Danta De

In 1928 Úna Ní Ógain published her collection of Dánta Dé with Irish music, arranged for the organ by Robert O'Dwyer, and lyrics in Irish. In the same year Colm O'Loughlin at the Sign of Three Candles in Dublin published a volume of English translations called Danta De -- hymns to God : ancient and modern. Some of the music from Danta De has been recorded -- for example, Danta De: classic Sacred Music of Ireland by Michael James, Steve Warner, and Criag Watz (Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press), available as a cassette or compact disk.

I have provided a midi file for each song here, associated with the line that gives the number of the melody in Danta De. The midi file is in the same key as in Danta De; the chords, postscript, or abc versions have been transposed into a key I can sing. In most cases, the lyrics follow the sense of the literal translation more or less closely, though some (e.g., the last one here) take a hint from the original lyrics but depart significantly from them, following more closely the Biblical passages that seem to have influenced the Irish lyrics.

MORNING SONG
Danta De 1
chords -- TIFF file

Having Jesus in my heart,
recollecting hour by hour
how I've failed to do my part
how my sins have turned me sour:
having Jesus in my heart,
His communion and his love,
I don't want to live apart again.
Oh Jesus, keep me safe!

Without Jesus in my heart
I don't like the taste of talk;
without Jesus in my heart
I cannot enjoy my thought;
without Jesus in my heart
not one action bears good fruit.
Jesus, walk before me, walk behind me,
ease me in my plight!

For with Jesus in my heart
and with Jesus on my lips
I can bear to do my part,
I can rise if I should lapse.
I delight as glories pass
glimpsing in my looking glass
fleeting glances of the Lord, my Love.
Oh Jesus, never leave!


KING OF SAINTS
Danta De 6
chords

Grant us shelter O King of Saints!
The devil has aimed his darts.
He follows the traces of every saint
intending to pierce our hearts.
He hates the children of Eve so much:
worn by the lies he speaks
in danger of giving ourselves away
and losing the peace we seek.

Grant us shelter O King of Saints!
In weariness and in pain
we slip all the snares he has set for us
while quivering with the strain.
Unbolt your portals O King of Saints!
May we come safely through,
and fasten the shutters and lock the doors,
in safety at last with you!


CHRISTMAS AND EPIPHANY
Danta De 27 and 28
chords

God means life
down in a manger with donkey and ox
a baby
and a Prince beyond grief
From your heaven you came
to this house full of pain
with the Father and Spirit as one
You are the only God
You are the Son who brings light to the world

God led kings
over a distance of desert that night
they sought Him
who had come for us all
Let us follow his tracks
as they did full of love
and our debts be forgiven as well
He is the only God
He is the Son who brings light to the world


THE GREAT AMEN
Danta De 33
chords

You said Amen to your Father in Heaven.
We say Amen to the Father, Son, and Spirit.
And may your will be done in our homeland as in heaven.
Live in us, Lord, and our lives will be fearless.

We hold the whip when they scourge you and mock you.
We drive the nails in your hands and in your feet again.
O come and help us, Lord, to eliminate our mocking.
Your will be done in our hearts as in heaven.

Dwelling on earth as we do only briefly
we must remember our homeland in eternity.
O come and help us, Lord, in our labor and our grieving.
Your will be done till we meet you in heaven.


PRAISE THE LORD
Danta De 52
postscript -- abc -- chords

Praise the Lord as the Word made flesh!
We praise you, O Lord, in your life and death.
We praise you, O Lord, in your glory when
you defeated death and arose again.

Praise the Father who lights the stars!
Sing praise to the Spirit in us and ours.
We pray for the help of your Trinity
as your love calls us to eternity.

Let us never offend you, Lord.
No longer permit us to break our word
but bring us around with your Precious Blood
to accept your will as our only good.

Praise the Lord on the harp and drum,
on fiddle, guitar, and accordion.
We play and we sing with a single voice
and praise you, Lord, with a joyful noise.

Praise the Lord on the slide trombone,
the trumpet, the flute, and the saxophone,
on clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and bass
and in every clan of the human race.


KNOCK
Danta De 71
chords

In the King of the Seas
in the Master of the Earth
in the Lord of the Heavens above them
I have found a true friend
who has known me from my birth
and has chosen to offer me love.

With Peter and John
and the Mother of God
I will wait for the moment of honor
and trust in His promise
to open when I knock
and remember and welcome me in.

In the land of the saints
in the Kingdom of the Lord
where his other friends gather to greet Him
with Thomas and Paul
with the Marys and all
the apostles and angels I'll meet Him.

With Peter and John
and the Mother of God
I will wait for the moment of honor
and trust in His promise
to open when I knock
and remember and welcome me in.


BEATITUDE
Danta De 85
chords
Luke 6:20-26, Psalm 84

Blessed are you poor ones:
the reign of God is yours.
Blest are you when you cry:
you'll find your way to joy.
And blessed all you hungry ones:
you shall eat till you're full.
You live with mockery
because you follow me.

But woe to wealth and power
unless they serve the poor.
Woe to heartless delight
and laughter born of spite.
And woe to you who eat your fill
though your neighbors may starve.
In popularity
you turn your back on me.

Lord, we have no home here.
The sparrow has a home.
Swallows fly to their nest
and with their young find rest.
O hear our prayer, O Lord of Hosts:
lead us back to our home --
our restlessness not through
until we rest in you.

Lovely is your dwelling,
the household of the Lord.
Happy families there
shine out in thankful prayer.
Our hearts are set on pilgrimage:
through these valleys and woods
you lead us out of time
to our eternal home.