The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace
Full Text of the 13 Movements
1. The Armed Man (L’Homme armé)
Words: Traditional, c. 1450-1463
L’homme, l’homme, l’homme armé
L’homme armé,
L’homme armé doit on douter,
Doit on douter.
On a fait partout crier,
Que chacun se viegne armer
D’un haubregon de fer.
[The man, the man, the armed man,
The armed man,
The armed man should be feared
Everywhere it has been proclaimed
That each man shall arm himself
With a coat of iron mail.]
2. Call To Prayers - Adhaan
Words: Traditional Arabic
Allahu Akbar
Allahu Akbar
Allahu Akbar
Allahu Akbar
Ashadu An La Illa-L-Lah
Ashadu An La Illa-L-Lah
Ashadu Anna Muhammadan Rasulu-l-lah
Ashadu Anna Muhammadan Rasulu-l-lah
Hayya Ala-s-salah
Hayya Ala-s-salah
Hayya Ala-l-Falah
Hayya Ala-l-Falah
Allahu Akbar
Allahu Akbar
La Illaha il la-lah
[Allah is the greatest.
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah
I bear witness that Muhammed is the messenger of Allah
Come fast to prayer,
Come fast to success.
Allah is the greatest.
There is no god but Allah]
3. Kyrie
Words: Ordinary of the Mass
Kyrie eleison
Christe eleison
[Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy]
4. Save Me From Bloody Men
Words: From Psalms 56 and 59
Be merciful unto me O God:
For man would swallow me up.
He fighting daily oppresseth me,
Mine enemies would daily swallow me up;
For they be many that fight against me.
O Thou most high.
Defend me from them that rise up against me,
Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
And save me from bloody men.
5. Sanctus
Words: Ordinary of the Mass
Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth
Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua,
Hosanna in excelsis.
[Holy, holy Lord God of hosts
Heaven and earth are full of your glory,
Hosanna in the highest.]
6. Hymn Before Action
Words: Rudyard Kipling
The earth is full of anger
The seas are dark with wrath,
The Nations in their harness
Go up against our path:
Ere yet we loose the legions
Ere yet we draw the blade,
Jehovah of the Thunders,
Lord God of Battles, aid!
High lust and froward bearing,
Proud heart, rebellious brow,
Deaf ear and soul uncaring,
We seek Thy mercy now!
The sinner that forswore Thee,
The fool that passed Thee by,
Our times are known before Thee,
Lord grant us strength to die!
7. Charge!
Text: John Dryden- Song for Saint Cecilia’s Day
and Jonathan Swift, to the Earl of Oxford, after Horace
The trumpet’s loud clangour
Excites us to arms
With shrill notes of anger and mortal alarms
How blest is he who for his country dies!
The double double beat
Of the thundering drum,
Cries Hark! the foes come;
Charge, ‘tis too late to retreat!
How blest is he who for his country dies!
Charge, charge, charge!
8. Angry Flames
Words: Tōgi Sanchiki, translated by Richard Minne
Pushing up through smoke
From a world half darkened
By overhanging cloud,
The shroud that mushroomed out
And struck the dome of the sky
Black, Red, Blue,
Dance in the Air,
Merge,
Scatter glittering sparks, already tower
Over the whole city
Quivering like seaweed,
The mass of flames spurts forward.
Popping up in the dense smoke,
Crawling out
Wreathed in fire:
Countless human beings
On all fours.
In a heap of embers that erupt and subside,
Hair rent,
Rigid in death,
There smoulders a curse.
9. Torches
Words: The Mahābhārata (Adi Parva, The Khandava-daha Parva,) begun 6th Century BC
The animals scattered in all directions, screaming terrible screams.
Many were burning, others were burnt. All were shattered and scattered mindlessly, their eyes bulging. Some hugged their sons, others their fathers and mothers, unable to let them go, and so they died. Others leapt up in their thousands, faces disfigured and were consumed by the fire.
Everywhere were bodies squirming on the ground, wings, eyes and paws all burning.
They breathed their last as living torches.
10. Agnus Dei
Words: Ordinary of the Mass
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem
[O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.]
11. Now the Guns have Stopped
Words: Guy Wilson
Silent, so silent, now the guns have stopped.
I have survived all,
I who knew I would not.
But now you are not here
I shall go home, alone;
And must try to live life as before
And hide my grief.
For you, my dearest friend,
Who should be with me now,
Not cold, too soon,
And in your grave,
Alone.
12. Benedictus
Words: Ordinary of the Mass
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Hosanna in Excelsis
[Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest]
13. Better is Peace
Words: From ‘Le Morte d’Arthur’- Sir Thomas Malory
‘In Memoriam’- Alfred, Lord Tennyson
The Book of Revelations
Better is peace than always war,
And better is peace than evermore war,
And better and better is peace.
Better is peace than always war, always war,
Better is peace than always war.
L’homme, l’homme, l’homme armé
L’homme armé,
L’homme armé doit on douter.
Better is peace than always war, always war,
Better is peace than always war,
And better is peace than evermore war,
Better is peace than evermore war,
And better and better is peace.
Better is peace than always war, always war,
Better is peace than always war.
Ring out the thousand wars of old.
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring out the old, ring in the new.
Ring, happy bells, across the snow.
The year is going, let him go,
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease.
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand.
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
The year is going, let him go,
The year is going, let him go,
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
God shall wipe away all tears
And there shall be no more death,
Neither sorrow nor crying,
Neither shall there be any more pain,
Praise the Lord!
