| Ave, maris stella, Dei mater alma, atque semper virgo, felix cœli porta. | Hail, star of the sea, Nurturing Mother of God, And ever Virgin Happy gate of Heaven. |
| Sumens illud «Ave» Gabrielis ore, funda nos in pace, mutans Evæ nomen. | Receiving that "Ave" (hail) From the mouth of Gabriel, Establish us in peace, Transforming the name of "Eva" (Eve). |
| Solve vincla reis, profer lumen cæcis, mala nostra pelle, bona cuncta posce. | Loosen the chains of the guilty, Send forth light to the blind, Our evil do thou dispel, Entreat (for us) all good things. |
| Monstra te esse matrem, sumat per te precem qui pro nobis natus tulit esse tuus. | Show thyself to be a Mother: Through thee may he receive prayer Who, being born for us, Undertook to be thine own. |
| Virgo singularis, inter omnes mitis, nos culpis solutos mites fac et castos. | O unique Virgin, Meek above all others, Make us, set free from (our) sins, Meek and chaste. |
| Vitam præsta puram, iter para tutum, ut videntes Jesum semper collætemur. | Bestow a pure life, Prepare a safe way: That seeing Jesus, We may ever rejoice. |
| Sit laus Deo Patri, summo Christo decus, Spiritui Sancto honor, tribus unus. Amen. | Praise be to God the Father, To the Most High Christ (be) glory, To the Holy Spirit (Be) honour, to the Three equally. Amen. |
Ave Maris Stella is the anthem of the Acadians, a francophone community in the Canadian Maritimes distinct from the French-Canadians of Quebec. The Acadians were highly influenced by the Roman Catholic Church, and had and still have a high degree of devotion to the Virgin Mary. As such, Acadia's symbols reflect its people's beliefs. This is particularly evident in their anthem which instead of being written in French is written in Latin.
It was adopted as the anthem of the Acadian people at the Second Acadian National Convention, held in Miscouche, Prince Edward Island in 1884. To this day, it remains a source of Acadian patriotism.
The hymn was sung in its original version until French lyrics were finally composed in 1994. The French lyrics are attributed to Jacinthe Laforest, from Mont-Carmel, Prince Edward Island, who submitted her lyrics during a contest held throughout the Maritimes by the Société nationale de l'Acadie in search of French lyrics. Out of respect for the original hymn, the first verse in the Acadian national anthem remains in Latin.
