliver the souls of the faithful departed, and continuing with Hostias (Sacrifices), offered for their ultimate passage from death to life.

 - IV. Sanctus: Written for two choruses in elaborate fugal counterpoint, the Sanctus (Holy, holy, holy) goes like the wind right through the Hosanna and Benedictus (Blessed is he who comes) sections where other composers would traditionally tarry.

 - V. Agnus Dei: The soprano, mezzo, and chorus pray, Lamb of God (Agnus Dei), grant everlasting rest. It proceeds placidly and without pretense to a deeply restful close.

 - VI. Lux aeterna: A prayer from the mezzo, tenor, and bass asking a merciful God that everlasting light (Lux aeterna) may shine upon them. A creep of operatic urgency shadows the music, preparing the listener for the stunning finale.

 - VII. Libera me: The soprano begins with a frightened, plainchant-style plea: Libera me (Deliver me from eternal death). As if needing to unwind before winding up, Verdi flashes back to the terrifying Dies irae a last time, followed by a delicate, a cappella reprise of the opening Requiem aeternam. The frightened plea returns, and the chorus answers with an aggressive fugue. The clamor is deafening, but as any human endeavor is merely the blink of an eye in eternity, it eventually dies down to a whimpering sigh, and only silence remains.

Verdi Meets Manzoni

Verdi had revered Manzoni all his adult life, believing the writer's masterpiece, The Betrothed (I Promessi Sposi), was not just a novel but "a consolation for humanity."

Despite this lifelong veneration, the two men did not actually meet until June 30, 1868, when Verdi's longtime friend, Countess Clara Maffei, finally arranged an introduction in Milan. Verdi was completely awestruck by the octogenarian writer. Shortly after the encounter, he wrote to Maffei, struggling to articulate his emotions: "What can I tell you of Manzoni? How [to] express the new, inexplicable, happy feeling which the sacred presence of this man aroused in me? I would have gone down on my knees before him if we were allowed to worship men."

Manzoni died May 22, 1873. Verdi, overcome by the loss of his hero, avoided the massive state funeral and, instead, traveled to Milan a week later to visit the grave alone. 

Requiem Text

Verdi's Liturgical Deviations

Verdi’s setting of the mass is notoriously theatrical, and while he largely adhered to the prescribed Roman Catholic text, he approached it with the eye of a dramatist rather than a priest. He deviated from the standard liturgy in two ways.

First, he appended the Libera me (Deliver me) to the end of the mass. In Catholic tradition, this text is not part of the Requiem Mass proper; it is part of the Absolution liturgy, which is typically chanted over the coffin after the mass has concluded and before burial. By incorporating it as his monumental seventh movement, Verdi transforms the structure into a terrifying, highly personal climax where the soprano must face her own mortality.

Second, Verdi frequently ignored strict liturgical boundaries to repeat text whenever it suited his emotional arc. Most famously, he reprises the terrifying Dies irae theme twice within the sequence itself, interrupting the soloists to remind the listener of the impending apocalypse. Shockingly, he brings it back yet again in the Libera me. He also reprises the opening Requiem aeternam during the finale, wrapping the whole work in a cyclical musical structure that prioritizes human drama over ecclesiastical rules.

Text with Translation

I: Requiem & Kyrie
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, / Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
and may perpetual light shine on them. / et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Thou, O God, art praised in Sion, / Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion,
and to thee shall a vow be paid in Jerusalem. / et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem;
Hear my prayer; / exaudi orationem meam,
to thee shall all flesh come. / ad te omnis caro veniet.
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, / Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
and may perpetual light shine on them. / et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Lord, have mercy. / Kyrie eleison.
Christ, have mercy. / Christe eleison.
Lord, have mercy. / Kyrie eleison.

