Free English Translation
The Acrostic of Liberius on Sedulius
Liberii Acrostichis de Sedulio
~1 min read · by Pope Liberius
About The Acrostic of Liberius on Sedulius
This short acrostic poem, in which the first and last letters of each of its thirteen lines match, praises Sedulius as a singer touched by divine inspiration, likening him to David playing the cithara. It describes him walking among lilies and gazing on the eternal rivers of Christ, turning from the vain deities of the pagan world to mark his forehead with the sign of the cross. Christ's triumphs become the theme of his song, and his verses, described as fields adorned with varied color, are promised to endure upon the lyre. The poem is attributed to a Liberius otherwise unknown to history, not to be confused with the bishop of Rome of the same name.
By Pope Liberius. Collected in Patrologia Latina, Volume 19.
V he saw the man singing songs modulated in divine fashion V
L praises, as this man played, and the cithara resounded L
I he, taken by the sweetness of the resounding plectrum I
V is worn, and swiftly walks through the lilies of a step V
S and again he beheld far and wide the sacred, pleasant S
A eternal rivers of Christ, which the wave washes A
N nor allowing the keenness of the teacher to grow idle for long N T then, chosen, the Davidic one sought his own plectra T
I scorning the vain deities of the polluted world I
S he sets the sign of the cross upon the forehead, and briefly S
T touches, O Christ, your triumphs, and offers numerous rewards T
E therefore, while he adorns his fields with varied color E
S these shall stand, drawn out in slender verse upon the lyre S.
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