196. Lord Jesus, think on me
Synesius, c. 375-430
Tr. Allen W. Chatfield, 1808-96
A subjective and meditative hymn of trust, coming to us from the ancient Eastern Church.
Synesius, a native of Cyrene, came from an illustrious family. He studied at Alexandria and became a Christian in 401. Against his own wishes, but in response to the will of the people, he was elected bishop of Ptolemais. He is described in Chas. Kingsley’s Hypatia as a distinguished churchman, philosopher, statesman, and patriot.
The translator, Rev. A. W. Chatfield, was an Anglican clergyman who had a distinguished career at Cambridge. He translated many of the hymns of the early Greek poets into English.
The original poem, of which this is a paraphrase rather than an exact translation, is as follows:
Μνώεο, Χριστέ,
υἱὲ Θεοῖο
ὑψιμέδοντος,
οἰκέτω Σοῦ,
Κῆρ’ ἀλιτροῖο
Τάδε γράψαντος;
Καί μοι ὄρασσον
λύσιν παθέων
κηριτρεφέων
τά μοι ἐμφυῆ
ψυχᾷ ῥυπαρᾷ;
δὸς δὲ ἰδέσθαι,
Σῶτερ Ἰησοῦ,
ζαθέαν αἴγλαν
Σάν, ἔνθα φανεὶς
μέλψω ἀοιδὰν
παίονι ψυχᾶν,
παίονι γυίων,
Πατρὶ σὺν μεγάλῳ
Πνεύματί Θ’ Ἁγνῷ.
MUSIC. SOUTHWELL, a characteristic psalm tune, was set to Psalm 45 in Damon’s Psalms of David, 1579, and was named “Southwell” in Ravencroft’s Psalm Book of 1621. It was originally written in the Dorian mode (the first “authentic” Gregorian mode, D as keynote). A fuller explanation may be found in the History of Music in the Western Church, by Dickinson, pp. 113 ff.
For comments on Damon’s Psalter see [Hymn 589].