II: Dies Irae
Day of wrath, that day / Dies irae, dies illa
shall dissolve the world in ashes, / solvet saeclum in favilla,
as David and the Sibyl testify. / teste David cum Sibylla.
What trembling there shall be, / Quantus tremor est futurus,
when the Judge shall come / quando judex est venturus,
to examine all things strictly! / cuncta stricte discussurus!
The trumpet, scattering a wondrous sound / Tuba mirum spargens sonum
through the tombs of every land, / per sepulcra regionum,
shall gather all before the throne. / coget omnes ante thronum.
Death and nature shall stand amazed, / Mors stupebit et natura,
when creation rises again / cum resurget creatura,
to answer to the Judge. / judicanti responsura.
A written book will be brought forth, / Liber scriptus proferetur,
in which all is contained, / in quo totum continetur,
from which the world shall be judged. / unde mundus judicetur.
When therefore the Judge takes his seat, / Judex ergo cum sedebit,
whatever is hidden will reveal itself, / quidquid latet apparebit,
nothing will remain unavenged. / nil inultum remanebit.
What then shall I say, wretch that I am? / Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?
What advocate shall I entreat to speak for me, / Quem patronum rogaturus,
when even the righteous may hardly be secure? / cum vix justus sit securus?
King of awe-inspiring majesty, / Rex tremendae majestatis,
who freely savest the redeemed, / qui salvandos salvas gratis,
save me, O fount of mercy. / salve me, fons pietatis.
Remember, merciful Jesus, / Recordare, Jesu pie,
that I am the cause of thy journey; / quod sum causa tuae viae;
do not forsake me on that day. / ne me perdas illa die.
Seeking me, thou didst sit down weary; / Quaerens me sedisti lassus;
thou didst redeem me, suffering the cross; / redemisti crucem passus;
let not such toil be in vain. / tantus labor non sit cassus.
Just and avenging Judge, / Juste judex ultionis,
grant the gift of remission / donum fac remissionis
before the day of reckoning. / ante diem rationis.
I groan like one who is guilty; / Ingemisco, tamquam reus;
guilt reddens my face; / culpa rubet vultus meus;
spare a suppliant, O God. / supplicanti parce, Deus.
Thou who didst absolve Mary Magdalene, / Qui Mariam absolvisti,
and didst hearken to the thief, / et latronem exaudisti,
to me also hast thou given hope. / mihi quoque spem dedisti.
My prayers are not worthy, / Preces meae non sunt dignae,
but thou in thy merciful goodness / sed tu bonus fac benigne,
grant that I burn not in everlasting fire. / ne perenni cremer igne.
Place me among thy sheep, / Inter oves locum praesta,
and separate me from the goats, / et ab haedis me sequestra,
setting me on thy right hand. / statuens in parte dextra.
When the accursed have been confounded, / Confutatis maledictis,
and given over to the bitter flames, / flammis acribus addictis,
call me with the blessed. / voca me cum benedictis.
I pray in supplication on my knees, / Oro supplex et acclinis,
my heart contrite as the dust; / cor contritum quasi cinis,
safeguard my end. / gere curam mei finis.
Mournful that day, / Lacrimosa dies illa,
when from the dust shall rise / qua resurget ex favilla
the guilty man to be judged. / judicandus homo reus.
Therefore spare him, O God. / Huic ergo parce, Deus.
Merciful Lord Jesus, / Pie Jesu Domine,
grant them rest. Amen. / dona eis requiem. Amen.

III: Offertorio
Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, / Domine, Jesu Christe, Rex gloriae,
deliver the souls of all the faithful departed / libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum
from the pains of hell and from the bottomless pit. / de poenis inferni et de profundo lacu.
Deliver them from the lion's mouth, / Libera eas de ore leonis,
lest hell swallow them up, / ne absorbeat eas tartarus,
lest they fall into darkness: / ne cadant in obscurum:
but let the holy standard-bearer Michael / sed signifer sanctus Michae
bring them into the holy light, / repraesentet eas in lucem sanctam,
which thou once promised to Abraham and his descendants. / quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus.
Sacrifices and prayers of praise, O Lord, we offer to thee. / Hostias et preces tibi, Domine, laudis offerimus.
Receive them for those souls / Tu suscipe pro animabus illis,
whose memory we recall this day; / quarum hodie memoriam facimus;
grant them, O Lord, to pass from death to life, / fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam,
which thou once promised to Abraham and his descendants. / quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus.

