St. Patrick - Earliest Christian Poet

Saint Patrick - Earliest Christian Poet

According to Katharine Scherman in her book, The Flowering of Ireland: Saints, Scholars and Kings "A sacred poem in Irish, Faedh Fiada (Cry of the Deer), is said to have been composed by Patrick as he approached Tara. King Laoghaire's men, sent to ambush and murder him, saw only a herd of deer in the hills, with a fawn following them, and mistook the chanting of the hymn for the call of the fawn after its mother." Later in the book she adds,"The earliest Christian poet was St. Patrick. Of the few poems attributed to him, only one may be partly genuine -- the Faedh Fiada (Cry of the Deer), noted earlier. It is a moving, fervently pious hymn. . ."

This poem, this Faedh Fiada is also spelled Faeth Fiada and even fOid Jiada. Other names for it include The Lorica of St. Patrick, St. Patrick's Breastplate[Lúireach Pádraig], and Saint Patrick's Rune.

If you have ever read Madeleine L'Engle's A Swiftly Tilting Planet, you maybe familiar with her short adaptation of a portion of the much longer poem:

At Tara in this fateful hour,
I place all Heaven with its power
And the sun with its brightness,
And the snow with its whiteness,
And the fire with all the strength it hath,
And the lightning with its rapid wrath,
And the winds with their swiftness along their path,
And the sea with its deepness,
And the rocks with their steepness,
And the earth with its starkness,
All these I place
By God's almighty help and gracee
Between myself and the powers of darkness.

In Old Gaelic, part of the actual poem runs thusly:

Críost liom, Críost romham, Críost 'mo dhiaidh,
Críost ionam, Críost fúm, Críost os mo chionn,
Críost ar mo dheis, Críost ar mo chlé,
Críost i gcroí gach aoinne smaoiníos orm,
Críost i mbéal gach aoinne labhraíos liom,
Críost i ngach súil a dhearcas orm,
Críost i ngach cluais a chluineas mé.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ below me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

The entire poem/prayer is translated into English as follows:

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity
Through belief in the threeness
Through confession of the Oneness
Towards the creator.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension
Through the strength of his descent for the Judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim
In obedience to the Angels,
In the service of the Archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of Apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of Holy Virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun
Brilliance of moon
Splendor of fire
Speed of lightning
Swiftness of wind
Depth of sea
Stability of earth
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s host to secure me
against snares of devils
against temptations of vices
against inclinations of nature
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear,
alone and in a crowd.

I summon today all these powers between me and these evils
Against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose my body and my soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of heathenry,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and druids,
Against every knowledge that endangers man’s body and soul.

Christ to protect me today
against poison, against burning,
against drowning, against wounding,
so that there may come abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left
Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I arise
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Thrones,
Through confession of the Oneness
Towards the Creator.

Salvation is of the Lord
Salvation is of the Lord
Salvation is of Christ
May thy salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.
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I have always had a deep and abiding love for Ireland and the Irish. I wish God's blessings on all who read this and wish them all a happy St. Patrick's day in memory of the man who brought Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century (400's A.D.).

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.