by St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1091 - 1153)
Translation by Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844 - 1889)
Jesu Dulcis Memoria See original
Language: English  after the Latin
Jesus to cast one thought upon Makes gladness after He is gone, But more than honey and honeycomb Is to come near and take Him home. Song never was so sweet in ear, Word never was such news to hear, Thought half as sweet there is not one As Jesus God the Father's Son. Jesu, their hope who go astray, So kind to those who ask the way, So good to those who look for Thee, To those who find what must Thou be? ... To speak of that no tongue will do Nor letters suit to spell it true: But they can guess who have tasted of What Jesus is and what is love. Jesu, a springing well Thou art, Daylight to head and treat to heart, And matched with Thee there's nothing glad That can be wished or can be had. ... Wish us Good morning when we wake And light us, Lord, with Thy day-break. Beat from our brains the thicky night And fill the world up with delight. ... Be our delight, O Jesu, now As by and by our prize art Thou, And grant our glorying may be World without end alone in Thee.
Composition:
- Set to music by Russell Woollen (1923 - 1994), "Jesu Dulcis Memoria", 1959, first performed 1959, stanzas 1-3,5,4,6,10 [ high voice and piano ], from Suite for High Voice, no. 5
Text Authorship:
- by Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844 - 1889), "Jesu, dulcis memoria" [an adaptation]
Based on:
- a text in Latin by St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1091 - 1153)
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Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Thomas A. Gregg
This text was added to the website: 2021-12-25
Line count: 40
Word count: 278