Jesu Dulcis, Palmer translation

Ray Palmer, 1858

1. Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts!
Thou Fount of life, thou Light of men!
From the best bliss that earth imparts
we turn unfilled to thee again.

2. Thy truth unchanged hath ever stood;
thou savest those that on thee call;
to them that seek thee thou art good;
to them that find thee All in all.

3. We taste thee, O thou living Bread,
and long to feast upon thee still;
we drink of thee, the fountainhead,
and thirst our souls from thee to fill.

4. Our restless spirits yearn for thee,
where'er our changeful lot is cast;
glad, when thy gracious smile we see,
blest, when our faith can hold thee fast.

5. O Jesus, ever with us stay;
make all our moments calm and bright;
chase the dark night of sin away,
shed o'er the world thy holy light.

Jesu Dulcis, Hopkins translation

Gerard Manley Hopkins, famous priest and poet, tried his hand at a few translations himself.

1. Jesus to cast one thought upon
Makes gladness after He is gone,
But more than honey and honeycomb
Is to come near and take Him home.

2. No music so can touch the ear,
No news is heard of such sweet cheer,
Thought half so dear there is not one
As Jesus God the Father's Son.

3. Jesu, their hope who go astray,
So kind to those who ask the way,
So good to those who look for Thee,
To those who find what must Thou be?

4. To speak of that no tongue will do
Nor letters suit to spell it true:
But they can guess who have tasted of
What Jesus is and what is love.

5. Jesu, a springing well Thou art,
Daylight to head and treat to heart,
And matched with Thee there' nothing glad
That men have wished for or have had.

6. Wish us Good Morning when we wake
And light us, Lord, with Thy day-break.
Beat from our brains the thicky night
And fill the world up with delight.

7. Who taste of Thee will hunger more,
Who drink be thirsty as before:
What else to ask they never know
But Jesus' self they love Him so.

8. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
And a sweet singing in the ear
And in the mouth a honey zest
And drinks of heaven in the breast.

9. Thou art the hope, Jesu, my sweet,
The soul has in its sighing-fit;
The loving tears on Thee are spent,
The inner cry for Thee is meant.

10. Be our delight, O Jesu, now
As by and by our prize art Thou,
And grant our glorying may be
World without end alone in Thee.

Jesu Dulcis, Neale translation

John M. Neale has a few extra stanzas (presumably from the Latin original, though I'm not sure):

1. Jesu! the very thought is sweet!
In that dear name all heart-joys meet;
But sweeter than the honey far
The glimpses of His presence are.

2. No word is sung more sweet than this:
No name is heard more full of bliss;
No thought brings sweeter comfort nigh,
Than Jesus, Son of God most high.

3. Jesu! the hope of souls forlorn!
How good to them for sin that that mourn!
To them that seek Thee, O how kind!
But what art Thou to them that find?

4. Jesu, Thou sweetness, pure and blest,
Truth’s fountain, light of souls distressed,
Surpassing all that heart requires,
Exceeding all that soul desires!

5. No tongue of mortal can express,
No letters write His blessedness,
Alone who hath Thee in his heart
Knows, love of Jesus! what Thou art.

6. O Jesu! King of wondrous might!
O Victor, glorious from the fight!
Sweetness that may not be expressed,
And altogether loveliest!

7. Remain with us, O Lord, today!
In every heart Thy grace display;
That now the shades of night are fled,
On Thee our spirits may be fed.

8. All honor, laud and glory be,
O Jesu, virgin-born, to Thee!
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.

Source

Jesu Dulcis, Caswall translation

Fr. Edward Caswall is a name we'll come back to often.

1. JESU(S), the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast;
But sweeter far Thy Face to see,
And in Thy Presence rest.

2. No voice can sing, no heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find
A sweeter sound than Jesu’s Name,
The Saviour of mankind.

3. O Hope of every contrite heart,
O Joy of all the meek,
To those who ask how kind Thou art,
How good to those who seek!

4. But what to those who find? Ah! this
Nor tongue nor pen can show;
The love of Jesus, what it is
None but His loved ones know.

5. Jesu, our only Joy be Thou,
As Thou our Prize wilt be:
In Thee be all our glory now,
And through eternity.

I love Richard Proulx's setting of this text, sung here beautifully by Matthew Curtis (www.choraltracks.com):

Jesu Dulcis Memoria

Let's start with a hymn that is very special to me: Jesu Dulcis Memoria. Info here. This one has literally dozens of verses, but the most common are these:

1. Jesu, dulcis memoria,

dans vera cordis gaudia:

sed super mel et omnia

ejus dulcis praesentia.

2. Nil canitur suavius,

nil auditur jucundius,

nil cogitatur dulcius,

quam Jesus Dei Filius.

3. Jesu, spes paenitentibus,

quam pius es petentibus!

quam bonus te quaerentibus!

sed quid invenientibus?

4. Nec lingua valet dicere,

nec littera exprimere:

expertus potest credere,

quid sit Jesum diligere.

5. Sis, Jesu, nostrum gaudium,

qui es futurum praemium:

sit nostra in te gloria,

per cuncta semper saecula.

Amen.

Intro

Well, the title explains it all: here you'll find Latin hymns and various efforts taken by translators to render them into the English language.

I hope this site will become a resource for church musicians like myself, but also for others who share an appreciation for the beauty of both of these languages.

Please feel free to send me ideas, suggestions, various translations you've come across, requests, whatever.

St. Ambrose, pray for us!