Ah Holy Lord, will e'er that daybreak shine,
Which of thy grace shall quite my soul assure?
These fearful doubtings which I yet endure
Toward my best Father, — tempt me to repine.
But my deep guilt forbids that peace be mine
Unbrokenly, — albeit thy grace is sure.
Well may the clouds of sin that peace obscure,
Till tearful penitence my soul refine.
Methinks these fears in kind restraint are meant,
That so, half dubious of so vast a gain,
The contrite pilgrim from self-will may cease.
Oh, to thy will let rash desires be bent,
And thus the arduous path of love and pain
Endear the blissful home of love and peace!
Carlo Maggi (17th century) Italy
Translated by John Sheppard
Source: The Foreign Sacred Lyre: Metrical Versions of Religious Poetry from the German, French, and Italian, by John Sheppard, Jackson & Walford, 1857
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please keep your comments relevant and free from abusive language. Thank you. Note that comments are moderated so it may be a day or two before your comment is posted - irrelevant or abusive comments will not be published.