Part II — Preces Quotidianae
§1 *Duo in me cognosco*
Printed 267
1DUO in me cognosco, Domine,
2Naturam, quam Tu fecisti,
3Peccatum, quod ego adjeci;
4Fateor quod per culpam deformavi naturam,
5sed memento quod sum spiritus vadens,
6non rediens;[*Psal.* lxxviii. 39.]
7Per meipsum enim a peccato redire non possum.
8Eja! tolle a me quod ego feci,
9Remaneat in me quod Tu fecisti;
10Ut ne pereat, quod pretioso Tuo sanguine redemisti.
11Eja! ne perdat improbitas mea, quod redemit boni-
12tas Tua.
13Domine, Deus mi, si feci, ut essem reus Tuus,
14Nunquid facere potui, ut non essem servus Tuus?
15Si inde innocentiam mihi ademi,
16Nunquid et inde misericordiam Tuam peremi?
17Si commisi, unde me damnare posses,
18Nunquid et Tu amisisti, unde salvare soles?
19Verum est, Domine, conscientia mea meretur damnationem,
20Sed misericordia Tua superat omnem offensionem.
English
1TWO things I know in myself, O Lord,
2The nature, which Thou madest,
3The sin, which I have added thereto;
4I confess that by my fault I have marred the nature,
5but remember that I am a wind that passeth away,
6and cometh not again;[Ps. 78:39]
7For of myself I cannot come back from sin.
8O come! take from me what I have done,
9Let there abide in me what Thou hast done;
10That it perish not, which Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood.
11O come! let not my wickedness destroy what Thy good-
12ness hath redeemed.
13O Lord my God, if I have wrought that I should be guilty before Thee,
14Could I ever have wrought that I should not be Thy servant?
15If thereby I have taken innocence from myself,
16Have I thereby also made an end of Thy mercy?
17If I have committed that whereby Thou couldest condemn me,
18Hast Thou also lost that whereby Thou art wont to save?
19It is true, O Lord, my conscience deserveth damnation,
20But Thy mercy surpasseth every offence.
Printed 268
1Parce ergo,
2Quia non est { difficile potentiæ / indecens justitiæ / insolitum clementiæ } Tuæ,
3parcere delinquenti.
4Qui me { creasti, / redemisti, } ne me { perimas, / condemnes. }
5Qui me creasti Tua bonitate,
6Ne pereat opus Tuum mea iniquitate.
7Agnosce in me quod est Tuum,
8Et tolle a me quod est meum.
9Respice ad me infelicem,
10Pietas immensa:
11ad me sceleratum,
12Misericordia publica.
13Infirmus ad Omnipotentem venio,
14Vulneratus ad Medicum curro.
15Serva mihi mansuetudinem miserationis,
16Qui tamdiu suspendisti gladium ultionis.
17Dele numerositatem criminum meorum,
18Renova multitudinem miserationum Tuarum.
19Quantumvis sum
20{ immundus, / cæcus, / infirmus, / vel si mortuus, } Tu potes me { mundare, / illuminare, / sanare, / resuscitare. }
21Qualiscunque sum, sive bonus, sive malus,
22semper Tuus sum.
23Si Tu me { ejicis, / despicis, } quis me { recipiet? / respiciet? }
English
1Spare me therefore,
2Because it is not { hard for Thy power / unseemly for Thy justice / strange to Thy clemency },
3to spare him that offendeth.
4Thou who hast { made / redeemed } me, { destroy / condemn } me not.
5Thou who hast made me by Thy goodness,
6Let not Thy work perish by mine iniquity.
7Own in me what is Thine,
8And take from me what is mine.
9Look upon me, unhappy,
10O boundless Pity:
11upon me, wicked,
12O Mercy open to all.
13Sick, I come to the Almighty,
14Wounded, I run to the Physician.
15Keep for me the gentleness of Thy compassion,
16Thou who so long hast held back the sword of vengeance.
17Blot out the multitude of my crimes,
18Renew the multitude of Thy compassions.
19However much I am
20{ unclean, / blind, / sick, / yea, though dead, } Thou canst { cleanse / enlighten / heal / raise } me.
21Whatsoever I am, whether good or evil,
22I am ever Thine.
23If Thou { cast me out / despise me }, who shall { receive / regard } me?
Printed 269
English
1Thou canst more { forgive / spare } than I can { commit / sin }.
2Let not hurtful delight oppress me,
3At the least, let not perverse custom overwhelm me.
4From depraved and unlawful desires,
5From vain, hurtful, unclean thoughts,
6From the illusions of malignant spirits,
7From the pollutions of mind and body.