Author: sing-admin

Rhythmic Complexity in some of Longfellow’s Poetry – ‘Paul Revere’s Ride’ and ‘The Three Kings’

Post author By sing-admin
Post date February 15, 2022

“I was looking at one of those American classics that most of us studied in high school, “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.” How wonderful this is–a meter that captures a horse’s gallop. Longfellow was a good writer, telling a great story in a magical way, and he pulled this off. I bet most people assume it’s a standard poetic form of some kind. However, when I looked at it closely and counted syllables, I realized Longfellow mixed up his lines and endlessly created variations on his metrical scheme. A lesser talent, following the same rules more tightly, might make us bonkers by the 20th line. Longfellow managed to achieve a kind of beautiful roughness that is a metaphor for this country.” – Bruce Deitrick Price, The ‘Rules’ of Poetry—Says Who?

Another Longfellow poem with rhythmic complexity (departure from standard, rhythmic regularity) is the Three Kings, rendered here in an experimental format “artificially regular”.

ThreeKingsBanner-StStephenTheFirstMartyr
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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow	Sir John Stainer
1) Three Kings came riding from far away, Melchior and Gaspar and Baltasar; Three Wise Men out of the East were they, And they travelled by night and they slept by day, For their guide was a beautiful, wonderful star.	2) The star was so beautiful, large and clear, That all the other stars of the sky Became a white mist in the atmosphere, And by this they knew that the coming was near Of the Prince foretold in the prophecy.
3) Three caskets they bore on their saddle-bows, Three caskets of gold with golden keys; Their robes were of crimson silk with rows Of bells, pomegranates and furbelows, Their turbans like blossoming almond-trees.	4) And so the Three Kings rode into the West, Through the dusk of the night, over hill & dell, & sometimes they nodded with beard on breast, And sometimes talked, as they paused to rest, With the people they met at some wayside well.
5) “Of the child that is born,” said Baltasar, “Good people, I pray you, tell us the news; For we in the East have seen his star, And have ridden fast, and have ridden far, To find and worship the King of the Jews.”	6) And the people answered, “You ask in vain; We know of no King but Herod the Great!” They thought the Wise Men were men insane, As they spurred their horses across the plain, Like riders in haste, who cannot wait.
7) And when they came to Jerusalem, Herod the Great, who had heard this thing, Sent for the Wise Men and questioned them; And said, “Go down unto Bethlehem, And bring me tidings of this new king.”	8) So they rode away; and the star stood still, The only one in the grey of morn; Yes, it stopped—it stood still of its own free will, Right over Bethlehem on the hill, The city of David, where Christ was born.
9) And the Three Kings rode through the gate and the guard, Through the silent street, till their horses turned And neighed as they entered the great inn-yard; But the windows were closed, and the doors were barred, And only a light in the stable burned.	10) And cradled there in the scented hay, In the air made sweet by the breath of kine, The little child in the manger lay, The child, that would be king one day Of a kingdom not human, but divine.
11) His mother Mary of Nazareth Sat watching beside his place of rest, Watching the even flow of his breath, For the joy of life and the terror of death Were mingled together in her breast.	12) They laid their offerings at his feet: The gold was their tribute to a King, The frankincense, with its odor sweet, Was for the Priest, the Paraclete, The myrrh for the body’s burying.
13) And the mother wondered and bowed her head, And sat as still as a statue of stone, Her heart was troubled yet comforted, Remembering what the Angel had said Of an endless reign and of David’s throne.	14) Then the Kings rode out of the city gate, With a clatter of hoofs in proud array; But they went not back to Herod the Great, For they knew his malice and feared his hate, And returned to their homes by another way.

**Summary Syllable Measurements Per Stanza of Longfellow’s *The Three Kings* Poem**
For musical purposes, a Metric Index must repeat the same pattern across all stanzas.
This poem has no repeating pattern from which to “catch” the beat.
Details of the Measurements
I	09-10-09-11-12	VIII	10-09-11-09-10
II	10-09-10-11-10	IX	11-10-10-11-10
III	10-09-09-11-10	X	09-10-09-08-10
IV	10-11-10-09-11	XI	09-09-09-11-09
V	10-10-09-10-10	XII	09-09-09-08-09
VI	10-10-09-10-09	XIII	10-10-09-10-10
VII	09-09-09-09-09	XIV	10-10-10-10-11

