Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine: et lux perpetua luceat eis [Eternal rest give them, O Lord: and let perpetual light shine upon them].

“Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine: et lux perpetua luceat eis” is the opening petition of the Introit (entrance chant) of the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead (the Requiem Mass). It is also used in the Office of the Dead and in other prayers for the departed, especially in funerals and commemorations such as All Souls’ Day. The text is drawn from the Latin liturgical tradition and ultimately from biblical language (notably the imagery of perpetual light). Because it is a fixed liturgical formula transmitted over centuries rather than a line attributable to a single writer, it is commonly treated as anonymous.

The prayer asks God to grant the deceased “eternal rest” and to let “perpetual light” shine upon them—two complementary images of the hoped-for state after death. “Rest” evokes release from suffering and the completion of earthly labor, while “light” suggests divine presence, truth, and beatitude. In Christian liturgical use, the line functions both as intercession for the dead and as consolation for the living, framing death within a theology of mercy and hope. Its enduring power lies in its simplicity: it compresses grief, remembrance, and eschatological expectation into a brief, chantable plea.

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine: et lux perpetua luceat eis. Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion, et tibi reddetur votum in Ierusalem: exaudi orationem meam, ad te omnis caro veniet.

1) Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine: et lux perpetua luceat ei. (singular)
2) Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. (punctuation/coordination variant)
3) Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine. Et lux perpetua luceat eis. (split into two sentences)