Be Present, Holy Trinity

This hymn was used for Vespers and Matins on Trinity Sunday in the Sarum Breviary.

This is the original text of this hymn as it appears in John Mason Neale’s Hymnal Noted (1851). There are no substantial differences in the text as it appears in The English Hymnal (1906) where it is listed as the Morning and Evening Office Hymn for Trinity Sunday:

Be present, Holy Trinity:
Like splendour, and One Deity:
Of things above, and things below,
Beginning that no end shall know.

Thee all the armies of the sky
Adore, and laud, and magnify;
And Nature, in her triple frame,
For ever sanctifies Thy Name.

And we, too, thanks and homage pay,
Thine own adoring flock today:
O join to that celestial song
The praises of our suppliant throng!

Light, sole and one, we Thee confess,
With triple praise we rightly bless;
Alpha and Omega we own,
With ev’ry spirit round Thy Throne.

To Thee, O Unbegotten One,
And Thee, O Sole begotten Son:
And Thee, O Holy Ghost we raise
Our equal and eternal praise. Amen.

Words: Anonymous, ca. 14th C.; tr. John Mason Neale, 1851.
Tune: “Melody 43” Sarum chant melody, Mode III.*
Alternate Tune (The English Hymnal): “Adesto Sancta Trinitas” Chartres Church melody.
Meter: 8.8.8.8

*Neale provides a tune from The Salisbury Hymnal for this text – so far I do not know of where I could find a sound file demonstrating this tune.

The original Latin text of this hymn may be found here.