IV: Sanctus
Holy, holy, holy, / Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus,
Lord God of Hosts. / Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Heaven and earth are full of thy glory. / Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in the highest. / Hosanna in excelsis.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. / Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Hosanna in the highest. / Hosanna in excelsis.

V: Agnus Dei
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, / Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
grant them rest. / dona eis requiem.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, / Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
grant them rest. / dona eis requiem.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, / Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
grant them eternal rest. / dona eis requiem sempiternam.

VI: Lux Aeterna
May everlasting light shine upon them, O Lord, / Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine,
with thy saints forever, / cum sanctis tuis in aeternum,
for thou art merciful. / quia pius es.
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, / Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
and may perpetual light shine upon them, / et lux perpetua luceat eis,
with thy saints forever, / cum sanctis tuis in aeternum,
for thou art merciful. / quia pius es.

VII: Libera Me
Deliver me, O Lord, from eternal death on that awful day, / Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna, in die illa tremenda,
when the heavens and the earth shall be moved: / quando coeli movendi sunt et terra:
when thou shalt come to judge the world by fire. / dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem.
I am seized with trembling and I fear, / Tremens factus sum ego, et timeo,
until the judgment and the wrath to come. / dum discussio venerit, atque ventura ira.
When the heavens and the earth shall be moved. / Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra.
That day is one of wrath, of calamity and of misery, / Dies irae, dies illa, calamitatis et miseriae,
a great day, and exceeding bitter. / dies magna et amara valde.
When thou shalt come to judge the world by fire. / Dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem.
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, / Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
and may perpetual light shine upon them. / et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Deliver me, O Lord, from eternal death on that awful day, / Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna, in die illa tremenda,
when the heavens and the earth shall be moved: / quando coeli movendi sunt et terra:
when thou shalt come to judge the world by fire. / dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem.
Deliver me, O Lord, deliver me. / Libera me, Domine, libera me.

© 2013, 2026 by Steven Hollingsworth, Creative Commons Public Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Contact steve@trecorde.net



Messa da Requiem
Giuseppe Verdi

Messa da Requiem
Giuseppe Verdi
(b. October 10, 1813 in Le Roncole, Italy; d. January 27, 1901 in Milan)

An Opera in Disguise?

When Messa da Requiem premiered, the conductor Hans von Bülow famously dismissed it as "Verdi’s latest opera, in ecclesiastical robes." He wasn't entirely wrong. Verdi, the titan of 19th-century Italian opera, brought the same visceral human drama to the altar that he brought to the stage. It is a work that first shakes the living to the core with the certainty of death, the ultimate unknown awaiting everyone. It is a message delivered with terrifying intensity before tender lyrical beauty offers a consolation that something worthy will be found on this side of the grave, but without comforting visions of heaven for the faithful. Rarely is Messa da Requiem performed in a liturgical context nowadays. Concert performances like the one tonight are the norm as with Mozart’s Requiem.

The Agnostic’s Prayer

Verdi was an unlikely candidate to pen a religious masterpiece. By the time he wrote Requiem, he was a wealthy celebrity of unified Italy, but inside was a man scarred by early tragedy. Decades prior, within a span of two years, his young wife and both his infant children died. This trauma provided a wellspring of grief for his art but eroded his religious conviction. His second wife, Giuseppina, described him as "a very doubtful believer." Consequently, his Requiem is agnostic in nature—it focuses less on the liturgical promise of salvation and more on the terrifying, human fear of the unknown.

The Rossini Failure

The work’s origins are both political and personal. When Gioachino Rossini died in 1868, Verdi proposed a collaboration: the top composers of Italy would each write one movement of a requiem to honor him. Verdi was assigned the finale, the Libera me. While the music was completed, squabbles over the premiere caused the project to be tabled and forgotten. (But not forever. The Rossini Requiem premiered in Stuttgart in 1988 after moldering for more than a century.)

The Manzoni Catalyst

Verdi understood the worth of his own music and refused to let his contribution go to waste. The catalyst to finish the work himself came through his idol, Alessandro Manzoni, the iconic poet and novelist who served as the literary father of Italian unification.

