Parce Domine

Score (PDF)
Sung by Our Lady of Guadalupe seminarians (3 verses)

A suggestion: At first just learn the refrain and the first two verses. Only go on to the later verses when you have a firm grasp of the melody. In fact you might hold off on the later verses until next year; they were a challenge for me to translate, and they might be difficult for you.

Translation Notes

Refrain

Parce	Domine,	parce	populo	tuo:
spare	O Lord	spare	people	your

Ne	in	aeternum	irascaris	nobis.
Lest	into	eternity	you be angry	with us

Domine is the form of Dominus used to address the Lord, which grammarians call the vocative case. The phrase in aeternum simply means “forever.”

“Spare, O Lord, spare Thy people, lest Thou be angry with us forever.”*

Verse 1

Flectamus	iram	vindicem,
Let us turn aside	anger	punishing

Ploremus	ante	Judicem;
Let us weep	before	judge

Clamemus	ore	supplici,
Let us shout	with mouth	entreating

Dicamus	omnes	cernui.
Let us speak	all	head bowed

Flectamus ordinarily means “let us bend,” but here I think the sense is turning aside or deflecting the Lord’s anger. It is not clear to me whether omnes (all) refers to all of us who speak, or all of the things we say, but probably the former. Remember cernui from Tantum Ergo?

“Let us bow down before the avenging wrath; let us weep before the Judge; let us cry forth in prayer of supplication, and all fall prostrate in prayer.”*

Verse 2

Nostris	malis	offendimus
Our	by evils	we offend

Tuam	Deus	clementiam
your	God	mercy

Effunde	nobis	desuper
pour out	to us	from above

Remissor	indulgentiam.
one who remits	indulgence

In the second line, Deus is used to address God; tuam goes with clementiam, “your mercy.” So: By our evils, God, we offend your mercy.

Remissor addresses the Lord as the one who remits or forgives sins, and indulgentiam (indulgence, gentleness) is what we ask him to pour out.

“By our sins we have offended thy clemency, O God; pour out on us thy pardon from on high, Thou who dost forgive.”*

Verse 3

Dans	tempus	acceptabile,
Giving	time	acceptable

Da	lacrimarum	rivulis
give/grant	of tears	with rivulets

Lavare	cordis	victimam,
To wash	of hearts	sacrifice

Quam	laeta	adurat	caritas.
which	joyful	sets on fire	love

I understand lines 2–3 to mean: grant that, with (by means of) rivulets (little brooks) of tears, to wash the sacrifice of hearts.”

Note that the last syllable of laeta, which is italicized, is to be omitted in singing, because there are not enough notes. This was a common practice in Latin poetry, even in classical times, called elision. So the last line is to be sung: Quam laet’ adurat caritas.

“Offering an acceptable time, give streams of tears to wash the sacrifice of our heart, which joyful charity enkindles.”*

Verse 4

Audi,	benigne	Conditor,
Hear/listen	benevolent	Creator

Nostras	preces	cum	fletibus
our	prayers	with	tears

In	hoc	sacro	jejunio
in	this	holy	fast

Fusas	quadragenario.
poured	of forty

Quadragenario alludes to the 40 days of Lent, which in Latin is called Quadragesima; it belongs with jejunio, a fast of forty (days).

Fusas is a form of fundo, to pour, and refers a long way back to preces, prayers which are poured out.

“Hear, thou merciful Creator, the tearful prayers poured forth during this holy fast of forty days.”*

Verse 5

Scrutator	alme	cordium,
Searcher	kind	of hearts

Infirma	tu	scis	virium
the weak parts	you	you know	of men

Ad	te	reversis	exhibe
to	you	to the returned	show

Remissionis	gratiam.
of remission	grace

A scrutator is one who searches, examines, scrutinizes. We are addressing the kind one who examines hearts. We ask Him to show to those who returned to Him the grace (favor, kindness, service) of remitting their sins.

“Beloved searcher of hearts, thou knowest the infirmities of men; show pardoning grace to those who return to thee.”*

Gregory Weber, 2020 March 22; revised 2021 Feb 9.