Editing Dies irae (section)

{{Short description|Latin sequence, liturgical hymn}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=May 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022|cs1-dates=y}}
{{Other uses}}
{{distinguish|Deus Irae}}
[[File:MemlingJudgmentCentre.jpg|thumb|Centre panel from [[Hans Memling|Memling]]'s [[triptych]] ''[[The Last Judgment (Memling)|Last Judgment]]'' ({{circa|1467–1471}})]]
"'''{{lang|la|Dies irae|italic=no}}'''" ({{IPA|la-x-church|ˈdi.es ˈi.re|lang|link=yes}}; "the Day of Wrath") is a Latin [[Sequence (musical form)|sequence]] attributed to either [[Thomas of Celano]] of the [[Franciscans]] (1200–1265)<ref name="CathEncy">{{CathEncy |wstitle=Dies Iræ}}</ref> or to [[Latino Malabranca Orsini]] (d. 1294), lector at the [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] {{lang|la|studium}} at [[Santa Sabina]], the forerunner of the [[Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas]] (the {{lang|la|Angelicum}}) in Rome.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Crociani |first=G. |url=https://archive.org/embed/scrittivaridifi00crocgoog |title=Scritti vari di Filologia |date=1901 |publisher=Forzani &c. |location=[[Rome]] |page=488 |lccn=03027597 |oclc=10827264 |ol=23467162M |access-date=2022-03-15 |via=[[Internet Archive]] |lang=la}}</ref> The sequence dates from the 13th century at the latest, though it is possible that it is much older, with some sources ascribing its origin to [[Pope Gregory I|St. Gregory the Great]] (d. 604), [[Bernard of Clairvaux]] (1090–1153), or [[Bonaventure]] (1221–1274).<ref name=CathEncy />

It is a [[medieval Latin]] poem characterized by its [[accentual verse|accentual stress]] and rhymed lines. The [[metre (poetry)|metre]] is [[trochee|trochaic]]. The poem describes the [[Last Judgment]], the [[trumpet]] summoning souls before the throne of [[God]], where the saved will be delivered and the unsaved cast into eternal flames.

It is best known from its use in the [[Roman Rite]] [[Catholic]] [[Requiem Mass]] (Mass for the Dead or Funeral Mass). An English version is found in various [[Anglican Communion]] service books.

The first melody set to these words, a [[Gregorian chant]], is one of the most quoted in musical literature, appearing in the works of many composers. The final couplet, {{lang|la|[[Pie Jesu]]}}, has been often reused as an independent song.