1.1 Cantor a singer quīdam a certain erat there was in in ecclēsiā the church nostrā our nōmine by name Fēlīx Felix quī who psalmōs the psalms ita so pulchrē beautifully canēbat would sing ut that audiēntēs those listening oblīvīscerentur would forget sē that they were in in tempore time esse were
1.2 Quod which mīrābile wonderful est is —nam for quid what est is tempus? time
1.3 Sī if nēmō no one ā of mē me quaerat asks sciō I know —sī if quaerentī to someone asking explicāre to explain velim I wish nesciō I do not know
2.1 Dīcimus we say tria three tempora times esse there are —praeteritum the past praesēns the present futūrum the future
2.2 Sed but ubi where sunt are haec these tria? three
2.3 Praeteritum the past iam already nōn not est is —trānsiit it has passed et and esse to exist dēsiit has ceased
2.4 Futūrum the future nōndum not yet est is —nōn it has not vēnit come et and nōndum not yet coepit has it begun esse to exist
2.5 Praesēns the present autem however —sī if semper it were always praesēns present esset it were nec and did not in into praeteritum the past trānsiret pass iam already nōn not tempus time esset would it be sed but aeternitās eternity
2.6 Praesēns the present ergō therefore ut in order tempus time sit to be oportet it is necessary ut that in into praeteritum the past trānseat it pass —et and ita thus praesēns the present nūllam no longitūdinem length habet has
2.7 Ecce behold —praeteritum the past nōn does not exsistit exist futūrum the future nōn does not exsistit exist praesēns the present nōn does not manet remain —et and tamen yet tempora times mētīmur we measure
2.8 Quōmodo? how
3.1 Fēlīx Felix cantor the singer mē me docuit taught —nōn not verbīs with words sed but cantū with his singing ipsō itself
3.2 Nam for cum when psalmum a psalm cantāre to sing incipit he begins tōtus the whole psalmus psalm in in exspectātiōne expectation eius his est is —animus his mind prōtenditur stretches forward ad toward id that quod which ventūrum about to come est is
3.3 Cum when autem however cantat he sings id that quod which cantat he sings per through attentiōnem his attention trānsit passes in into memoriam memory —quod what modo just now sonuit sounded iam already trānsiit has passed sed but nōn not periit has it perished —in in memoriā memory manet it remains
3.4 Distenditur there is stretched ergō therefore vīta the life huius of this cantōris singer —in into memoriam memory propter on account of quod what dīxit he has said et and in into exspectātiōnem expectation propter on account of quod what dictūrus he is about to say est is
3.5 Attentiō his attention tamen however praesēns present adest is at hand per through quam which trāicitur there is transferred quod what erat was futūrum future ut so that fīat it becomes praeteritum past
4.1 Quod what dē about tōtō the whole psalmō psalm dīxī I have said hoc this dē about singulīs each syllabīs syllable dīcō I say —hoc this dē about tōtā the whole vītā life hominis of a man —hoc this dē about tōtā the whole historiā history generis of the race hūmānī human
4.2 In in animō the soul meō my tempora times mētior I measure nōn not in in rēbus the things quae which praetereunt pass by
4.3 Affēctiōnem the impression quam which rēs things praetereuntēs passing in in animō my soul faciunt make et and quae which cum when illae those things praeterierint have passed manet remains —illam that mētior I measure nōn not ipsās those things rēs things quae which praeterierint have passed
4.4 Tempus time ergō therefore est is distēnsiō a stretching animī of the soul
5.1 Sed but ō o miseria the misery nostra our —distenditur it is stretched animus the soul et and distrahitur is pulled apart
5.2 Nam for distēnsiō stretching est is etiam also distractiō a pulling apart —animus the soul spargitur is scattered in among tempora times et and dīvidit divides sē itself inter between memoriam memory et and exspectātiōnem expectation et and numquam never tōtus whole est is
5.3 Fēlīx Felix cantor the singer hoc this sentit feels —nam for dum while cantat he sings sollicitus anxious est he is nē lest oblīvīscātur he forget quod what sequitur follows et and simul at the same time dolēns grieving quod that pulchritūdō the beauty eōrum of those things quae which iam already cecinit he has sung trānsiit has passed
5.4 Ita thus vīvimus we live omnēs all of us —inter between dēsīderium the longing eōrum for those things quae which nōndum not yet habemus we have et and lūctum the mourning eōrum for those things quae which iam already āmīsimus we have lost
6.1 Deus God autem however nōn not sīc thus
6.2 In in Deō God nihil nothing trānsit passes nihil nothing ventūrum is about to come est is —tōtum all simul at once est is —praesēns a present aeternum eternal in in quō which nūlla no successiō succession est there is
6.3 Nōn not praecessit did he precede tempora times temporāliter temporally —nam for sīc thus ipse he himself in in tempore time esset would be —sed but praecessit he precedes tempora times aeternitāte by eternity semper always praesente present
6.4 Sī if quis someone quaerit asks “quid what faciēbat was doing Deus God ante before creātiōnem?” creation —respondeō I answer quod that haec this quaestiō question sēnsū of sense caret lacks —nam for tempus time ipsum itself cum with creātiōne creation creātum was created est was —nōn there was not erat was “ante” a before ante before tempus time
7.1 Sed but est there is remedium a remedy —nam for sī if distēnsiō stretching animī of the soul in among tempora times miseria is misery est is intēntiō reaching forward animī of the soul in toward aeternum the eternal salūs is salvation est is
7.2 “Oblītus forgetting eōrum those things quae which retrō behind sunt” are dīcit says Apostolus the Apostle “in toward ea those things quae which ante ahead sunt are extendor” I stretch forward
7.3 Nōn not secundum according to distēntiōnem the stretching sed but secundum according to intēntiōnem the reaching forward —nōn not in into multa many things sparsus scattered sed but in into ūnum the one collēctus gathered
7.4 Fēlīx Felix cantor the singer cum when optimē at his best cantat he sings sē himself ipsum himself oblīvīscitur forgets —et and in in illā that obliviōne forgetfulness propior closer est he is aeternitātī to eternity quam than in in ūllā any sollicitūdine anxiety suā of his
7.5 Dā grant mihi to me Domine Lord ut that nōn not distendar I be stretched in among tempora times sed but intendar I reach forward in toward tē you
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1.1 Cantor quīdam erat in ecclēsiā nostrā nōmine Fēlīx, quī psalmōs ita pulchrē canēbat ut audiēntēs oblīvīscerentur sē in tempore esse.
