Hymns to the Blessed Virgin Mary
1. Ave Maris Stella
2. Quem terra, potus, aethera
3. O gloriosa Domina
4. O Quam glorifica
5. Vergine Madre, figlia
AVE MARIS STELLA
Hail bright star of ocean,
God's own Mother blest,
Ever sinless Virgin,
Gate of heavenly rest
Taking that sweet Ave
Which from Gabriel came,
Peace confirm within us,
Changing Eva's name.
Break the captives' fetters,
Light on blindness pour,
All our ills expelling,
Every bliss implore.
Show thyself a Mother;
May the Word Divine,
Born for us thy Infant,
Hear our prayers through thine
Virgin all excelling,
Mildest of the mild,
Freed from guilt, preserve us,
Pure and undefiled.
Keep our life all spotless,
Make our way secure,
Till we find in Jesus
Joy for evermore
Through the highest heaven
To the Almighty Three
Father, Son, and Sprit
One same glory be,
Amen.
QUEM TERRA, PONTUS, AETHERA
The God Whom earth, and sea, and sky,
Adore, and laud, and magnify,
Who o’er their threefold fabric reigns,
The virgin’s spotless womb contains.
The God Whose will by moon and sun
And all things in due course is done,
Is borne upon a maiden’s breast,
By fullest heavenly grace possest.
How blest the mother, in whose shrine
The great Artificer Divine,
Whose hand contains the earth and sky,
Vouchsafed, as in His ark, to lie!
Blest, in the message Gabriel brought;
Blest, by the work the Spirit wrought:
From whom the Great Desire of earth
Took human flesh and human birth.
All honor, laud, and glory be,
O Jesu, virgin-born, to Thee!
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
O GLORIOSA DOMINA
O glorious Lady, throned in light,
Sublime above the stary height,
Thine arms thy great Creator pressed,
A suckling at thy sacred breast.
Through the dear Blossom of thy womb,
Thou changest hapless Eva's doom:
Through thee to contrite souls is given
An opening to their home in heaven
Thou art the great King's portal bright,
With perls and stones of living light,
Come then, ye ransomed nations, sing
The life diveine 'twas hers to bring.
O Mary, Mother of all grace,
Mother of Mercy to our race,
Protect us now from Satan's power,
And own us at life's closing hour.
All glory be Thee, O Lord,
The Virgin's son, by all ador'd,
And equal praise forever greet,
The Father and the Paraclete. Amen.
O QUAM GLORIFICA
O what light and glory
Deck thee, all resplendent,
Thou of royal David
Glorious descendant;
Mary every-virgin,
Who in heaven art dwelling,
All the choirs of angels
Evermore excelling!
Mother, yet the honor
Of a virgin bearing,
For the Lord of angels
Dwelling pure preparing;
Him within thy bosom
Chastely thou enshrines;
Thus our God incarnate
Takes His flesh divine.
Whom the whole creation
Evermore adoreth,
And all lowly bending
Rightly now imploreth,
May His pity grant us,
Far our darkness sending
With thee in His glory
Joy and light unending!
Hear us, holy Father,
Through Thy Son supernal,
With the Holy Spirit,
God and Lord eternal;
Who with Thee in glory
Liveth and abideth,
Who the world and all things
Governeth and guideth. Amen.
VERGINE MADRE, FIGLIA
Maiden, yet a mother,
Daughter of thy Son,
High beyond all other,
Lowlier is non;
Thou the consummation
Planned by God's decree,
When our lost creation
Nobler rose in thee!
Thus His place prepared,
He Who all things made
'Mid His creatures tarried,
In thy bosom laid;
There His love He nourished
Warmth that gave increase
To the root whence flourished
Our eternal peace.
Noon on Zion's mountain
Is thy charity;
Hope its living fountain
Finds on earth in thee.
Lady, such thy power,
He who grace would buy
Not as of thy dower,
Without wings would fly.
Nor alone thou hearest
When thy name we hail;
Often thou art nearest
When our voices fail;
Mirrored in thy fashion
All creation's good
Mercy might, compassion
Grace thy womanhood.
Lady, lest our vision,
Striving heavn'nward, fail,
Still let thy petition
With thy Son prevail,
Unto Whom all merit,
Pow'r and majesty
With the Holy Spirit
And the Father be.