IV. Ecco el re forte – aprite quelle porte!
The King of Glory Enters
Christ is hailed as the mighty King of glory who conquers death and demands the gates of hell be opened.
Here is the strong king—open those gates! Prince of hell, don't resist: he is the heavenly King, who comes with great power. Show him reverence; lift the gates away. Who is this mighty one who comes with such a victory? He is the mighty Lord; he is the Lord of glory. He has won the victory; he has conquered death.1
The Restoration of the Heavenly Court
The victorious Christ calls the patriarchs, prophets, and innocents to join him in his restored heavenly court.
He has won the war that has already lasted many years, and he made the earth tremble to free us from our troubles; he wants to fill the seats to restore his court. He wants the ancient father and his company; Abel, truly his friend; Noah, set out on the way; Moses, don't linger here: come to the great court.2 O Abraham, patriarch, follow the great Lord; the promise doesn't fail—the Redeemer has come; let the great singer come to make the court worthy. O John the Baptist, come on now, without delay! Don't lose sight of the way up into the eternal choir— and Simeon with them forms the escort behind him.3 O innocent little ones, go on ahead of everyone; now be content with the wounds you received; O gems, O pearls, adore the heavenly court.4 You've come to the kingdom so long desired, since on the holy wood I died and was torn apart, and I have redeemed the whole human race.
Read the original Latin
Ecco el re forte - aprite quelle porte!
O principe infernale, Non fate resistenza: Egli è il re celestiale, Che vien con gran potenza: Fategli riverenza Levate via le porte.
Chi è questo potente, Che vien con tal vittoria? Egli è ’l signor possente, Egli è ’l signor di gloria. Auto à la vittoria, Egli à vinto la morte.
Egli à vinto la guerra, Durata già molt’ anni, E fe’ tremar la terra Per cavarci d’ affanni, Riempier vuol gli scanni Per ristorar suo corte.
E’ vuole el padre antico E la sua compagnia; Abel vero suo amico, Noè si metta in via, Moisè qui non istia: Venite alla gran corte.
O Abraam patriarca, Seguite il gran Signore; La promessa non varca, Venuto è il Redentore; Vengane il gran cantore A far degna la corte.
O Giovanni Battista, Or su, sanza dimoro, Non perdere di vista Su nell’ eterno coro E Simïon con loro Drieto a sè fa la scorte.
O parvoli innocenti, Innanzi a tutti gite, Or siate voi contenti Delle aute ferite; O gemme, o margarite, Adorate la corte.
Venuti siete al regno Tanto desiderato, Poi che nel santo legno I’ fu’ morto e straziato E ò ricomperato Tutta l’ umana sorte.
Notes
- 1 ↩Italian 'Auto à' is read as poetic/inverted 'ha auto' (ha avuto): he has obtained/won. Renaissance Tuscan 'à' = ha.
- 2 ↩«el padre antico» is the first father, Adam, summoned with the early patriarchs into the Redeemer's restored court (see neighboring stanzas on filling the court seats).
- 3 ↩"Drieto a sè fa la scorte" may mean either that Simeon (with the company) provides escort at John's back, or that he leads them as an escort in his own train; the processional reading fits the chapter's court-entry summons.
- 4 ↩aute = avute (‘received/suffered’); parvoli = little children (Holy Innocents). corte rendered as ‘heavenly court’ from neighboring eternal-choir/kingdom context.
Storie Sacre and Laude of Lucrezia Tornabuoni de' Medici companion
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