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I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Henry W. Longfellow, 1863	J. Baptiste Calkin, 1872 Waltham
1. I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men!	2. And thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along The unbroken song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
3. Till ringing, singing on its way, The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, A chant sublime Of peace on earth, good-will to men!	4. Then from each black, accursed mouth The cannon thundered in the South, And with the sound The carols drowned Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
5. It was as if an earthquake rent The hearth-stones of a continent, And made forlorn The households born Of peace on earth, good-will to men!	6. And in despair I bowed my head; “There is no peace on earth,” I said; For hate is strong, And mocks the song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
7. Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

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Thy Life, O Lord, Is Ebbing Fast (Good Friday)

Post author By sing-admin
Post date February 12, 2022

(The illustration appears to signify Jesus expelling His dying breath.)

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Anonymous	The Sodalist’s Hymnal (1887)
1. Thy life, O Lord, is ebbing fast, Thine eyes are growing dim at last; How near to death Thou art! I hear Thou heave one heavy sigh: It is the last, the loudest cry That broke Thy Sacred Heart, That broke Thy Sacred Heart.	2. The scene, the dreadful scene is o’er– The wicked men can do no more, Thy head is on Thy breast; The thorns, the nails Thou dost not fear, The cruel scoff, the bitter jeer– Thy Heart is now at rest, Thy Heart is now at rest.
3. Thy voice, that made the demons flee, That waked the dead and calmed the sea, Itself in death is hushed; But O, we have this comfort sweet, Our foes lie prostrate at Thy feet, The serpent’s head is crushed, The serpent’s head is crushed.	4. Thy corpse is hanging on the tree, While mocking crowds in impious glee The murd’rous act applaud; But quiv’ring earth and darkened skies, The crumbling rocks, the dead that rise, Proclaim Thee to be God, Proclaim Thee to be God.
5. Yes, Jesus, bruised and marked with blood, And fastened to the dripping wood, To me Thou art the same, As throned on Thabor’s shining mount, Or in the heav’ns, of bliss the Fount, In glory and in shame, In glory and in shame.	6. O, may Thy last, Thy piercing cry, The Blood that pleaded loud on high, For me be not in vain! O, make me treat the world as dross, And glory only in the Cross, On which Thou wouldst be slain, On which Thou wouldst be slain! Amen.

O Jesus, my Savior! I see You now dead on this cross. You speak no more; You breathe no more; because You have life no longer, having willed to lose it to give life to our souls. You have no longer any blood; for you have shed it all, by dint of torments, to wash away our sins. In one word, You have abandoned Yourself to death through Your love for us. He has loved us, and delivered Himself for us. – Ephesians 5:2. “Let us consider,” writes St. Francis de Sales, “this divine Savior stretched upon the cross, as upon His altar of honor, where He is dying of love for us; but a love more painful than that very death. Ah, why, then, do we not in spirit throw ourselves upon Him to die upon the cross with Him, Who has willed to die there for love of us? ‘I will hold Him’, we ought to say, ‘and will never let Him go. I will die with Him, and be burned up in the flames of His love. One and the same fire shall consume this divine Creator and His miserable creature. My Jesus is all mine, and I am all His. I will live and die upon his breast; neither death nor life shall ever separate him from me.'” – St. Alphonsus de Liguori, The Passion of Jesus Christ. 2. “The death of Jesus”.

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Rock Me to Sleep, Mother – Demo Music – Devonne – Mother’s Day

Post author By sing-admin
Post date February 8, 2022

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Rock Me to Sleep, Mother
Elizabeth Allen Akers	Ernest Leslie
1. Backward, turn backward, O Time, in your flight, Make me a child again just for tonight! Mother, come back from the echoless shore, Take me again to your heart as of yore; Kiss from my forehead the furrows of care, Smooth the few silver threads out of my hair; Over my slumbers your loving watch keep;— Rock me to sleep, mother, – rock me to sleep!	2. Backward, flow backward, O tide of the years! I am so weary of toil and of tears,— Toil without recompense, tears all in vain,— Take them, and give me my childhood again! I have grown weary of dust and decay,— Weary of flinging my soul-wealth away; Weary of sowing for others to reap;— Rock me to sleep, mother – rock me to sleep!
3. Tired of the hollow, the base, the untrue, Mother, O mother, my heart calls for you! Many a summer the grass has grown green, Blossomed and faded, our faces between: Yet, with strong yearning and passionate pain, Long I tonight for your presence again. Come from the silence so long and so deep;— Rock me to sleep, mother, – rock me to sleep!	4. Over my heart, in the days that are flown, No love like mother-love ever has shone; No other worship abides and endures,— Faithful, unselfish, and patient like yours: None like a mother can charm away pain From the sick soul and the world-weary brain. Slumber’s soft calms o’er my heavy lids creep;— Rock me to sleep, mother, – rock me to sleep!
5. Come, let your brown hair, just lighted with gold, Fall on your shoulders again as of old; Let it drop over my forehead tonight, Shading my faint eyes away from the light; For with its sunny-edged shadows once more Haply will throng the sweet visions of yore; Lovingly, softly, its bright billows sweep;— Rock me to sleep, mother, – rock me to sleep!	6. Mother, dear mother, the years have been long Since I last heard your sweet lullaby song: Sing, then, and unto my soul it shall seem Womanhood’s years have been only a dream. Clasped to your heart in a loving embrace, With your light lashes just sweeping my face, Never hereafter to wake or to weep;— Rock me to sleep, mother, – rock me to sleep!

