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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Hymn Translations That Don’t Rhyme?

Jeff Ostrowski · June 19, 2021

HERE’S AN OLD SAYING: “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Much wisdom is contained in that phrase; and those who create hymnals understand well its meaning. The best hymns are often in Latin, but how can they be translated? A literal translation is the best way to capture the meaning of the original—but a literal translation cannot be sung. Many have attempted to create “rhymed” (i.e. metered) translations, but even the most skilled—Neale, Fitzpatrick, Knox, Caswall, and so on—often miss the mark, because it truly is an impossible task. For this reason, the Brébeuf hymnal includes a literal translation as well as numerous “rhyming” translations from which the competent choirmaster can choose.

A Free Lunch? Sometimes, hymnal editors attempt to “have their cake and eat it, too.” They will use metered translations that don’t rhyme. At first, this certainly seems like a brilliant solution! And one could get away with non-rhymed texts when it comes to lengthy, melismatic, complicated hymns such as Decora Lux Aeternitatis.

Fulton J. Sheen Missal: Many years ago, Corpus Christi Watershed made available for free download the remarkable “Fulton J. Sheen Sunday Missal,” published in 1961. This was one of our most popular PDF files, and it was downloaded close to 45,000 times. It has been out-of-print for more than half a century…and largely forgotten. In the past, we have talked about how the references to authors of the hymn translations were completely bonkers—no doubt through an editorial oversight. So we will never know who created the following translation, although it might have been Father Philip Caraman.

Non-Rhyming Hymns: Here is how the “Pange Lingua” of Bishop Fortunatus appears in the Fulton J. Sheen Sunday Missal—and notice it does not rhyme, yet does match the meter of the original Latin:

What’s The Point? What is the point of this translation? One would assume it was done for singing. After all, several other attempts at “non-rhymed” hymns have been made: (1) The new ICEL Breviary hymns are supposedly non-rhymed; (2) The 1970s translation by the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Cecilia in Ryde on the Isle of Wight—just off the south coast of England—uses non-rhymed translations. The Ryde hymns were adapted for the 2007 Mundelein Psalter by Douglas Martis. In my opinion, such translations don’t work, except in the very limited case we spoke of earlier: viz. complex, melismatic, lengthy hymns. In other hymns, our ears are accustomed to hearing the rhyme; we desire strongly to hear the rhyme. Without the rhyme, the piece seems unfulfilling.

An Example: Here is how the translation above—from the Sheen Missal—would sound if set to music. Do you agree this is ghastly?

Liturgical Snobs: We should desire the best for the sacred liturgy. There is nothing wrong with examining liturgical publications and soberly discerning that some have missed the mark, perhaps in an effort to make money. At the same time, we should be on our guard against becoming a “liturgical snob”—and each of us has met such a person. The liturgical snob is so consumed by rage, hatred, and pretentious liturgical “knowledge,” we can’t help wondering if he even believes in God. I believe the priest mentioned in Saint Luke, chapter 10, was most like a liturgical snob:

And Jesus answering, said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, who also stripped him, and having wounded him went away, leaving him half dead. And it chanced, that a certain priest went down the same way: and seeing him, passed by.”

Snobs Cont’d: Some authors clearly possess authentic love for God and a deep desire to share knowledge about the sacred liturgy. Other authors seem obsessed with proving to everyone what an “expert” they are when it comes to liturgical subjects. A liturgical snob would rather suffer death than admit that someone knew something before he did. And the liturgical snob would suffer death 1,000 times before admitting he was incorrect about something.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Bishop Fulton J Sheen, Hymn Meters, Hymnbooks, Jean de Brebeuf Hymnal, Non-Rhymed Hymns, Pange Lingua Fortunatus Last Updated: June 20, 2021

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
    This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
    Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“To suggest, even loosely, that Catholics walk a more or less similar path to God as other religions drains martyrdom of its meaning. Why give up your life for Christ when other paths may get us to the same God? Such a sacrifice would be senseless.”

— Archbishop Charles J. Chaput

Recent Posts

  • Is this what the new “Youth Mass” looks like?
  • “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
  • Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
  • Installment #3 • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”

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