Ego dormio

General information

Source of text is Song of Solomon 5:2,5:6a,8:6a,4:7a & 4:3a.

Settings by composers

• Anonymous SAA (all vv., with some minor reordering)
• Francesco Bianciardi SATB (v. 5.2, Latin)
• Giovanni Girolamo Kapsperger B (demanding) + continuo
• Leone Leoni SSAATTB (v. 5:2, including the non-Vulgate text)
• Giovanni Sansoni AA
• Heinrich Schütz SATB (v. 5:2 omitting vox dilecti…)

Other settings possibly not included in the manual list above

• Ignazio Donati — Ego dormio
• Jens Klimek — Ego dormio
• Claudio Monteverdi — Ego dormio
• Jacobus Clemens non Papa — Ego dormio

Text and translations

Latin text 5:2  Ego dormio, et cor meum vigilat: vox dilecti mei pulsantis, Aperi mihi, soror mea, [sponsa,] amica mea, columba mea, [formosa mea, speciosa mea,] immaculata mea. Quia caput meum plenum est rore, et cincinni mei guttis noctium. 5:6a  Aperui dilecto meo pessulum ostii mei [at ille totus desiderabilis clamans ad me] 8:6a  Pone me sicut signaculum super cor tuum…quia fortis est ut mors dilectio tua 4:7a  Tota pulchra es, amica mea 4:3a  Labia tua sicut vitta coccinea eloquium tuum dulce sicut fragmen mali punici. Bracketed words not in the Vulgate. German translation Translation by Peter Rottländer 5:2  Ich schlafe, aber mein Herz liegt wach. Öffne mir, meine Schwester, meine Taube, meine Makellose, denn mein Haupt ist voll Tau und meine Locken voller Tropfen der Nacht.

English translation 5:2  I sleep, and my heart watcheth: the voice of my beloved knocking: Open to me, my sister,[my spouse,] my love, my dove,[my beautiful, my fair one,] my undefiled: for my head is full of dew, and my locks of the drops of the nights. 5:6a  I opened the bolt of my door to my beloved: [and she called to me, who is all lovely.] 8:6a  Put me as a seal upon thy heart,… for love is strong as death 4:7a  Thou art all fair, O my love 4:3a  Thy lips are as a scarlet lace: and thy speech sweet as a piece of a pomegranate. Douai-Rheims version