When Manzoni died in 1873, Verdi proposed writing a full requiem in Manzoni's honor, retrieving his abandoned Libera me and composing the rest of the mass around it. He conducted the premiere in Milan on the first anniversary of Manzoni’s death, May 22, 1874.

The Mass, Movement by Movement

The mass is written in seven sections, structured to wring every drop of emotion from the ancient text.

 - I. Requiem & Kyrie: opens as a whispered plea for eternal rest (Requiem aeternam). The orchestra and chorus seem reluctant to rise above a murmur until the soloists enter, pleading for the Lord and Christ to have mercy (Kyrie eleison / Christe eleison). The music becomes passionate and operatic, as though no mercy is possible without the deepest emotions being wrung from the soul, before the orchestra finishes with whispered chords.

 - II. Dies irae (Day of wrath): a massive undertaking, it begins with a ferocious, apocalyptic depiction of the day the world dissolves into ashes. It quickly subsides into the Tuba mirum, introduced by fanfares on-stage and off-stage, as the trumpet scatters a wondrous sound to gather all before the throne. Death stands amazed (Mors stupebit) in a stark bass solo, followed by the Liber scriptus (A written book) which intersperses the wrathful opening theme. A lament from the soloists wondering what a wretch should say (Quid sum miser) gives way to the stormy declaration to the King of awe-inspiring majesty (Rex tremendae majestatis).

We are still only halfway through this sprawling sequence. The emotional core arrives with Recordare, Jesu pie (Remember, merciful Jesus). Verdi composed the soprano and mezzo-soprano roles to show off Teresa Stolz and Maria Waldmann—the renowned stars of the European premiere of Aida only two years earlier. The solos demand the dramatic fire of Aida and the rich depth of Amneris wrapped into one, and their entrancing duet here is a stunning reunion of those two iconic voices. The tenor then offers a confessional groan for mercy in Ingemisco (I groan), and the bass sings a reflective hope to be called with the blessed in Confutatis maledictis (When the accursed have been confounded). An abrupt reprise of the opening wrath gives way to the tearful finality of Lacrymosa dies illa (Mournful that day), concluding with a prayerful Pie Jesu Domine (Merciful Lord Jesus).

 - III. Offertorio: A lyrical song of praise for the soloists beginning with Domine, Jesu Christe (Lord Jesus Christ), asking to deliver the souls of the faithful departed, and continuing with Hostias (Sacrifices), offered for their ultimate passage from death to life.

 - IV. Sanctus: Written for two choruses in elaborate fugal counterpoint, the Sanctus (Holy, holy, holy) goes like the wind right through the Hosanna and Benedictus (Blessed is he who comes) sections where other composers would traditionally tarry.

 - V. Agnus Dei: The soprano, mezzo, and chorus pray, Lamb of God (Agnus Dei), grant everlasting rest. It proceeds placidly and without pretense to a deeply restful close.

 - VI. Lux aeterna: A prayer from the mezzo, tenor, and bass asking a merciful God that everlasting light (Lux aeterna) may shine upon them. A creep of operatic urgency shadows the music, preparing the listener for the stunning finale.

 - VII. Libera me: The soprano begins with a frightened, plainchant-style plea: Libera me (Deliver me from eternal death). As if needing to unwind before winding up, Verdi flashes back to the terrifying Dies irae a last time, followed by a delicate, a cappella reprise of the opening Requiem aeternam. The frightened plea returns, and the chorus answers with an aggressive fugue. The clamor is deafening, but as any human endeavor is merely the blink of an eye in eternity, it eventually dies down to a whimpering sigh, and only silence remains.

Verdi Meets Manzoni

Verdi had revered Manzoni all his adult life, believing the writer's masterpiece, The Betrothed (I Promessi Sposi), was not just a novel but "a consolation for humanity."

Despite this lifelong veneration, the two men did not actually meet until June 30, 1868, when Verdi's longtime friend, Countess Clara Maffei, finally arranged an introduction in Milan. Verdi was completely awestruck by the octogenarian writer. Shortly after the encounter, he wrote to Maffei, struggling to articulate his emotions: "What can I tell you of Manzoni? How [to] express the new, inexplicable, happy feeling which the sacred presence of this man aroused in me? I would have gone down on my knees before him if we were allowed to worship men."

