To his Friend in Elysium - Joachim du Bellay

So long you wandered on the dusky plain,
Where flit the shadows with their endless cry,
You reach the shore where all the world goes by,
You leave the strife, the slavery, the pain;

O Lover of gentle nature - Marguerite Porete

O Lover of gentle nature,
You are to be much praised:
Generous, courteous without measure,
Sum of all goodness,
You do not will to do anything,
Lover, without my will.

A song of dawn - St Hilary

From  heaven has fled the starry night,
And startled sleep has taken flight;
The rosy morn, uprising, spills
Her crystal light o'er vales and hills.

To Ausonius - Paulinus of Nola

I, through all chances that are given to mortals,
      And through all fates that be,
So long as this close prison shall contain me,
      Yea, though a world shall sunder me and thee,

The difference between you and myself - Nicolas de Chamfort

“The difference between you and myself,” said a friend to me, 

“is that you have said to all the masqueraders: ‘I know you,’ 

My Song for Today - Thérèse of Lisieux

My life is an instant, an hour passing by.

My life is but a day escaping and fleeing.

You know well, O my god! to love you on this earth

I only have today.

Sonnet XXIV: Do not reproach me, ladies - Louise Labé

Do not reproach me, ladies, if I’ve loved,

if I have felt a thousand torches’ fires,

a thousand ills, a thousand fierce desires,

Spring, and the sharpness of the golden dawn - Decimius Magnus Ausonius

Spring, and the sharpness of the golden dawn.

Before the sun was up a cooler breeze

Had blown, in promise of a day of heat,

And I was walking in my formal garden,

To freshen me, before the day grew old.

Christ, the victim undefiled - Wipo of Burgundy

Christ the Lord is risen today;

Christians, haste your vows to pay;

Offer ye your praises meet

At the Paschal Victim’s feet.

The prayer of the goldfish - Carmen Bernos de Gasztold

O God,

forever I turn in this hard crystal,

so transparent, yet I can find no way out.

The Frenchwomen of Fulham - Julie Irigaray

Each morning, the French women of Fulham

do cardio in the park next to the French school

where their French children are pupils.

Sonnet - Desbabbeaux

Great God, thy judgments are supremely right; 

Thy joy is ever to forgive and spare: 

But such my guilt is, if thy goodness e'er 

Me pardon'd, it would wrong thy justice quite. 

To his Wife - Decimius Magnus Ausonius

Love, let us live as we have lived, nor lose

The little names that were the first night’s grace,

The Word of the Cross - Paulinus of Nola

Look on thy God, Christ hidden in our flesh,

A bitter word, the cross, and bitter sight:

Hard rind without, to hold the heart of heaven.

Hail Thou the World's Salvation - Bernard of Clairvaux

Hail thou, the world's salvation, 

Hail Jesus kind and sweet, 

Before thy Rood in gratitude 

I bow and clasp thy feet. 

Life (Vita Nostra Plena Bellis) - Alain de L'Isle

A battle-field is life, 

Where sorrow comes and strife 

Our strength to try; 

Each morning dawns with fear, 

Each evening brings the tear, 

And death is nigh. 

The Angels in our countryside - Anonymous

The Angels in our countryside

Sing the hymn of heaven,

It echoes from the mountainside,

Repeats this tuneful song:

Gloria in excelsis Deo!

Gloria in excelsis Deo!

One who lost everything - David Diop

I

The sun was shining in my hut

And my women were beautiful and supple

Like palm trees in the evening breeze.

Mortis Portis Fractis Fortis - Peter the Venerable

Lo, the gates of death are broken, 

And the strong man arm'd is spoil'd, — 

Of his armour, which he trusted. 

By the stronger arm despoil'd. 

Vanquish'd is the prince of hell, 

Smitten by the Cross he fell. 

Dear Christ we crave thy favour - Magnus Felix Ennodius

Dear Christ we crave thy favour, 

To guide our steps aright; 

O, hear our tearful voices, 

Be with us through the night.