The Nunc dimittis, also known as the Song of Simeon or the Canticle of Simeon, is a canticle taken from the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke, verses 29 through 32. Its Latin name comes from its incipit, the opening words, of the Vulgate translation of the passage, meaning "Now you let depart". Since the 4th century it has been used in Christian services of evening worship such as Compline, Vespers, and Evensong.
Simeon's Song of Praise by Aert de Gelder, around 1700–1710
The start of the Nunc dimittis in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry
German translation on a tombstone
Stained glass window in St. Alban's Anglican Church in Copenhagen, Denmark, depicting the "Nunc dimittis" scene
Compline, also known as Complin, Night Prayer, or the Prayers at the End of the Day, is the final prayer liturgy of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours, which are prayed at fixed prayer times.
Book of hours open at compline (Eisbergen Monastery in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany)
The start of compline in the Anglo-Catholic Anglican Service Book (1991)
Monks praying compline in St Nazianz, Wisconsin, US
Image: Agpeya Breviary