as bright as morn!
What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered,
Was all for sinners' gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression,
But Thine the deadly pain.

Lo, here I fall, my Saviour,
'Tis I deserve Thy place:
Look on me with Thy favor,
Vouchsafe to me Thy grace.
Receive me, my Redeemer;
My Shepherd, make me Thine,
Of every good the Fountain,
Thou art the Spring of mine!

What language shall I borrow
To thank Thee, dearest Friend,
For this, Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end!
O make me Thine forever,
And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never,
Outlive my love to Thee.

Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153 A.D.)

THE GOLDEN AGE OF LATIN HYMNODY

During the Middle Ages, when evil days had fallen upon the Church, there
was very little to inspire sacred song. All over Europe the Gregorian
chants, sung in Latin, had crowded out congregational singing. The
barbarian languages were considered too crude for use in worship, and
much less were they regarded as worthy of being moulded into Christian
hymns. Religious poetry was almost invariably written in Latin.

However, in the midst of the spiritual decay and worldly depravity that
characterized the age there were noble souls whose lives shone like
bright stars in the surrounding darkness. Their sacred poetry, a great
deal of which was written for private devotion, bears witness of their
deep love for the Saviour.

The beautiful Palm Sunday hymn, "All glory, laud, and honor," was
composed by Bishop Theodulph of Orleans in a prison cell, probably in the
year 821. The immortal _Veni, Creator Spiritus_ also dates from the same
period, being usually ascribed to Rhabanus Maurus, archbishop of Mainz,
who died in the year 856.

The religious fervor inspired by the Crusades, which began in the year
1098, resulted in the production during the twelfth century of Latin
poetry of singular lyrical beauty. This may be regarded as the golden age
of Latin hymnody.

It was during this period that the most touching of all Good Friday
hymns, "O sacred Head, now wounded," was written. It is ascribed to
Bernard of Clairvaux, preacher of the Second Crusade, and one of the most
brilliant of Latin hymn-writers.

Although composed in the twelfth century, the hymn did not achieve
unusual fame until five centuries later, when it was rendered into