Words: Traditional, c. 1450-1463
L’homme, l’homme, l’homme armé
L’homme armé,
L’homme armé doit on douter,
Doit on douter.
On a fait partout crier,
Que chacun se viegne armer
D’un haubregon de fer.
[The man, the man, the armed man,
The armed man,
The armed man should be feared
Everywhere it has been proclaimed
That each man shall arm himself
With a coat of iron mail.]
2. Call To Prayers - Adhaan
Words: Traditional Arabic
Allahu Akbar
Allahu Akbar
Allahu Akbar
Allahu Akbar
Ashadu An La Illa-L-Lah
Ashadu An La Illa-L-Lah
Ashadu Anna Muhammadan Rasulu-l-lah
Ashadu Anna Muhammadan Rasulu-l-lah
Hayya Ala-s-salah
Hayya Ala-s-salah
Hayya Ala-l-Falah
Hayya Ala-l-Falah
Allahu Akbar
Allahu Akbar
La Illaha il la-lah
[Allah is the greatest.
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah
I bear witness that Muhammed is the messenger of Allah
Come fast to prayer,
Come fast to success.
Allah is the greatest.
There is no god but Allah]
3. Kyrie
Words: Ordinary of the Mass
Kyrie eleison
Christe eleison
[Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy]
4. Save Me From Bloody Men
Words: From Psalms 56 and 59
Be merciful unto me O God:
For man would swallow me up.
He fighting daily oppresseth me,
Mine enemies would daily swallow me up;
For they be many that fight against me.
O Thou most high.
Defend me from them that rise up against me,
Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
And save me from bloody men.
5. Sanctus
Words: Ordinary of the Mass
Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth
Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua,
Hosanna in excelsis.
[Holy, holy Lord God of hosts
Heaven and earth are full of your glory,
Hosanna in the highest.]
6. Hymn Before Action
Words: Rudyard Kipling
The earth is full of anger
The seas are dark with wrath,
The Nations in their harness
Go up against our path:
Ere yet we loose the legions
Ere yet we draw the blade,
Jehovah of the Thunders,
Lord God of Battles, aid!
High lust and froward bearing,
Proud heart, rebellious brow,
Deaf ear and soul uncaring,
We seek Thy mercy now!
The sinner that forswore Thee,
The fool that passed Thee by,
Our times are known before Thee,
Lord grant us strength to die!
7. Charge!
Text: John Dryden- Song for Saint Cecilia’s Day
and Jonathan Swift, to the Earl of Oxford, after Horace
The trumpet’s loud clangour
Excites us to arms
With shrill notes of anger and mortal alarms
How blest is he who for his country dies!
The double double beat
Of the thundering drum,
Cries Hark! the foes come;
Charge, ‘tis too late to retreat!
How blest is he who for his country dies!
Charge, charge, charge!
8. Angry Flames
Words: Tōgi Sanchiki, translated by Richard Minne
Pushing up through smoke
From a world half darkened
By overhanging cloud,
The shroud that mushroomed out
And struck the dome of the sky
Black, Red, Blue,
Dance in the Air,
Merge,
Scatter glittering sparks, already tower
Over the whole city
Quivering like seaweed,
The mass of flames spurts forward.
Popping up in the dense smoke,
Crawling out
Wreathed in fire:
Countless human beings
On all fours.
In a heap of embers that erupt and subside,
Hair rent,
Rigid in death,
There smoulders a curse.
9. Torches
Words: The Mahābhārata (Adi Parva, The Khandava-daha Parva,) begun 6th Century BC
The animals scattered in all directions, screaming terrible screams.
Many were burning, others were burnt. All were shattered and scattered mindlessly, their eyes bulging. Some hugged their sons, others their fathers and mothers, unable to let them go, and so they died. Others leapt up in their thousands, faces disfigured and were consumed by the fire.
Everywhere were bodies squirming on the ground, wings, eyes and paws all burning.
They breathed their last as living torches.
10. Agnus Dei
Words: Ordinary of the Mass
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem
[O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.]
11. Now the Guns have Stopped
Words: Guy Wilson
Silent, so silent, now the guns have stopped.
I have survived all,
I who knew I would not.
But now you are not here
I shall go home, alone;
And must try to live life as before
And hide my grief.
For you, my dearest friend,
Who should be with me now,
Not cold, too soon,
And in your grave,
Alone.
12. Benedictus
Words: Ordinary of the Mass
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Hosanna in Excelsis
[Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest]
13. Better is Peace
Words: From ‘Le Morte d’Arthur’- Sir Thomas Malory
‘In Memoriam’- Alfred, Lord Tennyson
The Book of Revelations
Better is peace than always war,
And better is peace than evermore war,
And better and better is peace.
Better is peace than always war, always war,
Better is peace than always war.
L’homme, l’homme, l’homme armé
L’homme armé,
L’homme armé doit on douter.
Better is peace than always war, always war,
Better is peace than always war,
And better is peace than evermore war,
Better is peace than evermore war,
And better and better is peace.
Better is peace than always war, always war,
Better is peace than always war.
Ring out the thousand wars of old.
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring out the old, ring in the new.
Ring, happy bells, across the snow.
The year is going, let him go,
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease.
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand.
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
The year is going, let him go,
The year is going, let him go,
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
God shall wipe away all tears
And there shall be no more death,
Neither sorrow nor crying,
Neither shall there be any more pain,
Praise the Lord!