34

BENEDIC, ANIMA MEA

BLESS the Lord, O my soul !

O Lord my God, thou art very great;

Thou art clothed with honour and majesty.

Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment :
Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain.

Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters :
Who maketh the clouds his chariot :

Who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

Who maketh his angels spirits;

His ministers a flaming fire;

Who laid the foundations of the earth,

That it should not be removed for ever.

Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment :

The waters stood above the mountains.

At thy rebuke they fled;

At the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.

They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys Unto the place which thou hast founded for them.

Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over;

That they turn not again to cover the earth.

He sendeth the springs into the valleys,

Which run among the hills.

They give drink to every beast of the field:

The wild asses quench their thirst.

By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation,

Which sing among the branches.

He watereth the hills from his chambers:

The earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.

He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle,

And herb for the service of man :

That he may bring forth food out of the earth;

And wine that maketh glad the heart of man,

And oil to make his face to shine,

And bread which strengtheneth man's heart.
The trees of the Lord are full of sap;

The cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;
Where the birds make their nests:

As for the stork, the fir trees are her house.
The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats,
And the rocks for the conies.

He appointed the moon for seasons:

The sun knoweth his going down.

Thou makest darkness, and it is night:

Wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.
The young lions roar after their prey,

And seek their meat from God.

The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together,
And lay them down in their dens.
Man goeth forth unto his work
And to his labour until the evening.
O Lord, how manifold are thy works!

In wisdom hast thou made them all:
The earth is full of thy riches.

So is this great and wide sea,

Wherein are things creeping innumerable,

Both small and great beasts.

There go the ships:

There is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein. These wait all upon thee;

That thou mayest give them their meat in due season.

That thou givest them they gather;

Thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.

Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled :

Thou takest away their breath, they die,

And return to their dust.

Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created:
And thou renewest the face of the earth.

The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever:
The Lord shall rejoice in his works.

He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth:

He toucheth the hills, and they smoke.

I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live:

I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
My meditation of him shall be sweet :

I will be glad in the Lord.

Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth,

And let the wicked be no more.

Bless thou the Lord, O my soul!

Praise ye the Lord.

35

IN CONVERTENDO

WHEN the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion,

We were like them that dream.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter,

And our tongue with singing:

Then said they among the heathen :

The Lord hath done great things for them.

The Lord hath done great things for us,
Whereof we are glad.

Turn again our captivity, O Lord,

As the streams in the south.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed,

Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

36

SUPER FLUMINA

By the rivers of Babylon,

There we sat down, yea, we wept,

When we remembered Zion.

We hanged our harps

Upon the willows in the midst thereof.

For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song ;

And they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying:

Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

How shall we sing the Lord's song

In a strange land?

If I forget thee, O Jerusalem,

Let my right hand forget her cunning.

If I do not remember thee,

Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth :

If I prefer not Jerusalem

Above my chief joy.

Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom

In the day of Jerusalem; who said :-Rase it, rase it,

Even to the foundation thereof.

O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed,

Happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee

As thou hast served us!

Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones
Against the stones.

37

DOMINE PROBASTI

O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising,
Thou understandest my thought afar off.

Thou compassest my path and my lying down,
And art acquainted with all my ways.

For there is not a word in my tongue,

But, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether!
Thou hast beset me behind and before,
And laid thine hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain unto it.
Whither shall I go from thy spirit?

Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there:

If I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there.

If I take the wings of the morning,

And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there shall thy hand lead me,

And thy right hand shall hold me.

If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me;
Even the night shall be light about me.

Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee;

But the night shineth as the day :

The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

For thou hast possessed my reins:

Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
Marvellous are thy works;

And that my soul knoweth right well.

My substance was not hid from thee,

When I was made in secret,

And curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect;

And in thy book all my members were written,
Which in continuance were fashioned,

When as yet there was none of them!

How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!

If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand.
When I awake, I am still with thee.

Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God:

Depart from me therefore, ye bloody men!
For they speak against thee wickedly,

And thine enemies take thy name in vain.

Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee?

And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?

I hate them with perfect hatred :

I count them mine enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart:

Try me, and know my thoughts:

And see if there be any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting!

38.

LAUDATE DOMINUM

PRAISE ye the Lord.

Praise ye the Lord from the heavens:

Praise him in the heights.

Praise ye him, all his angels:

Praise ye him, all his hosts.
Praise ye him, sun and moon:
Praise him, all ye stars of light.
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens,
And ye waters that be above the heavens.
Let them praise the name of the Lord:

For he commanded, and they were created.
He hath also stablished them for ever and ever :
He hath made a decree which shall not pass.
Praise the Lord from the earth,

Ye dragons, and all deeps:

Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours;

Stormy wind fulfilling his word;

Mountains, and all hills;

Fruitful trees, and all cedars;

Beasts, and all cattle;

Creeping things, and flying fowl.

Kings of the earth, and all people;
Princes, and all judges of the earth;
Both young men, and maidens;
Old men, and children :

Let them praise the name of the Lord :

For his name alone is excellent;

His glory is above the earth and heaven.

He also exalteth the horn of his people,

The praise of all his saints;

Even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him.
Praise ye the Lord.

39

PEREAT DIES

LET the day perish wherein I was born,

And the night in which it was said:-There is a man child conceived.

Let that day be darkness;

Let not God regard it from above,

Neither let the light shine upon it.