Venez, venez, venez

Huh. It’s That Time again.

Yep, it’s Advent, so you know what that means—seasonal music. For the season of preparation and reflection. And since I’m currently in Québec City, let’s start this off with something en français.

“Venez, divin Messie” was written by abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin in the late 17^th Century, with a melody that dates from about that time. It appears in many anglophone hymnbooks as “O Come, Divine Messiah”, and it fits in with the seasonal theme of preparing for the Saviour’s birth. It’s got quite a lively, almost jolly, feel to it. I picture it as something you might listen to while cleaning your house for holiday visitors, cranking up the volume so you can hear it over your vacuum cleaner.

It’s got five verses plus the refrain, so I’ll only give you a bit of the French.

Venez, divin Messie

Sauvez nos jours infortunés,

Venez source de Vie

Venez, venez, venez!

Ah! Descendez, hâtez vos pas;

Sauvez les hommes du trépas,

Secourez-nous, ne tardez pas.

Dans une peine extreme,

Gémissent nos coeurs affligés.

Venez Bonté Suprême,

Venez, venez, venez!

You’ll notice the repeated “venez”—come! The singer is so eager to welcome the Messiah, s/he just can’t wait.

Here’s that bit as it appears in English hymnbooks:

O come, divine Messiah!

The world in silence waits the day

When hope shall sing its triumph,

And sadness flee away.

Dear Savior haste;

Come, come to earth,

Dispel the night and show your face,

And bid us hail the dawn of grace.

TBH, the English text looks like it’s just a whole different thing. Here’s how I’d translate:

O come, divine Messiah

Rescue us from our unhappiness.

O come, source of life

Come, come, come.

Come down, hurry your steps,

Save mankind from death.

Help us, don’t delay

Our afflicted hearts

Groan in extreme pain

Come, Supreme Good

Come, come, come.

Well, I get it—hard to fit an exact translation into a good tune. So just have a listen. With or without the vacuum cleaner.