Pange lingua

Song Meaning

This ancient hymn, "Pange Lingua," is a profound meditation on the Christian sacrament of the Eucharist. It begins by calling for tongues to sing of the "glorious mystery of the Body" and the "precious Blood," shed as a price for the world. The lyrics trace the divine origin and earthly mission of Christ, born of a virgin and spreading the "seed of the Word" during his time on earth. The narrative then shifts to the Last Supper, where Christ, observing the law and sharing legal foods with his brethren, "gives himself to his hands" to the "twelve." This act is presented as the fulfillment of the Old Testament, superseding its rites with a "divine Sacrament." The Spanish verses introduce a human perspective, acknowledging that the senses might be "stunned" by such a "new thing," but faith, "determined and spirited," can dare what the senses cannot. The hymn concludes with a Trinitarian doxology, giving "equal praise, equal honor" to the Almighty, the Creator, and the Created, and the Spirit inspired by both, ending with "Amen."