AVE MARIA
By John Jerome Rooney
Lady, thy soldier I would be,
This day I choose thy shield,
And go, thrice-armored for the fight,
Forth to the world’s wide field.
There I shall meet the dark allies,
The Flesh, the Fiend, the World,
And fiercely shall their darts of fire
Upon my heart be hurled.
But I will raise my buckler strong
Betwixt me and the foe,
And, with the spirit’s flaming sword,
Shall give them blow for blow.
Lady, thy sailor I would be,
This day I sign my name
To sail the high seas of the earth
For glory of thy fame.
The tempest may besiege my bark,
The pirate lie in wait:
The perils of the monstrous deep
May tempt o’erwhelming fate:
Yet, wheresoe’er my ship may steer
Upon the waters wide,
Thy name shall be my compass sure,
Thy star my midnight guide.
Thy poet, Lady, I would be
To sing thy peerless praise;
Thy loyal bard, I’d bring to thee
Heart-music from all lays.
Soft melody, outpoured in June
By God’s dear feathered throng,
Would mingle with the organ’s roll
To glorify my song;
And Dante’s voice and Petrarch’s strain
And Milton’s matchless line
Would lend to my poor minstrel note
A harmony divine.
Lady, I choose to be thy son;
For Mother thee I choose;
O, for thy sweet and holy Child,
Do not my claim refuse!
Alone and motherless am I:
Tho’ strong, I long for rest—
The thunder of the world’s applause
Is not a mother’s breast.
Ave Maria! Shield us all.
Thy sons we choose to be.
Mother of grace, we raise our hearts,
Our hearts, our love to thee!