By Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676)
Translated from the German
O Head most foully wounded,
With blood and pain and scorn!
O Head, most cruelly rounded
With mockery and thorn!
O Head, else praised and feted
With beauty and renown,
Now shamefully derided
I reverence Thy crown
I know that what Thou suffered,
Should be my self-same woe,
That I have earned those buffets,
Deserve those self-same blows.
A wretched soul I stand here,
Thy wrath must chasten me;
And yet my gentle Savior,
Grant me Thy charity
Here I stand beside Thee,
And Thou my soul may take;
And I will never leave Thee,
Till when Thy heart shall break;
Till when Thy heart is emptied
And nearly done all harm,
Then I shall hold Thy body
Enwrapped within my arms
When time comes for my leaving,
Do not depart from me,
When time comes for my suffering,
Appear that I may see,
When fear fills up my vision
My heart by dread enchained,
Then free me from my prison
Dear Savior by Thy pain.
trans. Pavel Chichikov
