Woe is me, woe is me, Lord, how very long is this exile! And it passes with great sufferings of longing for my God! Lord, what can a soul placed in this prison do? O Jesus, how long is the life of humans, even though it is said to be short! It is short, my God, for gaining through it a life that cannot end; but it is very long for the soul that desires to come into the presence of its God. What remedy do You provide for this suffering? There isn’t any, except when one suffers for You.
2. O gentle Repose of my God’s lovers! You don’t fail anyone who loves You, since through You the torment the Beloved causes the soul desiring Him must both increase and be mitigated. I desire, Lord, to please You; but my happiness I know well doesn’t lie with any mortal beings. Since this is true, You will not blame my desire. See me here, Lord; if it’s necessary to live in order to render You some service, I don’t refuse all the trials that can come to me on earth, as Your lover St. Martin said.1
3. But alas, woe is me, Lord, for he had works and I have only words, because I’m not good for anything else! May my desire be worthwhile, my God, before Your divine Presence, and don’t look at my lack of merit. May we all merit to love You, Lord. Now that we must live may we live for You, may our desires and self-interests come to an end. What greater thing can be gained than to please You? O my Happiness and my God, what shall I do to please You? Miserable are my services, even though I may have rendered many to my God. Why, then, must I remain in this miserable wretchedness? That the will of the Lord may be done. What greater gain, my soul? Wait, wait, for you know neither the day nor the hour.2 Watch with care, for everything passes quickly, even though your desire makes the certain doubtful and the short time long. Behold the more you struggle the more you show the love you have for your God and the more you will rejoice in your Beloved with a joy and delight that cannot end.