Saint Patrick's Breastplate, also known as The Deer's Cry or The Lorica of Saint Patrick or Saint Patrick's Hymn is a lorica whose original Old Irish lyrics were traditionally attributed to Saint Patrick during his Irish ministry in the 5th century. In 1889 it was adapted into the hymn I Bind Unto Myself Today. A number of other adaptions have been made.
Contents
The prayer in Old Irish
The prayer is part of the Liber Hymnorum, a collection of hymns found in two manuscripts kept in Dublin and published in 1903 in the Thesaurus Paleohibernicus. The document gives this account of how Patrick used this prayer:
Patrick sang this when an ambush was laid against his coming by Loegaire, that he might not go to Tara to sow the faith. And then it appeared before those lying in ambush that they (Patrick and his monks) were wild deer with a fawn following them.
The description concludes "fáeth fiada a hainm", which the Thesaurus Paleohibernicus translates as "Its name is 'Deer’s Cry'. However, the phrase 'fáeth fiada' is used elsewhere in Irish mythology to mean a mist of concealment.
If the description above is accurate then the prayer would date from the 5th century – the time of Saint Patrick. However, it has been dated as from the 8th century by modern experts. Although Christian in content, it shows pre-Christian influence in that it calls for Christ's protection using the form of a pagan invocation of the gods or lorica (shield or breastplate). Because of this it is also known as the "Lorica of St. Patrick" or as "St. Patrick's Breastplate". On the other hand, this may be a Scripture reference, specifically: Ephesians 6:10–17 ("God's shield to protect me ... from snares of devils").
Summary
Each verse of the prayer begins "Atomruig indiu" "I arise today" or "I bind unto myself today" and this phrase is repeated at the beginning of most of the verses. This is followed by a list of sources of strength that the prayer calls on for support.
The first verse invokes the Catholic doctrine of the Trinity.
The second verse invokes Christ's baptism, death, resurrection, ascension and future return on the last day.
The third verse invokes the angels, patriarchs, saints and martyrs.
The fourth verse the natural world: the sun, moon, fire, lightning etc.
The fifth verse invokes various aspects of God – his wisdom, his eye, his ear, his hand
The sixth verse lists the things against which protection is required – against snares of devils, temptations of nature, those who wish ill
This list of things against which protection is required continues in the next verse – false prophets, heathens, heretics, women, druids (druad), smiths (gobann).
The next verse calls for Christ to be in all things – Christ in me, all around me, in the eye and ear and mouth of the people I meet.
the last verse returns to the theme of the Trinity.
The prayer in Modern English translation
The following is a literal translation from the old Irish text:
Note that several different versions of the prayer can be found. For example, some render the beginning verse of each major section as "I arise today" rather than "I bind to myself today." The more problematic verses can also be found in different renderings, such as the verse "Against spells of women, and smiths, and druids" as "Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards" and "Christ in the fort, Christ in the chariot seat, and Christ in the poop [deck]" as "Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise."
Finally, Catholic prayer cards which have popularized this prayer feature a truncated version in the interest of space:
I bind unto myself today – Victorian hymn
C. F. Alexander (1818–1895) wrote a hymn based on St. Patrick's Breastplate in 1889 at the request of H. H. Dickinson, Dean of the Chapel Royal at Dublin Castle. Dean Dickinson wrote about this:
I wrote to her suggesting that she should fill a gap in our Irish Church Hymnal by giving us a metrical version of St. Patrick's 'Lorica' and I sent her a carefully collated copy of the best prose translations of it. Within a week she sent me that exquisitely beautiful as well as faithful version which appears in the appendix to our Church Hymnal."
As usual, Alexander wrote the poems only. The music to the hymn was originally set in 1902 by Charles Villiers Stanford for chorus and organ, using two traditional Irish tunes, St. Patrick and Gartan, which Stanford took from his own edition (1895) of George Petrie's Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland (originally 1855). This is known by its opening line "I bind unto myself today". It is currently included in the Lutheran Service Book (Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod), the English Hymnal, the Irish Church Hymnal and The Hymnal (1982) of the US Episcopal Church. It is often sung during the celebration of the Feast of Saint Patrick on or near 17 March as well as on Trinity Sunday. In many churches it is unique among standard hymns because the variations in length and metre of verses mean that at least three different tunes must be used (different in the melody sung by the congregation).
Musical adaptations
Modern interpretations
Recently there has been some interest in Celtic spirituality among some Christian authors and David Adam has written some books about Celtic prayers and spiritual exercises for modern Christians. In one of his books, The Cry Of The Deer, he used the Lorica of St Patrick as a way to Celtic spirituality. In his seminal study 'The Primal Vision: Christian presence Amid African Religion', (SCM Press, London 1963) John Vernon Taylor, later Bishop of Winchester, claimed that St Patrick's Breastplate 'contains all the spiritual awareness of the primal vision and lifts it into the fullness of Christ.' He concludes by quoting the whole prayer in Kuno Meyer's version, exclaiming 'Would that it were translated and sung in every tongue in Africa!' John Davies, Bishop of Shrewsbury, provides a verse-by-verse commentary on the Breastplate in 'A Song for Every Morning: Dedication and Defiance with St Patrick's Breastplate' (Norwich, Canterbury Press 2008), based largely on experience of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, with a foreword by Kathy Galloway, Leader of the Iona Community, who notes how the Breastplate brings together the personal and the political in Christian discipleship.