e sun, who brings us the day and who brings us the
light; fair is he and shines with a very great splendor: O Lord,
he signifies to us thee!

Praised be my Lord for our sister the moon, and for the stars,
the which he has set clear and lovely in heaven.

Praised be my Lord for our brother the wind, and for air and
cloud, calms and all weather by the which thou upholdest life in
all creatures.

Praised be my Lord for our sister water, who is very serviceable
unto us and humble and precious and clean.

Praised be my Lord for our brother fire, through whom thou
givest us light in the darkness; and he is bright and pleasant
and very mighty and strong.

Praised be my Lord for our mother the earth, the which doth
sustain us and keep us, and bringeth forth divers fruits and
flowers of many colors, and grass.

Praised be my Lord for all those who pardon one another for his
love's sake, and who endure weakness and tribulation; blessed
are they who peaceably shall endure, for thou, O most Highest,
shalt give them a crown.

Praised be my Lord for our sister, the death of the body, from
which no man escapeth. Woe to him who dieth in mortal sin!
Blessed are they who are found walking by thy most holy will,
for the second death shall have no power to do them harm.

Praise ye and bless the Lord, and give thanks unto him and serve
him with great humility.

Joy had returned to Francis, joy as deep as ever. For a whole week he
forsook his breviary and passed his days in repeating the Canticle of
the Sun.

During a night of sleeplessness he had heard a voice saying to him, "If
thou hadst faith as a grain of mustard seed, thou wouldst say to this
mountain, 'Be thou removed from there,' and it would move away." Was not
the mountain that of his sufferings, the temptation to murmur and
despair? "Be it, Lord, according to thy word," he had replied with all
his heart, and immediately he had felt that he was delivered.[20]

He might have perceived that the mountain had not greatly changed its
place, but for several days he had turned his eyes away from it, he had
been able to forget its existence.

For a moment he thought of summoning to his side Brother Pacifico, the
King of Verse, to retouch his canticle; his idea was to attach to him a
certain number of friars, who would go with him from village to village,
preaching. After the