O Root of Jesse, standing
as a sign among the peoples;
before you kings will shut their mouths,
to you the nations will make their prayer:
Come and deliver us, and delay no longer.
The beautiful call and response structure of the O Antiphons is unfortunately lost in English translation. No translation captures the acrostic reply, of course, and most metrical translations fail to reproduce the tripartite structure of the prayers. We have tried to render singable texts with a melody and accompaniment that highlight the original form of these petitions.
Follow this link to hear the English of the Gregorian chant.
A
shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow
out of its roots. . . On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a
signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his
dwelling will be glorious.
— Isaiah 11: 1, 10
O Key of David,
true Pastor of all God’s people, you open doors that no-one can close,and close doors that no-one can open:
Come now to set the prisoners free, all those who live in darkness and despair.
Lord draw near.
Draw near and save.
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