One of the musical treasures of the season of Advent is a series of seven antiphons known as the Great O Antiphons. Seven chants, seven prayers, seven expressions of longing and expectation.
The first antiphon, O Sapientia (for December 17) is a call for Wisdom to appear.
O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.
O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end to the other, mightily and sweetly ordering all things:
Come and teach us the way of prudence.
The Anglican priest and poet Malcolm Guite wrote this sonnet in response:
I cannot think unless I have been thought,
Nor can I speak unless I have been spoken.
I cannot teach except as I am taught,
Or break the bread except as I am broken.
O Mind behind the mind through which I seek,
O Light within the light by which I see,
O Word beneath the words with which I speak,
O founding, unfound Wisdom, finding me,
O sounding Song whose depth is sounding me,
O Memory of time, reminding me,
My Ground of Being, always grounding me,
My Maker’s Bounding Line, defining me,
Come, hidden Wisdom, come with all you bring,
Come to me now, disguised as everything.
You can find an audio recording on this page.
This is a full list of the Antiphons, Guite’s sonnets, and some other links.
- 17 December: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)
- 18 December: O Adonai
- 19 December: O Radix (O Root of Jesse)
- 20 December: O Clavis (O Key of David)
- 21 December: O Oriens (O Dawn of the East)
- 22 December: O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations)
- 23 December: O Emmanuel
(More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Antiphons)