Words & Stuff

I recently encountered the song title Personent Hodie, so I tried to find out what that phrase meant. Google provided me with Latin lyrics for the song, and helpfully offered to translate them for me. Unfortunately, Google’s translation of Latin lyrics appears to be not yet all it could be. But I was amused enough to want to post the translation. In the following, each line in Latin is preceded by an attempted English translation.

today personent

Personent hodie

 

puerulae voices;

voces puerulae,

 

praise and enjoyably

laudantes iucunde

 

He is born;

qui nobis est natus,

 

the most high God was not given,

summo Deo datus,

 

and the virgin stomach made of.

et de virgineo ventre procreatus.

 

The world is born;

In mundo nascitur,

 

swaddling

pannis involvitur

 

manger

praesepi ponitur

 

stable animals:

stabulo brutorum,

 

guide that high.

rector supernorum.

 

lost spoil high hell.

perdidit spolia princeps infernorum.

 

There came wise men three people came,

Magi tres venerunt,

 

the little one,

parvulum inquirunt,

 

Bethlehem,

Bethlehem adeunt,

 

following the star;

stellulam sequendo,

 

Adoring;

ipsum adorando,

 

gold, frankincense, and offering him.

aurum, thus, et myrrham ei offerendo.

 

All clericuli,

Omnes clericuli,

 

both children

pariter pueri,

 

sing with the angels:

cantent ut angeli:

 

come into the world;

advenisti mundo,

 

thank you bottom.

laudes tibi fundo.

 

so glory in the highest.

ideo gloria in excelsis Deo.