Sundays are for Beauty - Pie Jesu

“…Beauty is truth, truth beauty,- that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”
John Keats

Henceforth, Sundays on this blog will be reserved for beauty – nothing political, and nothing satirical. What better way to start than with Hayley Westenra? I’d never heard of her until a few days ago when I was looking for something by Bryn Terfel (see my post of March 12, 2009). I found a video of that great Welsh bass-baritone singing Ave Maria with Jose Carreras and Hayley Westenra; it was beautiful. Hayley, it turns out, was already famous to a good part of the world even if she was a new discovery for me. She was born in New Zealand, in 1987, and has already been named (in 2008) the “classical performer of the year” at the Variety Club’s annual awards in London. She was only 15 years old at the time of this video, in which she is singing the Andrew Lloyd Webber version of Pie Jesu.

Latin lyrics English translation 


Pie Jesu, Pie Jesu, 

Pie Jesu, Pie Jesu,
Qui tollis peccata mundi; 

Dona eis requiem, 

Dona eis requiem. 



Angus Dei, Angus Dei, 

Angus Dei, Angus Dei, 

Qui tollis peccata mundi; 

Dona eis requiem, 

Dona eis requiem. 

Sempiternam, sempiternam requiem. 


Lord, have mercy, 
Lord, have mercy,
Lord, have mercy, 
Lord, have mercy
You who take away the sins of the world;
Grant them peace, 

Grant them peace. 



Lamb of God, Lamb of God, 

Lamb of God, Lamb of God, 

You who take away the sins of the world; 

Grant them peace, 

Grant them peace. 

Peace everlasting, everlasting.