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Kids Staying Home Isn’t Abusive, Brainwashing Parents to Think They Need 2 Jobs is Gaslighting

Post author By sing-admin
Post date January 6, 2022

There was once a Living Wage, so that a family’s father could support the whole family with one job, and the family’s mother could stay home to do the most important “job”, nurturing the children.

This was until the West’s leaders (Reagan, Thatcher, West Germany’s Helmut Schmidt and Francois Mitterrand), met at the G-7 Economic Summit in Ottawa in 1981 to decide that the powerhouse of American manufacturing had to be dismantled and shipped off to China.

In 1975, Helmut Schmidt (far left in the photo) gave the theoretic basis for enervating American industry by announcing the end of Fordism at Chateau d’Ambrieres in France

This was the historical dividing line between the human flourishing of free enterprise vs. the trans-national, Capitalist-Socialism of “Free Trade”.

In the family, it was decided that women must be taken to work outside the home.

No one tries to pretend that childcare workers do 1% of the “job” that mothers do for their own children when they’re allowed to stay at home.

But capitalist-socialism had already been at work on the family for a hundred years, conditioning kids into mindless consumers and docile employees of gigantic businesses, since 1880.

John Taylor Gatto explains how the richest Robber Barons of the late 1800s, the Rockefellers, Carnegies, Astors , Vanderbilts and others, were threatened in their domination of Capital markets by American farmers, “amateur” mechanics/engineers and small entrepreneurs.

The Robber Barons imposed compulsory, universal schooling, enforced by police, as early as the 1880s, after the Civil War, when impoverished returning veterans were deprived of their farms by bankers and taxmen, and forced into the factories of the emerging American industrial revolution. (There were riots in New York as late as 1915, over parents’ discontent about the 1907 Gary Indiana Curriculum.)

This meant that kids, who had been expected to aspire to become self-employed after the few weeks it took to learn arithmetic and reading, had to be conditioned in what we now know as socialism.

Hymn to the Holy Face of Jesus (at the Sixth Station of the Cross)

Post author By sing-admin
Post date October 22, 2021

O Face, Divine of Jesus, in ages long ago, Prophets and Sages prayed that Thou, on earth its light would show. O Holy Face, I cry to Thee, Like them that I Thy beams may see, O Holy Face I cry to Thee.
O suff’ring Face of Jesus, bleeding, soiled and torn, Thy temples and Thy brow transpierced with many a cruel thorn. Most Holy Face, I cry to Thee, offer Thy wounds to God for me, Most Holy Face I cry to Thee.
O dying Face of Jesus, on that redeeming tree, Crying aloud, “ah! why My God, hast Thou abandoned Me?” Most Holy Face, I cry to Thee, plead by Thine agony for me, Most Holy Face I cry to Thee.
O Glorious Face of Jesus, if after I have died, My soul but in Thy likeness make, I shall be satisfied. Most Holy Face, I cry to thee, more like Thee ever make Thou me, Most Holy Face I cry to Thee.