Manzoni died May 22, 1873. Verdi, overcome by the loss of his hero, avoided the massive state funeral and, instead, traveled to Milan a week later to visit the grave alone. 

Requiem Text

Verdi's Liturgical Deviations

Verdi’s setting of the mass is notoriously theatrical, and while he largely adhered to the prescribed Roman Catholic text, he approached it with the eye of a dramatist rather than a priest. He deviated from the standard liturgy in two ways.

First, he appended the Libera me (Deliver me) to the end of the mass. In Catholic tradition, this text is not part of the Requiem Mass proper; it is part of the Absolution liturgy, which is typically chanted over the coffin after the mass has concluded and before burial. By incorporating it as his monumental seventh movement, Verdi transforms the structure into a terrifying, highly personal climax where the soprano must face her own mortality.

Second, Verdi frequently ignored strict liturgical boundaries to repeat text whenever it suited his emotional arc. Most famously, he reprises the terrifying Dies irae theme twice within the sequence itself, interrupting the soloists to remind the listener of the impending apocalypse. Shockingly, he brings it back yet again in the Libera me. He also reprises the opening Requiem aeternam during the finale, wrapping the whole work in a cyclical musical structure that prioritizes human drama over ecclesiastical rules.

Text with Translation

I: Requiem & Kyrie
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, / Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
and may perpetual light shine on them. / et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Thou, O God, art praised in Sion, / Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion,
and to thee shall a vow be paid in Jerusalem. / et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem;
Hear my prayer; / exaudi orationem meam,
to thee shall all flesh come. / ad te omnis caro veniet.
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, / Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
and may perpetual light shine on them. / et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Lord, have mercy. / Kyrie eleison.
Christ, have mercy. / Christe eleison.
Lord, have mercy. / Kyrie eleison.

II: Dies Irae
Day of wrath, that day / Dies irae, dies illa
shall dissolve the world in ashes, / solvet saeclum in favilla,
as David and the Sibyl testify. / teste David cum Sibylla.
What trembling there shall be, / Quantus tremor est futurus,
when the Judge shall come / quando judex est venturus,
to examine all things strictly! / cuncta stricte discussurus!
The trumpet, scattering a wondrous sound / Tuba mirum spargens sonum
through the tombs of every land, / per sepulcra regionum,
shall gather all before the throne. / coget omnes ante thronum.
Death and nature shall stand amazed, / Mors stupebit et natura,
when creation rises again / cum resurget creatura,
to answer to the Judge. / judicanti responsura.
A written book will be brought forth, / Liber scriptus proferetur,
in which all is contained, / in quo totum continetur,
from which the world shall be judged. / unde mundus judicetur.
When therefore the Judge takes his seat, / Judex ergo cum sedebit,
whatever is hidden will reveal itself, / quidquid latet apparebit,
nothing will remain unavenged. / nil inultum remanebit.
What then shall I say, wretch that I am? / Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?
What advocate shall I entreat to speak for me, / Quem patronum rogaturus,
when even the righteous may hardly be secure? / cum vix justus sit securus?
King of awe-inspiring majesty, / Rex tremendae majestatis,
who freely savest the redeemed, / qui salvandos salvas gratis,
save me, O fount of mercy. / salve me, fons pietatis.
Remember, merciful Jesus, / Recordare, Jesu pie,
that I am the cause of thy journey; / quod sum causa tuae viae;
do not forsake me on that day. / ne me perdas illa die.
Seeking me, thou didst sit down weary; / Quaerens me sedisti lassus;
thou didst redeem me, suffering the cross; / redemisti crucem passus;
let not such toil be in vain. / tantus labor non sit cassus.
Just and avenging Judge, / Juste judex ultionis,
grant the gift of remission / donum fac remissionis
before the day of reckoning. / ante diem rationis.
I groan like one who is guilty; / Ingemisco, tamquam reus;
guilt reddens my face; / culpa rubet vultus meus;
spare a suppliant, O God. / supplicanti parce, Deus.
Thou who didst absolve Mary Magdalene, / Qui Mariam absolvisti,
and didst hearken to the thief, / et latronem exaudisti,
to me also hast thou given hope. / mihi quoque spem dedisti.
My prayers are not worthy, / Preces meae non sunt dignae,
but thou in thy merciful goodness / sed tu bonus fac benigne,
grant that I burn not in everlasting fire. / ne perenni cremer igne.
Place me among thy sheep, / Inter oves locum praesta,
and separate me from the goats, / et ab haedis me sequestra,
setting me on thy right hand. / statuens in parte dextra.
When the accursed have been confounded, / Confutatis maledictis,
and given over to the bitter flames, / flammis acribus addictis,
call me with the blessed. / voca me cum benedictis.
I pray in supplication on my knees, / Oro supplex et acclinis,
my heart contrite as the dust; / cor contritum quasi cinis,
safeguard my end. / gere curam mei finis.
Mournful that day, / Lacrimosa dies illa,
when from the dust shall rise / qua resurget ex favilla
the guilty man to be judged. / judicandus homo reus.
Therefore spare him, O God. / Huic ergo parce, Deus.
Merciful Lord Jesus, / Pie Jesu Domine,
grant them rest. Amen. / dona eis requiem. Amen.

