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| O HUGE 1 and most unspeakable impression | |
| Of love’s deep wound, that pierced the piteous heart | |
| Of that dear Lord with so entire affection, | |
| And, sharply launching 2 every inner part, | |
| Dolours of death into His soul did dart, | 5 |
| Doing Him die, that never it deserved, | |
| To free His foes, that from His hest had swerved! | |
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| What heart can feel least touch of so sore launch, | |
| Or thought can think the depth of so dear wound? | |
| Whose bleeding source their streams can never staunch, | 10 |
| But still do flow, and freshly still redound, | |
| To heal the sores of sinful souls unsound, | |
| And cleanse the guilt of that infected crime | |
| Which was enrooted in all fleshly slime. | |
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| O blessed Well of Love! O Flower of Grace! | 15 |
| O glorious Morning Star! O Lamp of Light! | |
| Most lively image of Thy Father’s face, | |
| Eternal King of Glory, Lord of Might, | |
| Meek Lamb of God, before all worlds behight, 3 | |
| How can we Thee requite for all this good? | 20 |
| Or what can prize 4 that Thy most precious blood? | |
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| Yet nought Thou ask’st in lieu of all this love | |
| But love of us, for guerdon of Thy pain; | |
| Ay me! what can us less than that behove? | |
| Had He required life of us again, | 25 |
| Had it been wrong to ask His own with gain? | |
| He gave us life, He it restored lost; | |
| Then life were least that us so little cost. | |
| |
| But He our life hath left unto us free, | |
| Free that was thrall, and blessed that was banned; | 30 |
| Ne ought demands but that we loving be, | |
| As He Himself hath loved us aforehand, | |
| And bound thereto with an eternal band, | |
| Him first to love that us so dearly bought, | |
| And next our brethren, to His image wrought. | 35 |
| |
| Him first to love great right and reason is, | |
| Who first to us our life and being gave, | |
| And after, when we fared had amiss, | |
| Us wretches from the second death did save; | |
| And last, the food of life, which now we have, | 40 |
| Even He Himself, in His dear sacrament, | |
| To feed our hungry souls, unto us lent. | |
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| Then next to love our brethren, that were made | |
| Of that self mould and that self Maker’s hand | |
| That we, and to the same again shall fade; | 45 |
| (Where they shall have like heritage of land, | |
| However here on higher steps we stand) | |
| Which also were with self-same price redeemed | |
| That we, however of us light esteemed. | |
| |
| And were they not, yet since that loving Lord | 50 |
| Commanded us to love them for His sake, | |
| Even for His sake and for His sacred word, | |
| Which as His last bequest He to us spake, | |
| We should them love and with their needs partake; | |
| Knowing that, whatso’er to them we give, | 55 |
| We give to Him by whom we all do live. | |