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From the Holy Face Hymnal, 1891

This Shortlink
http://www.sing-prayer.org/p/2295

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The Seven Sorrows and Dolours of St. Joseph to Vater Unser arranged by J.S. Bach

Post author By sing-admin
Post date October 10, 2021

A text hymn, in measurable rhythmic meter (8.8.8.8.8.8, eight syllables per line, for each of six lines, per verse), but without a tune, from a publication, The Parochial Hymn Book, Burns and Oates, London, 1881

Set to the German “Our Father” (Vater Unser) as arranged by J.S. Bach.
St. Peter is popularly supposed to assume the role of the doorman of heaven, deciding on who gains or is denied admittance, but he only functions under the authority of St. Joseph as the Steward of God’s House. If you suffer from abandonment, desolation, fearfulness or depression, you can obtain certain relief by confiding your cares to the Mayor of the Palace of God, who will admit you to His holy mother for her kind solicitude.
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The Seven Dolours and Joys of Saint Joseph
The Parochial Hymn Book (1897)	VATER UNSER (Old 112^th)
1. O Spouse of Mary, glorious Saint! Thy heart with doubt was sore distressed, But welcome came the Angel’s word, And changed thy trouble into rest! When fears oppress on every side, Dear Saint, our weary footsteps guide.	2. O Spouse of Mary! glorious Saint! In poverty thou didst behold, the Infant Jesus born on earth; But Angels’ songs brought joy untold! As through this drear, cold world we roam, May Angel voices lead us home!
3. O Spouse of Mary, glorious Saint! The tears of Jesus wrung thy heart, But His sweet Name thy anguish soothed– Jesus, sweet balm for every smart! Oh, may our lips with loving faith, Breathe that sweet Name, in life and death.	4. O Spouse of Mary, glorious Saint! Thy heart was sad at Simeon’s word, But ransomed souls in vision rose, Won by the pangs of Mary’s Sword. Oh, by that gladness and that pain, Help us eternal life to gain!
5. O Spouse of Mary, glorious Saint! All weary with the rugged way, Sweet was thy toil, with Jesus near, When Egypt’s idols owned His sway, Oh, let our hearts’ loved idols fall– And Jesus be our God—our All!	6. O Spouse of Mary, glorious Saint! The tyrant’s wrath aroused thy fear, But Nazareth, thy humble home, Was shelter safe, with Jesus near. Oh, in this world so bleak and cold, Still keep us safe in Christ’s true Fold!
7. O Spouse of Mary, glorious Saint! How couldst thou bear that three days’ pain, With Mary’s tears, and Jesus gone? Oh joy to find thy Lord again! May we, our weary wanderings o’er, Find Jesus on the’eternal shore!	Amen.

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The full litany of The Seven Dolours and Seven Joys of St. Joseph
http://www.sing-prayer.org/p/289

This shortlink
http://www.sing-prayer.org/p/2277

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Lovely Lady Dressed in Blue

Post author By sing-admin
Post date September 12, 2021

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Lovely Lady dressed in blue, Teach me how to pray! God was just your little boy, Tell me what to say!	2. Did you lift Him up, sometimes, Gently on your knee? Did you sing to Him the way Mother does to me?
3. Did you hold His hand at night? Did you ever try Telling stories of the world? O! And did He cry?	4. Do you really think He cares If I tell Him things Little things that happen? And Do the Angels’ wings—
—Make a noise? And can He hear Me if I speak low? Does He understand me now? Tell me, for you know.	6. Lovely Lady dressed in blue, Teach me how to pray! God was just your little boy, And you know the way. Amen.

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This shortlink
http://www.sing-prayer.org/p/2117

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O Purest of Creatures – Sweet Star of the Sea

Post author By sing-admin
Post date September 12, 2021

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O Purest of Creatures – Sweet Star of the Sea
Fr. Frederick William Faber, (1814-1863)	St. Denio
1. O purest of creatures, sweet Mother! sweet Maid! The one spotless womb wherein Jesus was laid! Dark night hath come down on us, Mother! And we, Look out for thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!	2. Deep night has come down on this rough-spoken world, &-the banners of darkness are boldly unfurled; &-the tempest tossed Church— all her eyes are on thee, They look to thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!
3. He gazed on thy soul; it was spotless and fair; For-the empire of sin—it had never been there; None had ever owned thee, dear Mother! but He, And-He blessed thy clear shining, sweet Star of the Sea!	4. Earth gave Him one lodging; ‘twas deep in thy breast, And God found a home where the sinner finds rest; His home and His hiding place both were in thee, He-was won by thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea.
5. O blissful and calm was the wonderful rest, That-thou gavest thy God in thy virginal breast; For-the heaven He left, He found heaven in thee, And-He shone in thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!	6. To sinners what comfort, to angels what mirth, That God found one creature un- fallen on earth, One spot where His Spirit, un- troubled could be, The depth of thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!
7. O shine on us brighter than even, then shine, For-the highest of honours, dear Mother! Is thine; “Conceived without sin,” thy chaste title e’re be, Clear light from thy birth-spring, sweet Star of the Sea!	8. So worship we God in these rude latter days; So worship we Jesus our Love, when we praise, His wonderful grace in the gifts He gave thee, The gift of clear shining, sweet Star of the Sea!
9. Deep night hath come down on us, Mother! Deep night, And-we need more than ever the guide of thy light; For-the darker the night is the brighter should be, Thy beautiful shining, sweet Star of the Sea!	Amen.

