Although a wretched sinner - Pope Innocent III

Although a wretched sinner,
Dear Son of God Most High,
I call to thee for mercy,
Oh, hear my mournful cry.

Renew and raise my spirit
In faith and hope and love,
Lord, cleanse and guard and guide me
By radiance from above.

Let me abhor all evil,
Let honour fill my soul,
And draw me ever upward
To thee, my final goal.

Revive me, gentle Jesus,
With thy all-saving food,
And bathe both soul and body,
In thy redeeming blood.

When earthly days are ended,
And death's dark hour is come,
Send down thy blessed angel
To guide my spirit home.

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Pope Innocent III (Lotario dei Conti di Segni) (1161 - 1216) Italy
Translated by Daniel Joseph Donahoe
Source: Early Christian hymns, Series II: translations of the verses of the early and middle ages
by Daniel Joseph Donahoe, Donahoe pub. co, 1911