Martyrs of the ArenaA poem by J S Stallybrass, set to music by Laurent de Rille

Martyrs of the Arena

Great Caesar, with our dying breath,
Thus we hail thee!

The body thou canst doom to death,
Willing tools will not fail thee;
But the soul shall hold fast her faith.
O Caesar, with our dying breath,
Thus we hail thee!
Great Lord of life and death.

See the town keeps holiday today,
The circus, in festive array.
Now raise a merry shout to the Gods.
With cymbals clashing and trumpets blowing,
Before them the stern lictor's rods.
See the consuls in crimson glowing,
See the pale vestal's white robes flowing,
All attend till the great Caesar nods.

And we, all amid the dread arena,
Naked, defenceless, in God our sole reliance,
We hear, we hear with calm defiance,
The roaring lion and hyena,
Soon to be our living tomb.

Heard ye that ringing cheer?
They open now the cage,
And the tiger and panther in their rage,
They come madly bounding along.
Brethren, be strong!
Lift up the heart in prayer and song!

God of the martyr and the slave,
O Christ who has triumphed over death,
Come, O come, Thy suffering saints to save.
Now they draw their parting breath!

Tis the hour of joyful compensation!
Hark! it greets us from eternity;
Now comes the long looked for salvation,
Now dawns the day of liberty.

God of the martyr and the slave,
O Christ, who has triumphed over death,
Come, O come, Thy suffering saints to save.
Now they draw their parting breath;

And when the life blood is pouring,
And day is darkening into night,
O living God, to thee our souls are soaring
And death is the dawning of endless light.
 

Words by J S Stallybrass
Set music by Laurent de Rille

François Anatole Laurent de Rillé
Born 24 November 1828 in Orleans, died 26 August 1915 in Paris.

A French musician, composer and writer, De Rillé composed a number of operettas and sacred works, but his name is more frequently associated with the Orpheus movement, which also included Hector Berlioz and Charles Gounod among its members. The movement’s purpose was to set up and encourage male voice choir associations to promote participation in music in the community, the first of which was in Paris.
De Rillé wrote many pieces for male voice choirs and arranged other pieces by Verdi, Donizetti and Rossini, he also wrote books about forming and training choirs. Orpheus societies gained popularity in both France and the United Kingdom during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Nowadays most of De Rille’s music is largely forgotten but his choral works, which include the “The Destruction of Gaza” and Martyrs of the Arena remain popular with male voice choirs.

James Steven Stallybrass
Born 3 October 1826 in Selenginsk, Siberia, died 2 December 1888 in Stoke Newingtoon.

J S Stallybrass, the fourth son of the Rev. Edward Stallybrass, of the London Missionary Society, was a well known academic who contributed to various publications, supplying original hymns and poems, and translating or editing the work of others. His translations included various German hymns and poems, scientific works and several volumes of Teutonic Mythology written by Jacob Grimm. He was born in Selenginsk in Siberia, where his father was stationed at the time, but spent much of his life in Stoke Newington, London.