PRO DEFVNCTIS

DIES IRAE

Day of Wrath

The Dies Irae, attributed to Thomas of Celano (c. 1200-1265), is the greatest of Latin sequences and the supreme meditation on the Last Judgment. Its opening words derive from Zephaniah 1:15-16. The 19 stanzas progress from cosmic terror through personal supplication to confident appeal for mercy. Removed from the funeral liturgy in 1970, it remains obligatory in the 1962 Missal.

LATINE
Dies irae, dies illa,
Solvet saeclum in favilla,
Teste David cum Sibylla.
Quantus tremor est futurus,
Quando iudex est venturus,
Cuncta stricte discussurus.
Tuba mirum spargens sonum
Per sepulcra regionum,
Coget omnes ante thronum.
Mors stupebit et natura,
Cum resurget creatura,
Iudicanti responsura.
Liber scriptus proferetur,
In quo totum continetur,
Unde mundus iudicetur.
Iudex ergo cum sedebit,
Quidquid latet, apparebit:
Nil inultum remanebit.
Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?
Quem patronum rogaturus,
Cum vix iustus sit securus?
Rex tremendae maiestatis,
Qui salvandos salvas gratis,
Salva me, fons pietatis.
Recordare, Iesu pie,
Quod sum causa tuae viae:
Ne me perdas illa die.
Quaerens me, sedisti lassus:
Redemisti Crucem passus:
Tantus labor non sit cassus.
Iuste iudex ultionis,
Donum fac remissionis
Ante diem rationis.
Ingemisco, tamquam reus:
Culpa rubet vultus meus:
Supplicanti parce, Deus.
Qui Mariam absolvisti,
Et latronem exaudisti,
Mihi quoque spem dedisti.
Preces meae non sunt dignae:
Sed tu bonus fac benigne,
Ne perenni cremer igne.
Inter oves locum praesta,
Et ab haedis me sequestra,
Statuens in parte dextra.
Confutatis maledictis,
Flammis acribus addictis:
Voca me cum benedictis.
Oro supplex et acclinis,
Cor contritum quasi cinis:
Gere curam mei finis.
Lacrimosa dies illa,
Qua resurget ex favilla
Iudicandus homo reus.
Huic ergo parce, Deus:
Pie Iesu Domine,
Dona eis requiem. Amen.
ENGLISH
Day of wrath, that day
Will dissolve the world in ashes,
As David and the Sibyl testify.
What trembling there will be,
When the Judge shall come
To examine all things strictly.
The trumpet, scattering a wondrous sound
Through the tombs of every land,
Will gather all before the throne.
Death and Nature shall be astonished,
When creation rises again
To answer to the Judge.
A written book will be brought forth,
In which everything is contained
From which the world shall be judged.
When therefore the Judge takes His seat,
Whatever is hidden will be revealed:
Nothing shall remain unavenged.
What then shall I, a wretch, say?
What patron shall I entreat,
When even the just are scarcely secure?
King of dreadful majesty,
Who freely savest the redeemed,
Save me, O Fount of mercy.
Remember, merciful Jesus,
That I am the cause of Thy journey:
Do not cast me away on that day.
Seeking me, Thou didst sit down weary;
Redeeming me, Thou didst suffer the Cross:
Let not such toil be in vain.
Just Judge of vengeance,
Grant the gift of remission
Before the day of reckoning.
I groan as one guilty;
My face blushes with guilt:
Spare the supplicant, O God.
Thou who didst absolve Mary,
And hearken to the thief,
To me also hast Thou given hope.
My prayers are not worthy,
But Thou, being good, deal graciously,
Lest I burn in everlasting fire.
Give me a place among the sheep,
And separate me from the goats,
Placing me on Thy right hand.
When the accursed are confounded,
And consigned to keen flames,
Call me among the blessed.
I pray in supplication on my knees;
My heart is contrite as ashes:
Take Thou care of my end.
That day is one of weeping,
On which shall rise from the ashes
The guilty man, to be judged.
Therefore spare this one, O God.
Merciful Lord Jesus,
Grant them rest. Amen.
NOTA
FONS
Sequentia Missae Defunctorum (13th century)
USUS
Requiem Mass (1962 Missale), All Souls Day
CONTEXT
Attributed to Thomas of Celano (c. 1200-1265). The Dies Irae was removed from the funeral liturgy in 1970 but remains in the Extraordinary Form. Its text has inspired countless musical settings.