Ave Maria Shield Us All - Jan 11

Lady, thy soldier I would be,

This day I choose thy shield,

And go, thrice-armored for the fight,

Forth to the world's wide field.

There I shall meet the dark allies,

The Flesh, the Fiend, the World,

And fiercely shall their darts of fire 

Upon my heart be hurled.

But I will raise my buckler strong

Betwixt me and the foe,

And, with the spirit's flaming sword,

Shall give them blow for blow.

Lady, thy sailor I would be,

This day I sign my name

To sail the high seas of the earth

For glory of thy fame.

The tempest may besiege my bark,

The pirate lie in wait;

The perils of the monstrous deep

May tempt o'erwhelming fate:

Yet, whereso'er my ship may steer

Upon the waters wide,

Thy name shall be my compass sure,

Thy star my midnight guide.

Thy poet, Lady, I would be

To sing thy peerless praise;

Thy loyal bard, I'd bring to thee

Heart-music from all lays.

Soft melody, outpoured in June

By God's dear feathered throng,

Would mingle with the organ's roll

To glorify my song;

And Dante's voice and Petrarch's strain

And Milton's matchless line

Would lend to my poor minstrel note

A harmony divine.

Lady, I choose to be thy son;

For Mother thee I choose;

O, for thy sweet and holy Child,

Do not my claim refuse!

Alone and motherless am I:

Tho' strong, I long for rest―

The thunder of the world's applause

Is not a mother's breast.

Ave Maria! Shield us all.

Thy sons we choose to be.

Mother of grace, we raise our hearts, 

Our hearts, our love to thee!

AVE MARIA

By John Jerome Rooney

Joyce Kilmer's Anthology of Catholic Poets
Halcyon House, New York - 1939

Page  225