by Jane Francesca Agnes Wilde (1821 - 1896)
A Charm for the Night‑Fire
Language: English
While the patient’s arms are lifted in the form of a cross, and water is sprinkled on his head, these words are spoken: "God save thee, Michael, archangel! God save thee! "What aileth thee, O man?" "A headache and a sickness and a weakness of the heart. O Michael, archangel, canst thou cure me, O angel of the Lord?" "May three things cure thee, O man: May the shadow of Christ fall on thee! May the garment of Christ cover thee! May the breath of Christ breathe on thee! And when I come again thou wilt be healed."
Text Authorship:
- by Jane Francesca Agnes Wilde (1821 - 1896), "A Charm for the Night-Fire" [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 Gilda Lyons (b. 1975), "A Charm for the Night-Fire", first performed 2006 [ voice and viola ], from Charms and Blessings, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2025-10-06
Line count: 11
Word count: 98