ON FRIDAY, OR AT VESPERS
Ah, my Lord, remember, 1. How the sharp spear
was thrust into Thy divine side; 2. How the purple blood ran out; 3. How the
living water gushed forth; 4. And with what bitter toil Thou didst garner me
up; 5. And how generously Thou didst ransom me; Loving Lord! may Thy deep
wounds shelter me from all my enemies; Thy living water cleanse me from all my
sins; Thy rose-coloured blood adorn me with all graces and virtues. Tender
Lord! May the praise Thou didst so bitterly win bind me to Thee! The ransom
Thou didst so freely pay unite me eternally with Thee. Oh, thou chosen
consolation of all sinners, Ho, thou sweet Queen, remember today. 1. How thou
didst stand under the cross, and how, as thy Son hung dead above thee, thou
didst cast on Him many a look of misery; 2. How affectionately His arms were
received by thee; 3. With what fidelity pressed to thy blood-stained face; 4.
His bleeding wounds, His dead and ghastly features, were by thee kissed again
and again; 5. How many a death-wound thy heart then received; 6. How many a
fervent unfathomable sigh burst from thee; 7. How many scalding tears thou
didst shed; 8. Thy miserable words were so full of sorrow; 9. Thy most gracious
figure was so steeped in affliction; 10. Thy woeful heart was without
consolation from all mankind. Oh, pure Lady, on this account forget not to be a
constant protectress of my whole life, and my faithful guide. Turn thy eyes,
thy mild eyes, at all times, with compassion on me. Watch over me like a mother
in every temptation. Protect me faithfully against my enemies, protect me
beneath thy tender arms. Let thy faithful kissing of His wounds be to me as a
tender reconciliation with Him; Let the wounds of thy heart obtain for me a
cordial repentance of my sins; Thy fervent sighing procure for me a constant
yearning; And let thy bitter tears soften my hard heart; Be thy lamentable
words even as a renunciation to me of all voluptuous speeches; Thy weeping form
as a casting away of all dissolute conduct; Thy disconsolate heart as a
despising of all perishable affections.