Holy Spirit, Lord of Light
Veni Sancte Spiritus
This poem from around the year 1200 is one of only four sequences left in the Mass, and it is sung once a year, at Pentecost. It asks the Spirit for what a worn-out person needs: rest in work, cool in heat, something to bend what has gone stiff and warm what has gone cold. It was long credited to Pope Innocent III; many scholars now give it to Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Stephen Langton, c. 1200; tr. Edward Caswall
Holy Spirit, Lord of light,
from thy clear celestial height
thy pure beaming radiance give.
Come, thou Father of the poor,
come with treasures which endure,
come, thou light of all that live.
Thou, of all consolers best,
thou, the soul’s delightsome guest,
dost refreshing peace bestow.
Thou in toil art comfort sweet,
pleasant coolness in the heat,
solace in the midst of woe.
Light immortal, light divine,
visit thou these hearts of thine,
and our inmost being fill.
If thou take thy grace away,
nothing pure in man will stay;
all his good is turned to ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew,
on our dryness pour thy dew,
wash the stains of guilt away.
Bend the stubborn heart and will,
melt the frozen, warm the chill,
guide the steps that go astray.
Thou, on those who evermore
thee confess and thee adore,
in thy sevenfold gifts descend.
Give them comfort when they die,
give them life with thee on high,
give them joys that never end.
Amen.