Ades Pater supreme,

quem nemo vidit unquam,

Patrisque sermo Christe,

et Spiritus benigne.

  5O Trinitatis huius

vis una, lumen unum,

Deus ex Deo perennis,

Deus ex utroque missus.

Fluxit labor diei,

  10redit et quietis hora,

blandus sopor vicissim

fessos relaxat artus.

Mens aestuans procellis

curisque sauciata

  15totis bibit medullis

obliviale poclum.

Serpit per omne corpus

Lethaea vis, nec ullum

miseris doloris aegri

  20patitur manere sensum.

Lex haec data est caducis

Deo iubente membris,

ut temperet laborem

medicabilis voluptas.

  25Sed dum pererrat omnes

quies amica venas,

pectusque feriatum

placat rigante somno:

Liber vagat per auras

  30rapido vigore sensus,

variasque per figuras,

quae sunt operta, cernit.

Quia mens soluta curis,

cui est origo caelum,

  35purusque fons ab aethra

iners iacere nescit.

Imitata multiformes

facies sibi ipsa fingit,

per quas repente currens

  40tenui fruatur actu.

Sed sensa somniantum

dispar fatigat horror,

nunc splendor intererrat

qui dat futura nosse.

  45Plerumque dissipatis

mendax imago veris

animos pavore maestos

ambage fallit atra.

Quem rara culpa morum

  50non polluit frequenter,

nunc lux serena vibrans

res edocet latentes.

At qui coinquinatum

vitiis cor inpiavit,

  55lusus pavore multo

species videt tremendas.

Hoc patriarcha noster

sub carceris catena

geminis simul ministris

  60interpres adprobavit.

Quorum reversus unus

dat poculum tyranno,

ast alterum rapaces

fixum vorant volucres.

  65Ipsum deinde regem

perplexa somniantem

monuit famem futuram

clausis cavere acervis.

Mox praesul ac tetrarches

  70regnum per omne iussus

sociam tenere virgam

dominae resedit aulae.

O quam profunda iustis

arcana per soporem

  75aperit tuenda Christus,

quam clara! quam tacenda!

Evangelista summi

fidissimus magistri

signata quae latebant

  80nebulis videt remotis:

ipsum tonantis agnum

de caede purpurantem,

qui conscium futuri

librum resignat unus.

  85Huius manum potentem

gladius perarmat anceps

et fulgurans utrimque

duplicem minatur ictum.

Quaesitor ille solus

  90animaeque corporisque

ensisque bis timendus

prima ac secunda mors est.

idem tamen benignus

ultor retundit iram

  95paucosque non piorum

patitur perire in aevum.

Huic inclitus perenne

tribuit Pater tribunal,

hunc obtinere iussit

  100nomen supra omne nomen.

Hic praepotens cruenti

extinctor antichristi,

qui de furente monstro

pulchrum refert tropaeum.

  105Quam bestiam capacem

populosque devorantem,

quam sanguinis charybdem

Ioannis execratur.

Haec nempe, quae sacratum

  110praeferre nomen ausa est,

imam petit gehennam

Christo perempta vero.

Tali sopore iustus

mentem relaxat heros,

  115ut spiritu sagaci

caelum peragret omne.

Nos nil meremur horum,

quos creber inplet error,

concreta quos malarum

  120vitiat cupido rerum.

Sat est quiete dulci

fessum fovere corpus:

sat, si nihil sinistrum

vanae minentur umbrae.

  125Cultor Dei memento

te fontis et lavacri

rorem subisse sanctum,

te chrismate innotatum.

Fac, cum vocante somno

  130castum petis cubile,

frontem locumque cordis

crucis figura signet.

Crux pellit omne crimen,

fugiunt crucem tenebrae:

  135tali dicata signo

mens fluctuare nescit.

Procul, o procul vagantum

portenta somniorum,

procul esto pervicaci

  140praestigiator astu!

O tortuose serpens,

qui mille per Maeandros

fraudesque flexuosas

agitas quieta corda,

  145Discede, Christus hic est,

hic Christus est, liquesce:

signum quod ipse nosti

damnat tuam catervam.

Corpus licet fatiscens

  150iaceat recline paullum,

Christum tamen sub ipso

meditabimur sopore.

