'The Power of the Almighty rests on me;
The hearts of high and low are turned to me;
My rest therein I seek, where is for me
Prepared the Lord's Inheritance, to be
The resting-place of this my dignity,
'The Lord commanded, and He spake to me -
He the Creator who created me:
Who for His own dear Rest hath chosen me,
And made Himself a secret place in me,
That He might dwell therein - said He to me:
'Thy dwelling-place be Jacob; yea, for thee
Be Israel thine inheritance: yea, be
Rooted in My Elect. My Church for thee
Thy home, thine everlasting Rest shall be
Who art My Chosen from Eternity.
'Thus did the Lord Himself assign to me
My place in time, from all eternity;
Nor in the future shall I cease to be
His Hand-maid and His Minister. Oh, see,
Till time shall cease, Him serve I ceaselessly.
'So was His Hand-maid 'stablished. So shall she
Find rest in Sion, for her home shall be
Jerusalem; and there her power shall be
Made known; and in the full assembly, she
Of Saints shall be exalted, mightily.
'Mother of Holy Love and Fear am I:
From me all graces flow abundantly:
The way of Life, of Truth, is found in me;
All ye who thirst, come hither unto me,
And gather of my fruits, unendingly.
'The Cinnamon and Myrrh alike will be
The witness of my presence. I shall be,
Through bitterness of soul, anointed. See,
The Vine am I, and the fair Olive-tree.
Come then, and taste my Fruits, unsparingly.'
- text taken from Mary: The Perfect Woman, by Emily Mary Shapcote