This shortlink
http://www.sing-prayer.org/p/2114

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Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Post author By sing-admin
Post date September 8, 2021

Sweet Morn Thou Parent of the Sun (New York, Catholic Hymn Book, Edward Dunigan and Brother, 1851), arranged to Kingsfold (the theme of Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus by Ralph Vaughan Williams)
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1. Sweet Morn! thou Parent of the Sun! And Daughter of the same! What joy and gladness, through thy birth, This day to mortals came! Clothed in the Sun I see Thee stand, The Moon beneath thy feet, The Stars above thy sacred head A radiant coronet.	2. Thrones and Dominions gird Thee round, The Armies of the sky; Pure streams of glory from Thee flow, All bathed in Deity! Terrific as the banner’d line Of battle’s dread array! Before Thee tremble Hell and Death, And own thy mighty sway:
3. While crush’d beneath thy dauntless foot, The Serpent writhes in vain, Smit by a deadly stroke, and bound, In an eternal chain. O Mightiest! pray for us, that He Who came through Thee of yore, May come to dwell within our hearts, And never quit us more.	4. Praise to the Father, with the Son, And Holy Ghost, through Whom The Word eternal was conceived Within the Virgin’s Womb. Be salvation, honor, blessing, Now and through eternity. Immortal, infinite sublime! Older than chaos, space or time!

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The Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis (Click/Expand)

Chapter XXX – OF THE ETERNAL ROYALTY OF LOVE

I. Upon her head, like that of a Queen, is placed a crown of twelve stars. These twelve stars on the brow of Mary are the twelve prerogatives of the Queen and of the Mother before God in heaven.

She possesses, indeed, in the Church Triumphant, surpassing all other blessed spirits, four special prerogatives:

the power of listening with great goodness,
of condescending with great mercy,
of intervening for us with great power,
and of succoring on earth with great ease.

She, has besides, in the Church Triumphant, four privileges, outstanding among all:

she is resplendent more than all others;
she is glorified more than all others;
she is loved more tenderly than all others;
she is honored more fervently than all others.

Mary possesses also, in relation to the Trinity, four particular favors, which are for her like brilliant stars midst fainter stars.

Better, truly, than those who contemplate the glory of the Divine Trinity,

she contemplates fully the Divine Trinity Itself:
she knows with greater joy its sweetness,
she comprehends with greater profundity its mysteries,
she tastes with greater charm its richness.

II. Listen again, listen devoutly, to what the greatest of the servants of Mary, the doctor of gentle speech, St. Bernard, said to his Religious about the stars which form a crown on the forehead of the Virgin:

No one can estimate the importance of the jewels, no one can count the number of the gems which adorn the diadem of Mary in Heaven.

It is an undertaking above our power, that of examining the value, or of scrutinizing the composition of her brilliant aureole.

We shall undertake to do so with humility.

Without wishing to penetrate the secrets of the Lord, it seems that one can see in the twelve stars the twelve prerogatives of our Mother.

We find indeed in the Virgin Mary,

privileges granted to her soul,
privileges infused into her heart,
privileges attached to her body.

And if we multiply this number three,

by the number of the four known favors,

we shall find the number of twelve stars which shine on the brow of Mary, our Queen.

We find these wonders,

at her birth,
in the salutation she received from the angel,
in the overshadowing of her by the Holy Spirit,
and finally in the conception of Jesus Himself .

The holy doctor goes on to enumerate the circumstances of the life of our Mother in which grace brought its favors.

III. Let us meditate therefore, often and with piety, on the life and deeds of Mary. Let us chant hymns and canticles in her honor, on the days of her solemnities.

Come before her altar and before her image, incline your head, kneel before her, as if you were seeing Mary herself present before you.

