Night Litany

O Dieu, purifiez nos cceurs! Purifiez nos coeurs ! Yea the lines hast thou laid unto me in pleasant places, And the beauty of this thy Venice hast thou shown unto me Until is its loveliness become unto me a thing of tears. O God, what great kindness have we done in times past and forgotten it, That thou givest this wonder unto us, O God of waters? O God of the night, What great sorrow Cometh unto us, That thou thus repayest us Before the time of its coming? O God of silence, Purifiez nos cœurs, Purifiez nos cœurs, For we have seen The glory of the shadow of the likeness of thine handmaid, Yea, the glory of the shadow of thy Beauty hath walked Upon the shadow of the waters In this thy Venice. And before the holiness Of the shadow of thy handmaid Have I hidden mine eyes, O God of waters. O God of silence, Purifiez nos cœurs, Purifiez nos cœurs, O God of waters, make clean our hearts within us, For I have seen the Shadow of this thy Venice Floating upon the waters, And thy stars Have seen this thing, out of their far courses Have they seen this thing, O God of waters, Even as are thy stars Silent unto us in their far-coursing, Even so is mine heart become silent within me. Purifiez nos cœurs, O God of the silence, Purifiez nos cœurs, O God of waters.