Fove, quod est languidum,
Flecte, quod est rigidum,
Sana, quod est saucium.
Da tuis fidelibus
In te confidentibus
Sacrum septenarium;
Da virtutis meritum,
Da salutis exitum,
Da perenne gaudium. Amen.
This truly great Latin hymn, addressed to the Holy Spirit, comes from the 12th or 13th century. Its authorship is uncertain. Archbishop Trench characterized it as “the loveliest of all the hymns in the whole cycle of Sacred Latin Poetry.” Many translations have been made of it, this one by Ray Palmer.