[Jacopone da Todi, Coll'occhi c'aio nel capo, “Laude”, XXVIII, 13th century.]
Through these two eyes set in my head,
Daylight transmits, and pencils clear
Within my mind, the image here,
Of each corporeal thing.
So with these eyes set in my head,
I see the Sacrament divine
Shown by the priest, and visible
As Bread from out the altar shrine.
But by the mystic light of faith,
Other the vision that is mine,
Eyes of my mind behold it shine,
My mind, whose power is reasoning.
Four of my senses say to me:
"This that thou seest is simple bread."—
Yea, all save Hearing are deceived,
Nor can they enter, and be fed.
For lo! beneath these visible forms
Stands Christ, hid deep in lowlihead,
And to the soul, O mystery dread!
He gives Himself for nourishing.
And dost thou ask, "How can this be?"
By reason wouldst thou see, and show?
And wouldst thou force the Power divine
In reason's narrow yoke to go?
He for His pleasure made the heavens,
Unquestioned:—yet thy queries flow,
The secret of this Act to know,
Though swift it be in vanishing.
Come, with the staff of faith, approach
This mystery thou canst not see;
Come to this holy Sacrament,
In confidence and certainty;
For Christ, who hides Himself therein,
His sweet goodwill bestows on thee,
And knits thee to this mystery—
This grace that He is offering.
Our holy Church shall be the court,
Wherein these nuptials shall be made:
Then come to her obediently,
In faith she'll cloak thee, undismayed:
She will present thee to thy Lord,
His bride, beloved and unafraid;
Thy wedded soul, in faith arrayed,
Shall hear new songs around her ring.
And here a wondrous love is formed,
A love of God invisible:
And that He grieves at every sin,
The soul not sees, but feels full well.
Yea, miracle is infinite!—
A Heaven is made of deepest Hell:
And frenzied love her grief must tell
For bygone days of wandering.
O evil life that I have led,
In worldly revel and repose!
O life all fetid and diseased!
O mire, that for my couch I chose!
I scorned the heavenly life—I scorned
The sweetness of that Fragrant Rose:—
Now I must bear these bitter throes,
And mourn with cruel sorrowing.
O evil life that I have led!
Ungrateful, haughty, cruel, base!
Scorning the fair and heavenly life,
And hateful to the God of grace.
1 broke His statutes:—from His word
I turned away my stubborn face;
Yet hath He saved me from the place
Of Hell's eternal perishing.
O soul of mine, what wilt thou do?
How canst thou bear thine evil past?
My sins were neither jest nor sport;
Corrupt I was from first to last.
Yea, tears and sighs shall be my meat,
Behold me mourning and aghast,
My thanklessness to God, how vast!
How great my guilt and trespassing!
Lord, though I see thee not, I know
That Thou hast changed me utterly;
My love of Earth Thou hast destroyed,
That my desire to Heaven may be:
I see Thee not, O Giver fair;
It is Thy gift I touch and see,
That curbs my flesh, and sets it free
From all its taint and sullying.
O Chastity, what power is here,
That makes so fair thy lovely face?
This light, that makes me wise and pure,
Whence comes it, from what hidden place?
It cometh from the Lord of light,
It breathes His sweetness and solace;
It is no dream, this healing grace,
Blown through our souls for strengthening.
O Poverty, what power is here,
That makes me love thee now so well?
For to mine ears, in days gone by,
Thy very name was horrible.
More grievous far than fever-fires,
Thine image made my heart rebel;
But, now, beneath thy tender spell,
I long for thy sweet fostering.
Come, see a miracle! for now
My neighbour to my heart is dear;
The very thought of harm to him,
Fills me with trouble and with fear.
How easily I can forgive
The injury or bitter sneer!
Nor is this all,—with heart sincere,
A fervent love to him I bring.
Come, see a miracle! for now
Shames and dishonours I can bear;
Those things that ever, in the past,
My burdens and my torments were:
But now, when I am scorned and mocked,
My heart is glad, without a care:
I am made one with God, and there
Fast to His sweet embrace I cling.
O lucent Faith, so clear, so pure!
Through thee alone these fruits I gain.
O blest the day, and blest the hour
When I believed thy teaching plain!
And this the pledge, that into heaven
Shall draw me with resistless rein;
For, taught by thee, my heart is fain
To love thy fair inheriting.
