The Canticle of Simeon (Lk 2:29–32)

Nunc dimittis — Canticle of Simeon

Sung every night at Compline

LatinEnglish

Nunc dimíttis servum tuum, Dómine,
secúndum verbum tuum in pace:
quia vidérunt óculi mei salutáre tuum,
quod parásti ante fáciem ómnium populórum:
lumen ad revelatiónem géntium,
et glóriam plebis tuæ Israel.

Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord,
according to thy word in peace;
because my eyes have seen thy salvation,
which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples:
a light to the revelation of the Gentiles,
and the glory of thy people Israel.

Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto.
Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, et in sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

SourceThe Canticle of Simeon (Lk 2:29–32) · Sung every night at Compline

The history of this prayer

The Nunc dimittis is the canticle of the aged Simeon, a just man to whom the Holy Spirit had revealed that he would not die before seeing the Christ of the Lord. When Mary and Joseph brought the Child Jesus to the Temple forty days after His birth, Simeon took Him in his arms and blessed God in these words (Lk 2:29–32): now he could depart in peace, for he had seen the salvation, “a light to the revelation of the Gentiles”.

Since antiquity the Church has sung it at Compline, the last prayer of the day before the night's rest — as one who places his life in God's hands. On the feast of the Presentation of the Lord (2 February, Candlemas) it is sung during the blessing and procession of candles, because of the words “a light to the revelation of the Gentiles”.

Pronunciation: “dimíttis” is stressed on “MIT”; “géntium” sounds “JEN-tsee-oom”.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Simeon?

A just and devout man of Jerusalem who, according to Saint Luke, took the Child Jesus in his arms at the Presentation in the Temple and recognized Him as the Saviour.

When is the Nunc dimittis prayed?

Every night at Compline, the night prayer of the Divine Office, and in the procession of candles on 2 February.

More prayers: Hymns

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