 | Religious Lyrics of the XVth Century |  |
51. A Prayer to the Three Persons in the Trinity
O radiant luminar of light eterminable,
Celestiall father, potenciall god of myght,
Of heyven & erthe, o lorde incomparable,
Of all perfeccions essenciall most parfight!
O maker of mankynd thow formed day & nyȝt,
Whose power imperiall comprehendithe every place;
My hert, my mynde & all my holl delite
Ys, after this lyf, to se thy glorious face,
Celestiall father, potenciall god of myght,
Of heyven & erthe, o lorde incomparable,
Of all perfeccions essenciall most parfight!
O maker of mankynd thow formed day & nyȝt,
Whose power imperiall comprehendithe every place;
My hert, my mynde & all my holl delite
Ys, after this lyf, to se thy glorious face,
Whose magnificens is incomprehensible—
All argumentes of reason truly hit dothe excede—
Whose deite dowteles ys indiuisible,
ffrom whome all grace & godenesse dothe procede.
Of his support all cryatures haue nede;
Assist me, gode lorde, & graunte me thy grace
To lyve to thy pleasure in worde, thoȝt & dede,
And, after this lyff, to se thy glorious face.
All argumentes of reason truly hit dothe excede—
Whose deite dowteles ys indiuisible,
ffrom whome all grace & godenesse dothe procede.
Of his support all cryatures haue nede;
Assist me, gode lorde, & graunte me thy grace
To lyve to thy pleasure in worde, thoȝt & dede,
And, after this lyff, to se thy glorious face.
81
O benygne Ihū, my soveraigne lord & kyng,
The onely son of God by filiacion,
The secunde person without begynnyng,
Bothe god and man, our faithe makith playne relacion—
Mary, thy moder by wey of incarnacion—
Whose glorious passion our soles dothe revyue,
Agaynest all bodely & gostly tribulacion.
Defende me, withe thy petious woundes fyve.
The onely son of God by filiacion,
The secunde person without begynnyng,
Bothe god and man, our faithe makith playne relacion—
Mary, thy moder by wey of incarnacion—
Whose glorious passion our soles dothe revyue,
Agaynest all bodely & gostly tribulacion.
Defende me, withe thy petious woundes fyve.
O pereles prince, peyned unto the dethe,
Rufully rent, thy body wan & blowe
ffor our redempcion gave vp thy vitall brethe—
Was neuer sorow like to thy dedly woo.
Graunt me, out of this world when I shall goo,
Thy endles mercy, my chefe preseruatyve.
Agaynst the world, the flesshe and the devyll also
Defend me with thy petious woundes fyve.
Rufully rent, thy body wan & blowe
ffor our redempcion gave vp thy vitall brethe—
Was neuer sorow like to thy dedly woo.
Graunt me, out of this world when I shall goo,
Thy endles mercy, my chefe preseruatyve.
Agaynst the world, the flesshe and the devyll also
Defend me with thy petious woundes fyve.
O fyre vervens, enflammed with all grace,
Enkyndlyng hertes with brondes most charitable,
The endles reward of pleasure & solace,
To the fader & the son thow art coniunctable
In vnitate whiche is inseparable.
O water of lyfe, O well of consolacion,
Agaynst all suggestions dedly & damnable
Rescow me, gode lord, by thy preseruacion.
Enkyndlyng hertes with brondes most charitable,
The endles reward of pleasure & solace,
To the fader & the son thow art coniunctable
In vnitate whiche is inseparable.
O water of lyfe, O well of consolacion,
Agaynst all suggestions dedly & damnable
Rescow me, gode lord, by thy preseruacion.
To whome is approched, the holy gost by name,
The thrid person, one god in trinite,
Of parfite loue thow art the gostly flame.
Emperour of mekenes, pease & tranquyllite,
My coumford, my counsell, my parfite charite,
O water of life, O well of consolacion,
Agaynst all stormes of hard aduersite
Rescow me, gode lord, by thy preseruacion.
The thrid person, one god in trinite,
Of parfite loue thow art the gostly flame.
Emperour of mekenes, pease & tranquyllite,
My coumford, my counsell, my parfite charite,
O water of life, O well of consolacion,
Agaynst all stormes of hard aduersite
Rescow me, gode lord, by thy preseruacion.
| Religious Lyrics of the XVth Century | |