Domare cordis impetus Elisabeth

To rule thy heart, Elizabeth

Saint Elizabeth of Portugal
8 July

The Hymns of the Breviary and Missal

Domare cordis impetus Elisabeth
Fortis, inopsque Deo
Servire, regno prætulit.
En fulgidis recepta cli sedibus,
Sidereæque domus
Ditata sanctis gaudiis.
Nunc regnat inter clites beatior,
Et premit astra, docens
Quæ vera sint regni bona.
Patri potestas, Filioque gloria,
Perpetuumque decus
Tibi sit alme Spiritus.

To rule thy heart, Elizabeth,
To curb all motions vain,
Seemed better to thy godly soul
Than as a queen to reign.
And lo, enthroned among the Saints,
Above the gleaming skies,
Thou has received thy rich reward,
The joys of Paradise.
Thy reign is with the Angel choirs,
The stars beneath thy feet,
The Blessed Vision is thy prize
And heaven thy queenly seat.
All power unto the Father be,
All glory to the Son,
And honor to the Holy Ghost
While endless ages run.

Author: Pope Urban VIII (1568-1644). Meter: First line, iambic trimeter; 2^nd line, half of a pentameter; 3^rd line, iambic dimeter. The meter is unusual and it is not found in any other hymn in the Breviary. Translation by D. J. Donahoe. There are four translations. Liturgical Use: Hymn for Vespers and Matins. St. Elizabeth was queen of Portugal; she was born in 1271, and died in 1336. There is a brief sketch of her life in the Cath. Encycl.

“In preference to a royal throne, Elizabeth preferred to subdue the passions of her heart, and, poor, to serve God.”
“Behold, now she hath been received into the shining abodes of heaven, and enriched with the holy joys of that celestial dwelling place.”
“Now with greater joy she reigneth among the Blessed, and dwelleth above the stars, teaching us what really constitute the good things of a kingdom.”
“To the Father be power, to the Son glory, and to Thee, Holy Spirit, eternal honor.”