Voice of the Bridegroom: now is winter passing,
Rain falls no longer, gardens yield their fragrance,
Spring blooms appearing, trees resound with birdsong —
Rise, my beloved.

Go out to meet him, virgins all exulting,
See he approaches, crowns you for your nuptials —
Rapture and gladness, when he leads you homeward
Sharing his kingdom.

Love for the Bridegroom filled your whole horizon,
Making you fearless in the face of danger;
Like him, your Master, life itself you offered,
Sacrificed for him.

Joyfully faithful to your holy calling,
Nothing could daunt you, or your lamps extinguish;
Shining and glowing you would bear them to him
Through cloud and tempest.

[1] Hymn of the Morning Prayer for the Memorial of Blessed Teresa of St Augustine and Her Companions. See Discalced Carmelite Proper Offices: A Supplement to the Divine Office (Oxford: Anglo-Irish Province of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, 2006), pp. 102 and 331.