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Ausonius: Oratio Versibus Rhopalicis

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A technical tour de force of the fourth century AD, the Oratio Versibus Rhopalicis of Ausonius is a Christian prayer cast in rhopalic verse — Latin hexameters in which each successive word is one syllable longer than the last. Within this exacting frame the poet addresses God with petitions for pardon and grace.

The poem unites the formal ingenuity of the late antique schools with the new devotional language of Christianity, and it is among the best-known examples of rhopalic composition in Latin. It shows how thoroughly verbal artistry and piety could intertwine in Ausonius’ world.

About this edition. The Latin text is that of the Perseus Digital Library. Every word has been analyzed with LatinCy, a neural language model for Latin — click or tap any word for its dictionary form, part of speech, and complete morphology, together with the full entry from Lewis & Short’s A Latin Dictionary.

Latin · Lyric & Elegy
Oratio Versibus Rhopalicis
Ausonius, Decimus Magnus · every word parsed
1
Spes, deus, aeternae stationis conciliator:
si castis precibus ueniales inuigilamus,
his, pater, oratis placabilis adstipulare.
Da, Christe, specimen cognoscier inreprehensum,
5
rex bone, cultorum famulantum uiuificator.
cum patre maiestas altissima, non generate.
Da trinum columen paraclito consociante,
ut longum celebris deuotio continuetur:
ad temet properant uigilatum conuenienter.
10
Nox lucem reuehet funalibus anteferendam,
nox lumen pariens credentibus indubitatum,
nox flammis operum meditatrix sidereorum.
Tu mensis dirimis ieiunia relligiosa,
tu bona promittens surgentia concelebraris:
15
da, rector, modicos effarier omnipotentem.
Fons tuus emundat recreatu iustificatos,
dans mentem oblitam positorum flagitiorum,
dans agnos niueos splendescere purificatos.
Lux uerbo inducta, peccantibus auxiliatrix,
ut noua Iordanis ablutio, sanctificauit,
20
cum sua dignati tinguentia promeruerunt.
Et Christus regimen elementis inrequietis
fert undam medici baptismatis intemerati,
ut noxam auferret mortalibus extenuatam.
25
Crux poenae extremum properata inmaculato,
ut uitam amissam renouaret mortificatus,
tot rerum titulis obnoxius immodicarum.
Quis digne domino praeconia continuabit?
an terra humano locupletat commemoratu,
30
quem uocum resonant modulatus angelicarum?
Dans aulam Stephano pretiosam dilapidato,
dans claues superas cathedrali incohatori,
quin Paulum infestum copulasti adglomeratu.
Fit doctor populi lapidantum constimulator,
35
ut latro confessor paradisum participauit,
sic, credo, adnectens dirissima clarificandis.
Nos seros famulos adcrescere perpetieris
sub tali edoctos antistite relligionis;
da sensum solida stabilitum credulitate.
40
Fac iungar numero rediuiuo glorificatus,
ad- caelum inuitans consortia terrigenarum,
SPES, DEUS, AETERNAE STATIONIS CONCILIATOR!
Click or tap any word for its parse and dictionary entry.
Text: Perseus Digital Library, licensed CC BY-SA. Dictionary: Lewis & Short (Perseus, CC BY-SA). Morphology: LatinCy — machine parsing, corrected against the AGDT & PROIEL treebanks and Morpheus.
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