by St. Thomas Aquinas (1225? - 1274)
Translation by Richard Crashaw (c1612 - 1649)
Adoro te devote
Language: Latin
Our translations: DUT
Adoro te devote, latens Deitas, quae sub his figuris vere latitas: tibi se cor meum totum subjicit, quia te contemplans totum deficit. Visus, tactus, gustus in te fallitur, sed auditu solo tuto creditur; credo quidquid dixit Dei Filius: nil hoc verbo Veritatis verius. In cruce latebat sola Deitas, at hic latet simul et humanitas; ambo tamen credens atque confitens, peto quod petivit latro paenitens. Plagas, sicut Thomas, non intueor; Deum tamen meum te confiteor; fac me tibi semper magis credere, in te spem habere, te diligere. O memoriale mortis Domini! panis vivus, vitam praestans homini! praesta meae menti de te vivere et te illi semper dulce sapere. Pie pellicane, Jesu Domine, me immundum munda tuo sanguine; cuius una stilla salvum facere totum mundum quit ab omni scelere. Jesu, quem velatum nunc aspicio, oro fiat illud quod tam sitio; ut te revelata cernens facie, visu sim beatus tuae gloriae. Amen.
Text Authorship:
- by St. Thomas Aquinas (1225? - 1274), "Adoro te devote", written 1264 [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):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Ik aanbid vol eerbied U", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (John O'Hagan) , "The Adoro te devote of St. Thomas"
- ENG English (Richard Crashaw) , "Adoro te: Hymn in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament"
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Lau Kanen [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2008-08-09
Line count: 28
Word count: 149
Adoro te: Hymn in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Language: English  after the Latin
With all the powres my poor Heart hath Of humble love & loyall Faith, Thus lowe (my hidden life!) I bow to thee Whom too much love hath bow'd more low for me. Down down, proud sense! Discourses dy! Keep close, my soul's inquiring ey! Nor touch nor tast must look for more But each sitt still in his own Dore. Your ports are all superfluous here, Save That which lets in faith, the eare. Faith is my skill. Faith can beleive As fast as love new lawes can give. Faith is my force. Faith strength affords To keep pace with those powrfull words. And words more sure, more sweet, then they, Love could not think, truth could not say. O let thy wretch find that releife Thou didst afford the faithfull theife. Plead for me, love! Alleage & show That faith has farther, here, to goe, And lesse to lean on. Because than Though hidd as GOD, wounds writt thee man. Thomas might touch; None but might see At least the suffring side of thee; And that too was thy self which thee did cover, But here ev'n That 's hid too which hides the other. Sweet, consider then, that I Though allow'd nor hand nor eye To reach at thy lov'd Face; nor can Tast thee GOD, or touch thee MAN, Both yet beleive; And wittnesse thee My LORD too & my GOD, as lowd as He. Help, lord, my Faith, my Hope increase; And fill my portion in thy peace. Give love for life; nor let my dayes Grow, but in new powres to thy name & praise. O dear memoriall of that Death Which lives still, & allowes us breath! Rich, Royall food! Bountyfull BREAD! Whose use denyes us to the dead; Whose vitall gust alone can give The same leave both to eat & live; Live ever Bread of loves, & be My life, my soul, my surer selfe to mee. O soft self-wounding Pelican! Whose brest weepes Balm for wounded man. Ah this way bend thy benign floud To'a bleeding Heart that gaspes for blood: That blood, whose least drops soveraign be To wash my worlds of sins from me. Come love! Come LORD! & that long day For which I languish, come away; When this dry soul those eyes shall see, And drink the unseal'd sourse of thee, When Glory's sun faith's shades shall chase, And for thy veil give me thy FACE. A M E N.
Note: see also Finzi's adaptation of this text in "Lo, the full, final Sacrifice".
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Text Authorship:
- by Richard Crashaw (c1612 - 1649), "Adoro te: Hymn in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Latin by St. Thomas Aquinas (1225? - 1274), "Adoro te devote", written 1264
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-08-09
Line count: 57
Word count: 414