Jesu, Solace of My Soul

Jesu

so­lace of my soul

Gentle Me­di­at­or

King of kings from pole to pole

Heaven and earth’s cre­at­or

Who can praise Thee as he ought

Thee

the world-wide won­der

Tell what pangs our sor­rows wrought

Rending Thee asun­der?

Love

it drew Thee from the sky

Love of souls that per­ished

Leaving—here on earth to die—

All Thy glo­ries cher­ished:

Born in­to the vale of tears

There Thy­self more tear­ful;

Toiling up the steep of years

To a height more fear­ful.

Born life’s sad­dest paths to tread

Thou the world’s sal­va­tion

Hungry

Thou the Liv­ing Bread

In its de­so­la­tion;

Thou

the four­fold riv­er’s fount

Paradise all steep­ing

Thirsting on the curs­èd Mount

In the Gar­den weep­ing!

O

the depth

the breadth

the height

Of Thy love’s ex­ten­sion

Jesus

O the won­drous might

Of Thy con­des­cen­sion;

Innocency’s pur­est bloom

All Thy foes re­fut­ing

Bearing all our sor­row’s doom

All our sins im­put­ing.

Mine the while the joys of life

Thine its tri­bu­la­tion;

Mine the glo­ry of the strife

Thine the con­ster­na­tion;

Mine the ban­quet’s sweet­ness all

Thine the self-de­vo­tion;

Thine the vi­ne­gar and gall

For Thy bit­ter po­tion!