Oh! I would like to sing, Mary, why I love you,
Why your sweet name thrills my heart,
And why the thought of your supreme greatness
Could not bring fear to my soul.
If I gazed on you in your sublime glory,
Surpassing the splendor of all the blessed,
I could not believe that I am your child.
O Mary, before you I would lower my eyes!…
Oh ! je voudrais chanter, Marie, pourquoi je t’aime
Pourquoi ton nom si doux fait tressaillir mon coeur
Et pourquoi la pensée de ta grandeur suprême
Ne saurait à mon âme inspirer de frayeur.
Si je te contemplais dans ta sublime gloire
Et surpassant l’éclat de tous les bienheureux
Que je suis ton enfant je ne pourrais le croire
O Marie, devant toi, je baisserais les yeux !…
Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus
PN 54: Pourquoi je t’aime, ô Marie ! (Why I love you, O Mary!)
Stanza 1
Today, 12 September, is the memorial of the Holy Name of Mary.
Photo credit: Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP/Flickr
Some rights reserved
We always refer to the website of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux for our blog posts, but if you would like to purchase any of the English translations that appear on the Archives website, please visit our Discalced Carmelite friars at ICS Publications. The poetry of St. Thérèse was translated by Father Donald Kinney, O.C.D.
ICS Publications, Washington DC
I’ve seen that Basilica, so stunningly beautiful. This monogram is lovely, and the poem sublime.
The photography of Father Lawrence Lew on Flickr is stunning, too!