A Prayer of St. John the Baptist

Ut queant laxis
So that our mouths be opened
I learned my hands could hold
Rivers of water
And spend them like an everlasting treasure

Resonare fibris
To be able to sing
I saw the waking desert
The dry wilderness
Suddenly dressed in meadows

Mira gestorum
Your wonderful deeds
I heard a virgin's voice
Descending to her wedding in these waters
With the Prince of Life

Famuli tuorum
We your servants
I knew all barrenness and death
Drowned here in the fountains
He has sanctified

Solve polluti
Absolved of sin
I touched the deep harps of Jordan
To the contrite world
As sweet as heaven

Labii reatum
Our sullied lips

Sancte Johannes

St John, strong Baptist
Angel before the face of the Messiah
Desert-dweller, knowing the solitudes that lie
Beyond anxiety and doubt
Never abandon us

Sancte Johannes