Ave Maris Stella

LatineThe Latin text

Ave, maris stella,
Dei Mater alma,
atque semper Virgo,
felix cæli porta.

Sumens illud Ave
Gabriélis ore,
funda nos in pace,
mutans Hevæ nomen.

Solve vincla reis,
profer lumen cæcis,
mala nostra pelle,
bona cuncta posce.

Monstra te esse matrem:
sumat per te preces,
qui pro nobis natus,
tulit esse tuus.

Virgo singuláris,
inter omnes mitis,
nos culpis solútos,
mites fac et castos.

Vitam præsta puram,
iter para tutum:
ut vidéntes Jesum,
semper collætémur.

Sit laus Deo Patri,
summo Christo decus,
Spirítui Sancto,
tribus honor unus. Amen.

EnglishTranslation

Hail, star of the sea, loving Mother of God and ever Virgin, happy gate of heaven.

Receiving that 'Ave' from the mouth of Gabriel, establish us in peace, reversing the name of Eve.

Loose the chains of the guilty, bring light to the blind, drive away our ills, and ask for us all good things.

Show thyself to be a Mother; through thee may He receive our prayers — He who, born for us, deigned to be thy Son.

Virgin all-excelling, meek above all others, make us, freed from sin, meek and chaste.

Preserve our life unspotted, make safe our way, that, seeing Jesus, we may rejoice together forever.

Let there be praise to God the Father, glory to Christ the Most High, and to the Holy Spirit — to the Three, one honour. Amen.

Anonymous, 9th century or earlier — the complete hymn · English partly after M. Britt, O.S.B. (1922)

I

Star of the Sea

Ave Maris Stella is one of the oldest and best-loved hymns to the Blessed Virgin, found in a ninth-century St Gall manuscript and long sung at Vespers on her feasts. Its title comes from an ancient reading of the name Mary as stella maris, 'star of the sea' — the fixed light by which sailors steer, and so a figure of Our Lady guiding souls through the dangers of the world to the harbour of heaven.

The hymn turns on a small, luminous pun: the 'Ave' of Gabriel's greeting reverses 'Eva' — Eve. Mary, by her yes, undoes what Eve's no began; the new mother reverses the old mother's name letter by letter. In four short lines the whole drama of fall and redemption is folded.

II

Its history

The hymn is found in a St Gall manuscript of the ninth century and became universal in the Western Church, set countless times by later composers but always rooted in its plainchant original. Its simple, four-line stanzas made it easy for whole congregations to carry.

Because its melody and metre are so regular, Ave Maris Stella became a school of Marian devotion in song — a text ordinary people could hold in memory and pray at sea, at work, or at the day's close.

III

When it is sung

Ave Maris Stella is the traditional Vespers hymn for feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is sung throughout the year wherever her memory is kept. It belongs especially to the evening, when the day's voyage is done and the star appears.

Prayed slowly, it is a petition as much as a greeting: loose our chains, give light to the blind, drive off our ills — the requests of people who know they are still at sea.

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Questions

On the Ave Maris Stella.

What does Ave Maris Stella mean?

It means 'Hail, star of the sea.' The title reads the name Mary as stella maris and honours Our Lady as the guiding star who leads souls safely to heaven.

How old is the hymn?

It is found in a 9th-century St Gall manuscript; its earlier origins are unknown. It has long been sung at Marian Vespers throughout the Western Church.

What is the 'Ave / Eva' wordplay?

Gabriel's greeting 'Ave' reverses the letters of 'Eva' (Eve). The hymn celebrates Mary as the new Eve, whose obedience reverses the disobedience of the first.

Repertorium

The other chants.

All chants →

The Penitential CryKyrie EleisonThe Cry for Mercy The Antiphon of MortalityMedia VitaIn the Midst of Life The Hymn of InvocationVeni Creator SpiritusThe Invocation of the Spirit The Marian AntiphonSalve ReginaThe Evening Antiphon The Sequence of JudgmentDies IraeThe Day of Wrath The Cry of AdventRorate CaeliThe Cry of Advent A Child Is BornPuer Natus EstA Child Is Born The Lenten PleaAttende DomineThe Lenten Plea The Hymn of the SacramentPange LinguaThe Hymn of the Sacrament The Easter AntiphonRegina CaeliThe Easter Antiphon The Golden SequenceVeni Sancte SpiritusThe Golden Sequence The Hidden GodheadAdoro Te DevoteThe Hidden Godhead Hail, True BodyAve Verum CorpusHail, True Body The Great ThanksgivingTe DeumThe Great Thanksgiving