The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Lover's Litanies, by Eric Mackay

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: A Lover's Litanies

Author: Eric Mackay

Release Date: February 3, 2009 [EBook #27971]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A LOVER'S LITANIES ***

Produced by K Nordquist, David T. Jones and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at
http://www.pgdpcanada.net

A
Lover's Litanies

_BY_

Eric Mackay

A
Lover's Litanies

_BY_

Eric Mackay

_Author of "Love Letters of a Violinist," and
"Gladys the Singer."_

1888.

_LONDON:_

_Field & Tuer, The Leadenhall Press, E.C.
Simpkin, Marshall & Co.; Hamilton, Adams & Co._

_New York: Scribner & Welford, 743 & 745, Broadway._

[Illustration: logo]

THE LEADENHALL PRESS,
LONDON, E.C.

T 4,258.

[Illustration: Ave Maria!]

Contents.

PAGE

First Litany--Virgo Dulcis 11

Second Litany--Vox Amoris 25

Third Litany--Ad Te Clamavi 39

Fourth Litany--Gratia Plena 53

Fifth Litany--Salve Regina 67

Sixth Litany--Benedicta Tu 81

Seventh Litany--Stella Matutina 95

Eighth Litany--Domina Exaudi 109

Ninth Litany--Lilium inter Spinas 123

Tenth Litany--Gloria in Excelsis 137

[Illustration]

First Litany.

VIRGO DULCIS.

First Litany.

Virgo Dulcis.

i.

O thou refulgent essence of all grace!
O thou that with the witchery of thy face
Hast made of me thy servant unto death,
I pray thee pause, ere, musical of breath,
And rapt of utterance, thou condemn indeed
My venturous wooing, and the wanton speed
With which I greet thee, dear and tender soul!
From out the fullness of my passion-creed.

ii.

I am so truly thine that nevermore
Shall man be found, this side the Stygian shore,
So meek as I, so patient under blame,
And yet, withal, so minded to proclaim
His life-long ardour. For my theme is just:
A heart enslaved, a smile, a broken trust,
A soft mirage, a glimpse of fairyland,
And then the wreck thereof in tears and dust.

iii.

Thou