Absalon, fili mi

Original text and translations

Latin text:

Absalon fili mi,
quis det ut moriar pro te, Absalon?
Non vivam ultra,
sed descendam in infernum plorans.

Translations

English translation

Absalon my son,
if only I had died instead of you, Absalon!
I shall live no more,
but go down to hell, weeping.

Translation supplied by MIck Swithinbank.

Settings by composers

• Josquin Des Prez or Pierre de la Rue
• Heinrich Schütz