III: Offertorio
Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, / Domine, Jesu Christe, Rex gloriae,
deliver the souls of all the faithful departed / libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum
from the pains of hell and from the bottomless pit. / de poenis inferni et de profundo lacu.
Deliver them from the lion's mouth, / Libera eas de ore leonis,
lest hell swallow them up, / ne absorbeat eas tartarus,
lest they fall into darkness: / ne cadant in obscurum:
but let the holy standard-bearer Michael / sed signifer sanctus Michae
bring them into the holy light, / repraesentet eas in lucem sanctam,
which thou once promised to Abraham and his descendants. / quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus.
Sacrifices and prayers of praise, O Lord, we offer to thee. / Hostias et preces tibi, Domine, laudis offerimus.
Receive them for those souls / Tu suscipe pro animabus illis,
whose memory we recall this day; / quarum hodie memoriam facimus;
grant them, O Lord, to pass from death to life, / fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam,
which thou once promised to Abraham and his descendants. / quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus.

IV: Sanctus
Holy, holy, holy, / Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus,
Lord God of Hosts. / Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Heaven and earth are full of thy glory. / Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in the highest. / Hosanna in excelsis.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. / Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Hosanna in the highest. / Hosanna in excelsis.

V: Agnus Dei
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, / Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
grant them rest. / dona eis requiem.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, / Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
grant them rest. / dona eis requiem.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, / Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
grant them eternal rest. / dona eis requiem sempiternam.

VI: Lux Aeterna
May everlasting light shine upon them, O Lord, / Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine,
with thy saints forever, / cum sanctis tuis in aeternum,
for thou art merciful. / quia pius es.
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, / Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
and may perpetual light shine upon them, / et lux perpetua luceat eis,
with thy saints forever, / cum sanctis tuis in aeternum,
for thou art merciful. / quia pius es.

VII: Libera Me
Deliver me, O Lord, from eternal death on that awful day, / Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna, in die illa tremenda,
when the heavens and the earth shall be moved: / quando coeli movendi sunt et terra:
when thou shalt come to judge the world by fire. / dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem.
I am seized with trembling and I fear, / Tremens factus sum ego, et timeo,
until the judgment and the wrath to come. / dum discussio venerit, atque ventura ira.
When the heavens and the earth shall be moved. / Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra.
That day is one of wrath, of calamity and of misery, / Dies irae, dies illa, calamitatis et miseriae,
a great day, and exceeding bitter. / dies magna et amara valde.
When thou shalt come to judge the world by fire. / Dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem.
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, / Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
and may perpetual light shine upon them. / et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Deliver me, O Lord, from eternal death on that awful day, / Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna, in die illa tremenda,
when the heavens and the earth shall be moved: / quando coeli movendi sunt et terra:
when thou shalt come to judge the world by fire. / dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem.
Deliver me, O Lord, deliver me. / Libera me, Domine, libera me.

© 2013, 2026 by Steven Hollingsworth, Creative Commons Public Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Contact steve@trecorde.net