Friday, September 30, 2011

To Jesus Crucified

     Lovely tears of lovely eyes--
Why dost thou me so woe?
Sorrowful tears of sorrowful eyes--
Thou breakest my heart in two.

Thou sighest sore;
Thy sorrow is more
Than man's tongue can tell;
Thou singest of sorrow,
Mankind to borrow
Out of the pit of hell.

I proud and keen,
Thou meek and clean
Without woe or wile;
Tho art dear for me,
And I live for thee,
So blessed be thy will.

Thou mother seeth
How thou woe beest,
Therefore she yearns apart;
To her thou speakest,
Her sorrow thou slakest--
Sweet prayer won they heart.

Thy heart is rent,
Thy body is bent
Upon the rood tree;
The tempest is spent,
The devil is schent,
Christ, by the might of thee.

     Lovely tears of lovely eyes--
Why dost thou me so woe?
Sorrowful tears of sorrowful eyes--
Thou breakest my heart in two.

- Anonymous, 14th century; found in Bishop (Anglican) George Appleton's collection of prayers

I used to have a laminated copy of this prayer in my photo album. There was an illustration of a boy with a teddy bear kneeling by his bedside, while an angel looks invisibly to the side. I wonder what became of it.

No comments: