CAELI DEUS SANCTISSIME s. — This is the hymn for Wednesday Vespers, attributed to St Ambrose, though not with very strong evidence. The day that is dying inspires the poet with feelings of emotion. After a brief description of the sunset and the last gleams of light, the reference to Gen 1:14–19 is highly significant, where on the fourth day the creation of the “luminaria magna,” the sun, the moon, and the stars, which give life and light to creation, is set forth. The entire composition takes the form of a prayer, and the fourth stanza pleads for the flight of night from the heart, of darkness from the intellect, and of the bonds of guilt from the conscience.
CAELI DEUS SANCTISSIME S
