| Stabat Mater dolorosa iuxta Crucem lacrimosa, dum pendebat Filius. |
Woman stands by the hanging tree, Eyes drenched in maternal misery: There dangles her dear Son dead. |
| Cuius animam gementem, contristatam et dolentem pertransivit gladius. |
From her core there comes a groan of anguish, a most piteous moan, as by a blade her soul is bled. |
| O quam tristis et afflicta fuit illa benedicta, mater Unigeniti! |
O siege of sorrow and affliction On this house of benediction, O blessed Mother of the One! |
| Quae maerebat et dolebat, pia Mater, dum videbat nati poenas inclyti. |
She is twisted inside and out, This Mother, holy and devout, At the torture of her noble Son: |
| Quis est homo qui non fleret, matrem Christi si videret in tanto supplicio? |
Being human, won’t you cry Seeing the Mother of Christ most high Bent low by punishment so bitter? |
| Quis non posset contristari Christi Matrem contemplari dolentem cum Filio? |
Would you feel no human feeling Seeing Lord Christ’s Mother reeling, His pain’s sharp echo burrowing in her? |
| Pro peccatis suae gentis vidit Iesum in tormentis, et flagellis subditum. |
For the crimes of other men, Mary saw the scourges rend The flesh of her Son Jesus – |
| Vidit suum dulcem Natum moriendo desolatum, dum emisit spiritum. |
Sweet form imprinted by her own, Now dead and stripped to bone, Spirit loosed over her and us. |
| Eia, Mater, fons amoris me sentire vim doloris fac, ut tecum lugeam. |
O! Conquer my insensitivity With your overwhelming charity, Mary, make me feel your pain. |
| Fac, ut ardeat cor meum in amando Christum Deum ut sibi complaceam. |
Set aflame my chilly core With the love of Christ my Lord, And place me in His Grace again. |
English version © 2012 David A. Welch
