Nunc dimittis

The Nunc dimittis (/nʊŋk dɪˈmɪtɪs/; also Song of Simeon or Canticle of Simeon) is a canticle from a New Testament text in the second chapter of Luke named after its incipit in Latin, meaning 'Now you dismiss...'. (Luke 2:29–32), often used as the final song in a religious service.

Biblical account

According to the narrative in Luke, Simeon was a devout Jew who had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. When Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem for the ceremony of consecration of the firstborn son (not on circumcision, but rather after the time of Mary's purification: at least 40 days after the birth), Simeon was there, and he took Jesus into his arms and uttered words rendered variously as follows.

Versions

Original Greek (Novum Testamentum Graece):

Latin (Vulgate):

English (Douay-Rheims, 1582):

English (Book of Common Prayer, 1662):

The King James Version (1611) contains the same text as the Book of Common Prayer, except for the last line (Luke 2:32), which simply reads "A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel."

Nunc dimittis (Pärt)

Nunc dimittis is a 2001 composition for choir by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt.

The work features a pedal sung by the men in the choir contrasting with the melody sung by the women.

References

Nunc Dimittis (short story)

"Nunc Dimittis" is a short story by Roald Dahl. It was first published under the title "The Devious Bachelor" in Colliers in September 1953. The story is wholly told from the first-person perspective.

Plot summary

When wealthy art collector Lionel Lampson, learns from an unreliable gossip that his younger girlfriend Janet thinks of him, among other things, as a "crashing bore," he devises an elaborate revenge. He visits the artist John Royden and asks him to paint Janet's portrait with the stipulation that she does not know who has commissioned it. Royden has an unusual method: he paints his subjects nude and then adds every layer of clothing one at a time.

When the portrait is completed, Lionel (who happens to be skilled at restoring and cleaning paintings) removes all additional layers of paint, exposing Janet without clothing. He then stages a dinner party for Janet and some of society's elite, where, at the end of the candle-lit meal, the lights are suddenly turned on and the painting is revealed for all to see. Lionel leaves the room unobserved (but not before seeing the stunned look on Janet's face) and slips away to his house in the country, basking in the success of his scheme until he is called that night by the same old widow who had told him the gossip about Janet and now invites him to pass by; it is then clear to Lionel that she had been hooking him all the time.