At Vespers during Advent we priests recite (or ought to) a hymn entitled Conditor alme siderum. This is perhaps from the late 6th or early 7th c. In Pope Urban VIII's revision of the hymns of the Roman Breviary in 1632, the Advent hymns were greatly altered and this hymn was no exception. The revised hymn, Creator alme siderum, is very different piece. In the Liturgia horarum original hymn has since been restored:
Conditor alme siderum,
aeterna lux credentium,
Christe, redemptor omnium,
exaudi preces supplicum.
Loving Creator of the stars,
eternal Light of believers,
O Christ, redeemer of all,
hear the prayers of supplicants.
Qui condolens interitu
mortis perire saeculum,
salvasti mundum languidum,
donans reis remedium,
You, greatly suffering with us
that the cosmos was perishing from the ruin of death,
saved the weakened world
giving a cure to the condemned,
Vergente mundi vespere,
uti sponsus de thalamo,
egressus honestissima
Virginis matris clausula.
while the evening of the world is verging toward us,
as a Bridegroom having come forth from the chamber, the most virtuous
enclosure of the Virgin Mother.
Cuius forti potentiae
genu curvantur omnia;
caelestia, terrestria
nutu fatentur subdita.
At whose powerful might
All things are bent down at the knee,
things celestial, things earthly,
things subdued making their profession with bowed head.
Te, Sancte, fide quaesumus,
venture iudex saeculi,
conserva nos in tempore
hostis a telo perfidi.
In faith we beg You, O Holy One,
You the Judge of the world about to come,
guard us in this era
from the weapon of the teacherous enemy.
Sit, Christe, rex piissime,
tibi Patrique gloria
cum Spiritu Paraclito,
in sempiterna saecula. Amen.
O Christ, most merciful King,
let there be glory to You,
and to the Father with the Consoler Spirit
forever and ever. Amen.
Here is one poetic translation for the restored, but ancient, text:
Creator of the starry height,
Thy people's everlasting light,
Jesu, Redeemer, save us all,
Hear thou thy servants when they call.
Thou, sorrowing at the helpless cry
Of all creation doomed to die,
Didst save our lost and guilty race
By healing gifts of heavenly grace.
When earth was near its evening hour,
Thou didst, in love's redeeming power,
Like bridegroom from his chamber, come
Forth from a Virgin-mother's womb.
At thy great Name, exalted now,
All knees in lowly homage bow;
All things in heaven and earth adore,
And own Thee King for evermore.
To thee, O Holy One, we pray,
Our Judge in that tremendous day,
Ward off, while yet we dwell below,
The weapons of our crafty foe.
To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Spirit, Three in One,
Praise, honor, might and glory be
From age to age eternally.
Alternate Third Verse:
Thou cam'st, the Bridegroom of the bride,
As drew the world to eventide;
Proceeding from a virgin shrine,
The spotless Virgin all divine.
Somewhere along the way, the Gregorian chant melodies for many hymns were adjusted, usually by French speakers, and you can hear the influence of French even on the melodies, for the syllabic emphasis shifted around. Today's hymn is a good example. In the case of Conditor alme siderum, the melody was adjusted in such a way that the second syllable of Conditor receives an emphasis that it did not have before Vatican II.
"But Father! But Father! So what?!??" you say while drumming your fingers. "What difference could that make??? Aren't you being too picky? It's because YOU HATE VATICAN II!"
Friends, where you place the syllabic emphasis changes the meaning. Perpend.
There are two verbs in Latin that can give us the word spelled Conditor: condo, condere results in cónditor while condio, condire produces condítor. The verb condo, condere, condidi, cónditum, “to bring, lay or put together” in the sense of “establish, build, construct, compose, describe” and,