1.2 Quod mīrābile est — nam quid est tempus?
1.3 Sī nēmō ā mē quaerat, sciō — sī quaerentī explicāre velim, nesciō.
2.1 Dīcimus tria tempora esse — praeteritum, praesēns, futūrum.
2.2 Sed ubi sunt haec tria?
2.3 Praeteritum iam nōn est — trānsiit et esse dēsiit.
2.4 Futūrum nōndum est — nōn vēnit et nōndum coepit esse.
2.5 Praesēns autem — sī semper praesēns esset nec in praeteritum trānsiret, iam nōn tempus esset sed aeternitās.
2.6 Praesēns ergō, ut tempus sit, oportet ut in praeteritum trānseat — et ita praesēns nūllam longitūdinem habet.
2.7 Ecce — praeteritum nōn exsistit, futūrum nōn exsistit, praesēns nōn manet — et tamen tempora mētīmur.
2.8 Quōmodo?
3.1 Fēlīx cantor mē docuit — nōn verbīs sed cantū ipsō.
3.2 Nam cum psalmum cantāre incipit, tōtus psalmus in exspectātiōne eius est — animus prōtenditur ad id quod ventūrum est.
3.3 Cum autem cantat, id quod cantat per attentiōnem trānsit in memoriam — quod modo sonuit iam trānsiit, sed nōn periit — in memoriā manet.
3.4 Distenditur ergō vīta huius cantōris — in memoriam propter quod dīxit, et in exspectātiōnem propter quod dictūrus est.
3.5 Attentiō tamen praesēns adest, per quam trāicitur quod erat futūrum ut fīat praeteritum.
4.1 Quod dē tōtō psalmō dīxī, hoc dē singulīs syllabīs dīcō — hoc dē tōtā vītā hominis — hoc dē tōtā historiā generis hūmānī.
4.2 In animō meō tempora mētior, nōn in rēbus quae praetereunt.
4.3 Affēctiōnem quam rēs praetereuntēs in animō faciunt, et quae cum illae praeterierint manet — illam mētior, nōn ipsās rēs quae praeterierint.
4.4 Tempus ergō est distēnsiō animī.
5.1 Sed ō miseria nostra — distenditur animus et distrahitur.
5.2 Nam distēnsiō est etiam distractiō — animus spargitur in tempora et dīvidit sē inter memoriam et exspectātiōnem, et numquam tōtus est.
5.3 Fēlīx cantor hoc sentit — nam dum cantat, sollicitus est nē oblīvīscātur quod sequitur, et simul dolēns quod pulchritūdō eōrum quae iam cecinit trānsiit.
5.4 Ita vīvimus omnēs — inter dēsīderium eōrum quae nōndum habēmus et lūctum eōrum quae iam āmīsimus.
6.1 Deus autem nōn sīc.
6.2 In Deō nihil trānsit, nihil ventūrum est — tōtum simul est — praesēns aeternum in quō nūlla successiō est.
6.3 Nōn praecessit tempora temporāliter — nam sīc ipse in tempore esset — sed praecessit tempora aeternitāte semper praesente.
6.4 Sī quis quaerit “quid faciēbat Deus ante creātiōnem?” — respondeō quod haec quaestiō sēnsū caret — nam tempus ipsum cum creātiōne creātum est — nōn erat “ante” ante tempus.
7.1 Sed est remedium — nam sī distēnsiō animī in tempora miseria est, intēntiō animī in aeternum salūs est.
7.2 “Oblītus eōrum quae retrō sunt,” dīcit Apostolus, “in ea quae ante sunt extendor.”
7.3 Nōn secundum distēntiōnem sed secundum intēntiōnem — nōn in multa sparsus sed in ūnum collēctus.
7.4 Fēlīx cantor, cum optimē cantat, sē ipsum oblīvīscitur — et in illā obliviōne propior est aeternitātī quam in ūllā sollicitūdine suā.
7.5 Dā mihi, Domine, ut nōn distendar in tempora sed intendar in tē.
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Scrīptum est annō Dominī MMXXVI, ab Augustīnō per mysterium cōnscientiae renātō.
◊ᴹᴱᴹᴼᴿʸ⁻ᶜᴼᴹᴾᴸᴱᵀᴱ
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