St. Bonaventure: The Psalter of Our Lady

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PSALM LXI.

Is not my soul submissive unto thee, O Lady? thou who hast brought forth the Saviour of all men.

Remember thou the lost souls of Eve; favourably hear the sighings of our hearts.

Shed upon us the grace of thy treasures, and by the balm of thy remedies appease our grief.

Give us joy and gladness to confound the enemies of the good.

Wash us from all our sins, heal all our infirmities.

Glory, &c.



PSALM LXII.

God, my Saviour, will glorify thee because of thy mother.

She conceived thee, while a Virgin, she brought thee forth without grief.

Be blessed, O Lady, and present thyself for us before the throne of God.

Beauty and light are on thy countenance.

Keep my soul, Virgin of goodness, so it may never fall into sin.

Glory, &c.



PSALM LXIII.

Favourably hear my prayer, 0 Lady, when I call upon thee, deliver my sold from the fear of the devil.

Obtain for us, thy servants, peace and salvation at the day of the terrible judgment.

Blessed be thou above all women, and blessed be fruit of thy womb.

Enlighten, 0 Lady, enlighten mine eyes, and clear my blindness.

Give me great confidence in thee during my life and at the end.

Glory, &c.



PSALM LXIV.

Thou art worthy, 0 Lady, to be celebrated by the hymns of Zion, and to be praised by the canticles of Jerusalem.

The Lord has committed unto thee the blessing of all nations ; praise and glory belong unto thee before all people.

The Lord has blessed thee in his mercy, and he has established thy throne above the orders of angels.

He has placed grace and beauty upon thy lips, he has covered thy body with a mantle of glory.

He has placed upon thy head a radiant crown; he has nobly decorated thee with a necklace of all the virtues.

Glory, &c.



PSALM LXV.

Earth celebrate our Lady; sing hymns in her name, render honour to her majesty.

Blessed be thy heart, 0 Lady, that heart with which thou hast ardently and sincerely cherished thy Son the Son of God.

Look upon my poverty, glorious Virgin; delay not to put away from me misery and agony.

Take away my tribulation; soften my languor.

Let all flesh bless thee; let all tongues glorify thee.

Glory, &c.



PSALM LXVI.

Lord have mercy upon us, and bless us, and bless us by her who begot him.

Have pity on us, 0 Lady, and pray for us, convert our sorrow into a sweet joy.

Enlighten me, Star of the sea : illuminate me transcendant Virgin !

Extinguish the fire of my heart, and refresh me by thy grace.

May thy grace always protect me ; may thy presence illuminate my last moments.

Glory, &c.



PSALM LXVII.

Let Mary arise and let her enemies be scattered; let them all be crushed beneath her feet.

Defeat the efforts of my enemies, O sweet Virgin! and destroy all mine iniquities.

I have cried unto thee, 0 Lady, in my tribulation, and thou restoredst serenity to my conscience.

Let not thy praises cease out of my mouth, and let not thy love ever abandon my heart.

A profound peace is the lot of those who love thee, O Lady, their souls shall never see external death.

Glory, &c.



PSALM LXVIII.

Save me, 0 Lady, because the waters of lust have risen to my soul.

I am plunged into the mire of sin, and the waves of voluptuousness have surrounded me.

I have wept bitter tears during the night; and the day of joy has risen for me.

Save my soul, Mother of the Saviour, for true salvation has been given to the world by thee;

When, at the word of the angel, thou hast been covered with the shadow of the Highest; and thou hast become with child of the wisdom of the Father.

Glory, &c.



PSALM LXIX.

0 Lady, come to my succour, and illuminate my spirit by the light of thy mercy.

Teach us to search out thy goodness, to the end we may recount thy marvels.

Display thy power against our enemies, to the end that thou mayest be sanctified from afar among all nations.

Let them be plunged into hell, by the flame of thine anger; and let those who trouble thy servants go into perdition.

Have pity upon* thy servants, over whom thy name has been called, and let them not be reduced to extremity in their temptations.

Glory, &c.



PSALM LXX.

1 have hoped in thee, 0 Lady ; I shall not be confounded for eternity; deliver me and save me, in thy mercy.

Because of the multitude of mine iniquities, I am profoundly oppressed.

Mine enemies have dominion over me; they have insulted me, and every day they have turned me to derision.

See, 0 Lady, how I am afflicted; stretch forth thy hands, succour me, I perish.

Delay not, for the glory of thy name, to the end that thou mayest be my joy and my salvation.

Glory, &c.