Urbs Beata Jerusalem Dicta Pacis Visio - Text

Text

The hymn comprises eight stanzas, together with a doxology. The text is scripturally inspired by Ephesians ii. 20, 1 Peter ii. 5, and Revelation xxi. The translation below is by John Mason Neale.

Original Latin Literal English Verse translation (Neale)
Urbs beata Jerusalem,
dicta pacis visio,

Quæ construitur in coelo

vivis ex lapidibus,

Et angelis coronata

ut sponsata comite.
 Blessed city of Jerusalem,
vision of an assurance of peace,

Built in heaven

out of living stone

And crowned by the angels

like a bride for her consort
 Blessed City, Heavenly Salem,
Vision dear of Peace and Love,

Who, of living stones upbuilded,

Art the joy of Heav’n above,

And, with angel cohorts circled,

As a bride to earth dost move!”

Under Pope Urban VIII, a group of correctors revised the hymn, replacing the unquantitative, accentual, trochaic rhythm with quantitative, iambic metre (with an addition syllable), and the stanza appeared in the Breviary with divided lines:

Coelestis Urbs Jerusalem,
Beata pacis visio,
Quæ celsa de viventibus
Saxis ad astra tolleris,
Sponsæque ritu cingeris
Mille Angelorum millibus.

Originally, the first four stanzas of "Urbs beata Jerusalem" were usually assigned, in the Office of the Dedication of a church, to Vespers and Matins, while the last four were given to Lauds. After the revision, the hymn for Lauds was changed to "Alto ex Olympi vertice".

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