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Description: The fifth of the 9 lessons from the book of Job for the Office of the Dead in three parts.
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Original text and translations
Latin text
Homo natus de muliere brevi vivens tempore repletur multis miseriis.
Qui quasi flos egreditur et conteritur et fugit velut umbra
et nunquam in eodem statu permanet.
Et dignum ducis super hujuscemodi aperire oculos tuos,
et adducere eum tecum in judicium?
Quis potest facere mundum ex immundo conceptum semine,
nonne tu qui solus es?
Breves dies hominis sunt, numerus mensium ejus apud te est.
Constituisti terminos ejus qui praeteriri non poterunt,
recede ergo paululum ab eo ut quiescat,
donec optata veniat et sicut mercenarii dies ejus.
English translation
Man born of woman, living a short time, is replenished with many miseries.
Who as a flower cometh forth and is destroyed, and flyeth as a shadow,
and never abideth in the same state.
And dost thou count it a worthy thing to open thine eyes upon such an one
and to bring him with thee into judgement?
Who can make clean him that is conceived of unclean seed?
Is it not thou which only art?
The days of man are short, the number of his months is with thee.
Thou hast appointed his limits, which cannot be passed.
Depart a little from him, that he may rest,
until his day wished for, do come, even as of the hireling.