Raise your eyes and contemplate Mary speaking with the angels, or better still, Mary holding on her knees her son Jesus:

In contemplating the Mother of Mercy, say then, with a burst of confident love:

IV. Prayer:

O most loving Virgin Mary, Mother of God Queen of Heaven, Mistress of the Earth,

O you, the Joy of Saints, and the Salvation of sinners, listen to the appeals of our repentant hearts!

Listen to the desires of our souls at prayer!

Come to the help of the poor and the infirm!

Renew the courage of the afflicted!

Protect your children against their enemies!

Deliver them from the snares of the devils.

Lead them near to you in blessedness in heaven, where you reign with your Son in the midst of the elect for all eternity!

(Cloistral Discipline, Chap. XIV)

HOMILY – ROYALTY OF HEART

I. Everything is sold or bought on the earth: power, favor, gold, conscience itself. Only the heart is not sold; it gives itself or does not give itself, fashioned as it is with a spark of royalty.

A great orator has said: the heart is the whole of man, it is the raison d’etre of a woman.

The heart of Mary is the greatest of hearts, after the Heart of Jesus.

Was not the Heart of Jesus fashioned from a bit of the human heart of Mary?

II. The Heart of Jesus, united to the divinity in the person of Christ, has transmitted by its contact with the heart of His Mother something of Its grandeur and beauty to the heart of Mary.

Mary is therefore queen by her heart, as she is queen by her human destiny.

Her heart vibrates with more force than the heart of any other creature.

It is less sublime than the Heart of God, but it is unique in heaven and earth.

III. Oh! how sweet it is to feel yourself near this heart which has loved with a mother’s love an Infant God, and which loves with the same maternal love all the children of men.

MEDITATION – THE PERPETUITY OF LOVE

Love is not a simple sentiment; it is a gigantic force: women hold a power which they do not know.

Only Mary has known what power the heart of a mother has.

To know how to love, and to love always, is an ardent life, an active life, a very short life.

Not to love is to be dead.

Love addresses itself to the spirited person who vibrates and not to the lifeless or inactive person.

Love supposes beauty, and sometimes creates it or exalts it.

Let us love Mary!

She has beauty,
she has grace,
she has charm.

No creature equals her; no woman surpasses her.

She comes next after God, as Dante sings.

Let us say to her then with the heavenly poet:
O Mother, O Queen, O Mary, help us to love you, help us to praise you.

You are beauty, la belta, and we cannot admire you enough.

You are goodness, la bonta, and we cannot praise you enough.

We say to you therefore the only word worthy of you, the word sent from heaven, the word of the Archangel:

Ave Maria!

Practice: Imitate the early Christians and often recite the Liturgical Office of the Holy Virgin.

Thought: O Mary, bless us and our families.

Nos cum prole pia, benedicat Virgo Maria.

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O Purest of Creatures – Sweet Star of the Sea
Fr. Frederick William Faber, (1814-1863)	St. Denio
1. O purest of creatures, sweet Mother! sweet Maid! The one spotless womb wherein Jesus was laid! Dark night hath come down on us, Mother! And we, Look out for thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!	2. Deep night has come down on this rough-spoken world, &-the banners of darkness are boldly unfurled; &-the tempest tossed Church— all her eyes are on thee, They look to thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!
3. He gazed on thy soul; it was spotless and fair; For-the empire of sin—it had never been there; None had ever owned thee, dear Mother! but He, And-He blessed thy clear shining, sweet Star of the Sea!	4. Earth gave Him one lodging; ‘twas deep in thy breast, And God found a home where the sinner finds rest; His home and His hiding place both were in thee, He-was won by thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea.
5. O blissful and calm was the wonderful rest, That-thou gavest thy God in thy virginal breast; For-the heaven He left, He found heaven in thee, And-He shone in thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!	6. To sinners what comfort, to angels what mirth, That God found one creature un- fallen on earth, One spot where His Spirit, un- troubled could be, The depth of thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!
7. O shine on us brighter than even, then shine, For-the highest of honours, dear Mother! Is thine; “Conceived without sin,” thy chaste title e’re be, Clear light from thy birth-spring, sweet Star of the Sea!	8. So worship we God in these rude latter days; So worship we Jesus our Love, when we praise, His wonderful grace in the gifts He gave thee, The gift of clear shining, sweet Star of the Sea!
9. Deep night hath come down on us, Mother! Deep night, And-we need more than ever the guide of thy light; For-the darker the night is the brighter should be, Thy beautiful shining, sweet Star of the Sea!	Amen.