Draw near, Almighty Father,

Ne'er seen by mortal eye;

Come, O Thou Word eternal,

O Spirit blest, be nigh.

One light of threefold Godhead,

One power that all transcends;

God is of God begotten,

And God from both descends.

The hour of rest approaches,

The toils of day are past,

And o'er our tired bodies

Sleep's gentle charm is cast.

The mind, by cares tormented

Amid life's storm and stress,

Drinks deep the wondrous potion

That brings forgetfulness.

O'er weary, toil-worn mortals

The spells of Lethe steal;

Sad hearts lose all their sorrow,

Nor pain nor anguish feel.

For to His frail creation

God gave this law to keep,

That labour should be lightened

By soft and healing sleep.

But while sweet languor wanders

Through all the pulsing veins,

And, wrapt in dewy slumber,

The heart at rest remains,

The soul, in wakeful vigour,

Aloft in freedom flies,

And sees in many a semblance

The hidden mysteries.

For, freed from care, the spirit

That came from out the sky,

Born of the stainless aether,

Can never idle lie.

A thousand changing phantoms

She fashions through the night,

And 'midst a world of fancy

Pursues her rapid flight.

But divers are the visions

That night to dreamers shows;

Rare gleams of straying splendour

The future may disclose;

More oft the truth is darkened,

And lying fantasy

Deceives the affrighted sleeper

With cunning treachery.

To him whose life is holy

The things that are concealed

Lie open to his spirit

In radiant light revealed;

But he whose heart is blackened,

With many a sin imbued,

Sees phantoms grim and ghastly

That beckon and delude.

So in the Egyptian dungeon

The patriarch of old

Unto the king's two servants

Their fateful visions told:

And one is brought from prison

The monarch's wine to pour,

One, on the gibbet hanging,

Foul birds of prey devour,

He warned the king, distracted

By riddles of the night,

To hoard the plenteous harvests

Against the years of blight.

Soon, lord of half a kingdom,

A mighty potentate,

He shares the royal sceptre

And dwells in princely state.

But ah! how deep the secrets

The holy sleeper sees

To whom Christ shows His highest,

Most sacred mysteries.

For God's most faithful servant

The clouds were rolled away,

And John beheld the wonders

That sealed from mortals lay.

The Lamb of God, encrimsoned

With sacrificial stains,

Alone the Book can open

That destiny contains.

By His strong hand is wielded

A keen, two-edgèd brand

That, flashing like the lightning,

Smites swift on either hand.

Before His bar of judgment

Both soul and body lie;

He whom that dread sword smiteth

The second death shall die.

Yet mercy tempers justice,

And few the Avenger sends

(Whose guilt is past all pardon)

To death that never ends.

To Him the Father yieldeth

The judgment-seat of Heaven;

To Him a Name excelling

All other names is given.

For by His strength transcendent

Shall Antichrist be slain,

And from that raging monster

Fair trophies shall He gain:

That all-devouring Dragon,

With blood of martyrs red,

On whose abhorrèd power

John's solemn curse is laid.

And thus the proud usurper

Of His high name is cast

By Him, the true Christ, vanquished

To deepest hell at last.

Upon the saint heroic

Such wondrous slumber falls

That, in the spirit roaming,

He treads heaven's highest halls.

We may not, in our weakness,

To dreams like these aspire,

Whose souls are steeped in error

And evil things desire.

Enough, if weary bodies

In peaceful sleep may rest;

Enough, if no dark powers

Our slumbering souls molest.

Christian! the font remember,

The sacramental vow,

The holy water sprinkled,

The oil that marked thy brow!

When at sleep's call thou seekest

To rest in slumber chaste,

Let first the sacred emblem

On breast and brow be traced.

The Cross dispels all darkness,

All sin before it flies,

And by that sign protected

The mind all fear defies.

Avaunt! ye fleeting phantoms

That mock our midnight hours;

Avaunt! thou great Deceiver

With all thy guileful powers.

Thou Serpent, old and crafty,

Who by a thousand arts

And manifold temptations

Dost vex our sleeping hearts,

Vanish! for Christ is with us;

Away! 'tis Christ the Lord:

The sign thou must acknowledge

Condemns thy hellish horde.

And, though the weary body

Relaxed in sleep may be,

Our hearts, Lord, e'en in slumber,

Shall meditate on Thee.