by Felicia Dorothea Hemans (1793 - 1835)
Ave sanctissima
Language: English
Ave Sanctissima, We lift our souls to thee; Ora pro nobis! 'Tis nightfall on the sea. Watch us while shadows lie, Far o'er the waters spread; Hear the heart's lonely sigh; Thine, too, hath bled. Thou that hast look'd on death, Aid us when death is near. Whisper of heav'n to faith, Sweet Mother, Sweet Mother, hear. Ora pro nobis, The wave must rock our sleep. Ora, Mater, ora, Star of the deep. Ave Purissima, List to thy children's pray'r; Audi, Maria, And take us to thy care. When darkness comes o'er us, Whilst here on earth we stay, Thy light shine before us, Guide of our way. Thou that hast look'd on death, Aid us when death is near. Whisper of heav'n to faith, Sweet Mother, Sweet Mother, hear. Ora pro nobis, The wave must rock our sleep. Ora, Mater, ora, Star of the deep.
Authorship:
- by Felicia Dorothea Hemans (1793 - 1835), "Ave sanctissima" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Harriet Browne (1790 - 1858), "Ave sanctissima", subtitle: "Evening song to the Virgin" [ vocal duet with piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Robert Archibald Smith (1780 - 1829), "Ave sanctissima", subtitle: "Night Hymn at Sea", published c1911 [ 3 voices ], in The Sunday Album of Sacred Songs, London: Bayley & Ferguson [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2023-06-10
Line count: 30
Word count: 146