Cum dederit from Nisi Dominus

For so he giveth his beloved sleep.
Lo, children and the fruit of the wom
are a heritage and gift that cometh of the Lord.

Stabat Mater (excerpts)

The grieving Mother stood weeping beside the cross where her Son was hanging.

Through her weeping soul, compassionate and grieving, a sword passed.

O how sad and afflicted was that blessed Mother of the Only-begotten Son. Who mourned and grieved, the pious Mother, looking at the torment of her glorious Child.

Grant that my heart may burn in the love of Christ my Lord, that I may greatly please Him. Amen.

Allmächt’ge Jungfrau from Tannhäuser­

Almighty Virgin, hear my prayer!
To thee, blessed art thou, I cry!
Let me perish in dust before you,
O, take me from this earth!
Let me pure and angelic
Enter into thy blessed kingdom.
If ever, caught in foolish delusion,
My heart from thee turned away,
If ever a sinful desire,
A worldly longing sprung up in me,
I wrestled in a thousand sorrows,
That I might kill it in my heart!
But if I could not atone for every fault,
Then mercifully take care of me,
That with humble greeting
As a worthy maid to thee may I approach:
For thy most gracious favor
Of thy mercy for his sin.

Die Junge Nonne (The Young Nun)

How the raging storm roars through the treetops!
The rafters rattle, the house shudders!
The thunder rolls, the lightning flashes,
and the night is as dark as the grave.
So be it, not long ago a storm still raged in me.
My life roared like the storm now,
my limbs trembled like the house now,
love flashed like the lightning now,
and my heart was as dark as the grave.
Now rage, wild, mighty storm;
in my heart is peace, in my heart is calm.
The loving bride awaits the bridegroom,
purified in the testing flames,
betrothed to eternal Love.
I wait, my Savior, with longing gaze!
Come, heavenly bridegroom, take your bride.
Free the soul from earthly bonds.
Listen, the bell sounds peacefully from the tower!
Its sweet pealing invites me
all-powerfully to eternal heights.
Alleluia!

Im Abendrot (At Sunset)

How lovely is your world,
Father, in its golden radiance
when your glory descends
and paints the dust with glitter;
when the red light that shines from the clouds
falls silently upon my window.
Could I complain? Could I be apprehensive?
Could I lose faith in you and in myself?
No, I already bear your heaven
here within my heart.
And this heart, before it breaks,
still drinks in the fire and savors the light.

Ave Maria from Otello

Hail Mary, full of grace,
chosen among wives and maidens art thou,
blessed be the fruit,
o blessed one, of thy womb, Jesus.

Pray for the one who kneels
in prayer before you,
pray for the sinner,
for the one who is innocent,
and for the weak
and oppressed, and for the mighty,
also wretched, show thy mercy.

Pray for the one who bows his head
under injustice and under misfortune;
for us, pray thou for us, pray ever
and in the hour of our death,
pray for us, pray for us, pray.

Hail Mary … in the hour of our death.

Ave! . . . Amen!

Veggio nel tuo bel viso

From thy fair face I learn, O my loved lord,

That which no mortal tongue can rightly say;

The soul, imprisoned in her house of clay,

Helped by thee to God hath often soared:

And though the vulgar, vain, malignant horde

Attribute what their grosser wills obey,

Yet shall this fervent homage that I pay,

This love, this faith, pure joys for us afford.

Lo, all the lovely things we find on earth,

Resemble for the soul that rightly sees,

That source of bliss divine which gave us birth:

Nor have we first-fruits or remembrances

Of heaven elsewhere. Thus, loving loyally,

I rise to God and make death sweet by thee.