Image by Lisa Setrini-Espinosa
St. Patrick's Breastplate
Many versions exist. Follows is a rhymed version penned by Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895).
- I bind unto myself today
- The strong Name of the Trinity,
- By invocation of the same
- The Three in One and One in Three.
- I bind this today to me forever
- By power of faith, Christ’s incarnation;
- His baptism in Jordan river,
- His death on Cross for my salvation;
- His bursting from the spicèd tomb,
- His riding up the heavenly way,
- His coming at the day of doom
- I bind unto myself today.
- I bind unto myself the power
- Of the great love of cherubim;
- The sweet ‘Well done’ in judgment hour,
- The service of the seraphim,
- Confessors’ faith, Apostles’ word,
- The Patriarchs’ prayers, the prophets’ scrolls,
- All good deeds done unto the Lord
- And purity of virgin souls.
- I bind unto myself today
- The virtues of the star lit heaven,
- The glorious sun’s life giving ray,
- The whiteness of the moon at even,
- The flashing of the lightning free,
- The whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
- The stable earth, the deep salt sea
- Around the old eternal rocks.
- I bind unto myself today
- The power of God to hold and lead,
- His eye to watch, His might to stay,
- His ear to hearken to my need.
- The wisdom of my God to teach,
- His hand to guide, His shield to ward;
- The word of God to give me speech,
- His heavenly host to be my guard.
- Against the demon snares of sin,
- The vice that gives temptation force,
- The natural lusts that war within,
- The hostile men that mar my course;
- Or few or many, far or nigh,
- In every place and in all hours,
- Against their fierce hostility
- I bind to me these holy powers.
- Against all Satan’s spells and wiles,
- Against false words of heresy,
- Against the knowledge that defiles,
- Against the heart’s idolatry,
- Against the wizard’s evil craft,
- Against the death wound and the burning,
- The choking wave, the poisoned shaft,
- Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.
- Christ be with me, Christ within me,
- Christ behind me, Christ before me,
- Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
- Christ to comfort and restore me.
- Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
- Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
- Christ in hearts of all that love me,
- Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
- I bind unto myself the Name,
- The strong Name of the Trinity,
- By invocation of the same,
- The Three in One and One in Three.
- By Whom all nature hath creation,
- Eternal Father, Spirit, Word
- Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
- Salvation is of Christ the Lord.
Thanks to JoyfulHeart.com for the following, Patrick Francis Cardinal Moran from around 1911.
I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.
I bind to myself today
The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,
The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,
The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
The virtue of His coming on the Judgment Day.
I bind to myself today
The virtue of the love of seraphim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the hope of resurrection unto reward,
In prayers of Patriarchs,
In predictions of Prophets,
In preaching of Apostles,
In faith of Confessors,
In purity of holy Virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.
I bind to myself today
The power of Heaven,
The light of the sun,
The brightness of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The flashing of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of sea,
The stability of earth,
The compactness of rocks.
I bind to myself today
God's Power to guide me,
God's Might to uphold me,
God's Wisdom to teach me,
God's Eye to watch over me,
God's Ear to hear me,
God's Word to give me speech,
God's Hand to guide me,
God's Way to lie before me,
God's Shield to shelter me,
God's Host to secure me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the seductions of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.
I invoke today all these virtues
Against every hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women, and smiths, and druids,
Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.
Christ, protect me today
Against every poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against death-wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the fort, [i.e., at home]
Christ in the chariot seat, [i.e., travelling by land]
Christ in the stern. [i.e., travelling by water]
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.
I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.
Patrick Francis Cardinal Moran, "St. Patrick," Catholic Encyclopedia (1911), Volume XI (Robert Appleton Company, 1911), Online Edition (2003), by K. Knight (www.newadvent.org/cathen/11554a.htm).
Pic by Dimitri Castrique
Image by Simon Gurney
Follows is another favorite rendering from The Order of Saint Patrick. See notes below.
1. I bind myself today to a strong virtue, an invocation of the Trinity.
I believe in a Threeness, with confession of an Oneness in the Creator of the Universe.
2. I bind myself today to the virtue of Christ's birth with his baptism,
to the virtue of his crucifixion with his burial,
to the virtue of his resurrection with his ascension,
to the virtue of his coming to the Judgment of Doom.
3. I bind myself today to the virtue of ranks of Cherubim,
in obedience of Angels,
[in service of Archangels]
in hope of resurrection for reward,
in prayers of Patriarchs,
in preaching of Apostles,
in faiths of Confessors,
in innocence of Holy Virgins,
in deeds of righteous men.
4. I bind myself today to the virtue of Heaven,
In light of Sun,
In brightness of Snow
In splendour of Fire,
In speed of Lightning,
In swiftness of Wind,
In depth of Sea,
In stability of Earth,
In compactness of Rock.
5. I bind myself today to God's Virtue 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 to me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to secure me,
Against snares of demons,
Against seductions of vices,
Against lusts of nature,
Against every one who wishes ill to me,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in a multitude.
6. So have I invoked all these virtues between me, [and these]
against every cruel, merciless power which may come against 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 defiles men's souls.
7. Christ to protect me today,
Against poison, against burning, against drowning, against death-wound,
Until a multitude of rewards come to me!
8. Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me!
Christ below me, Christ above me.
Christ at my right, Christ at my left!
Christ in breadth, Christ in length, Christ in height!
9. 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!
10. I bind myself today to a strong virtue, an invocation of the Trinity.
I believe in a Threeness with confession of a Oneness, in the Creator of [the universe.]
Salvation is the Lord's, salvation is the Lord's, salvation is Christ's
May Thy salvation, O Lord, be always with us.
The preface to this hymn in the Book of Hymns states that it is written "in the time of Loeghaire, son of Niall." It is definitely not composed by St. Patrick, but it clearly echoes his faith. This hymn is written in a very ancient Irish dialect.
The key to understand this hymn is probably found in Hebrew 12 and 1 Corinthians 3.
As a Christian, with a vivid sense of the reality of his privileges, the author felt he was brought into union with an innumerable company of angels, with the general assembly and the church of the first-born, with God, the Judge of all, with the spirits of righteous men made perfect and with Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant. Whatever evil might confront him - moral, intellectual or physical - originating from demonic powers and initiated by spells and incantations, Patrick found himself depending on the Creator God - the Ruler of everything.
The translation above and the following notes are from "The Epistles & Hymn of Saint Patrick" by Thomas Olden, Dublin 1876.
Notes (edited by the owner of OrderofSaintPatrick.org and adapted by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan):
1. Atomring for ad-dom-ring; the verb adring is equivalent to alligo, "I bind to," with the personal pronoun dom, "me." This expression seems to mean: "I connect myself with" or "I claim to have on my side."
3. 'Inendgai noemingen' Some translate this line with "The purity of the Holy Virgin," however, the word is clearly plural. Neither St. Patrick nor Secundinus mention the "Holy Virgin," which is in clear contrast with the veneration of her now.
4. The Irish deified the powers of nature, as appears from the case of King Laeghaire, (Leary,) who, being taken prisoner in battle, "swore by the Sun and Moon, the Water and the Air, Day and Night, Sea and Land, that he would never demand the Borumean tribute again;" but having broken his promise, "the Sun and Wind killed him." St. Patrick, as a Christian, claims to have them all on his side. "All things work together for good for them that love God." All things, in Patrick's perspective, were his.
5. The Bible sometimes portrays the demons as real beings, fallen angels. They are active powers in the world ready to seduce the minds of sinful men. St Patrick recognized the danger of these powers, and, in his perception, their direct servants, the Druids.
10. In the original, the last three lines are in Latin.