Monday, February 23, 2009

The World is Very Evil

No, I'm not quoting a Slav in his cups, but Bernard of Morlaix, monk of Cluny, in that inestimable translation of portions of his De Contemptu Mundi made by J.M. Neale - which can be read on Google Books here.

"The world is very evil,
The times are waxing late...

"Arise, arise, good Christian,
Let right to wrong succeed; 
Let penitential sorrow
To heavenly gladness lead...

"Brief life is here our portion;
Brief sorrow, short-liv'd care; 
The life that knows no ending,
The tearless life, is there...

"And now we watch and struggle,
And now we live in hope,
And Syon, in her anguish,
With Babylon must cope...

"O sweet and blessed Country, 
Shall I ever see thy face? 
O sweet and blessed Country, 
Shall I ever win thy grace?...

"Exult, O dust and ashes!
The Lord shall be thy part: 
His only, His for ever,
Thou shalt be, and thou art!"

(This reference came to mind while dwelling on the thoughts of my last post.)

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