Jesu Sweet

Jesu Sweet, now will I sing
To Thee a song of love longing;
Do in my heart a quick well spring
Thee to love above all thing.

Jesu Sweet, my dim heart's gleam
Brighter than the sunnèbeam!
As thou wert born in Bethlehem
Make in me thy lovèdream.

Jesu Sweet, my dark heart's light
Thou art day withouten night;
Give me strength and eke1 might
For to loven Thee aright.

Jesu Sweet, well may he be
That in Thy bliss Thyself shall see:
With love cords then draw Thou me
That I may come and dwell with Thee.

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ eke = also.

Submitted by Geoffrey Wieting

Authorship

• by Anonymous / Unidentified Author, from "A Medieval Anthology", edited by Mary Segar. [ author's text not yet checked 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 Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934), "Jesu Sweet", op. 35 no. 1 (1916-7), published 1917 [soprano or tenor and violin], from Four Songs for Voice and Violin, no. 1. [
   text verified 1 time
  ]

Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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