This poem is a versified form of the dialogue between St. Francis and his companion Brother Leo. The dialogue is to be found in “The Little Flowers of St. Francis” and needs to be seen in the context of the time in which it was written and what it was meant for. Here is my poetic form of that dialogue:
As shining lights of holiness
As workers of great miracles
As scourge of the demonic realm
As procurers of sight and speech
As resurrectors of the dead.
In all these things, we must accept
This is not perfect joy.
As utterers of every tongue
As experts in the sciences
As interpreters of holy writ
As predictors of future events
As telling the secrets of all souls.
In all these things we must accept
This is not perfect joy.
As singers of angelic tones
As experts of the stellar realm
As having complete knowledge of
All animals and birds and fish
All plants, stones, trees and humankind.
In all these things we must accept
This is not perfect joy.
And finally, to have the means
To preach in such a perfect way
Thus to convert all souls to Christ.
In all of this we must accept
This is not perfect joy.
To discard all such lofty things
To count them all as dust and ash
To count them ill-befitting of
The perfect sense of joy to which
We long for to complete that sense
Of joy, we must also accept
This paradox of joy.
As drenched with rain, trembling with cold
As covered in earth's grimy soil
As in the grip of hunger pangs
As recognised not at the gate
As treated as impostors who
Are thought of as deceivers and
Determined to steal from the poor,
Now this is perfect joy.
As left outside and exposed to
The snow and rain and suffering from
Hunger and cold. And to embrace
Injustice, cruelty and contempt
With patience and without complaint
Believing that in faith and love
And humbleness, the porter had
By God's command, rejected us.
Now this is perfect joy.
As repulsed by curses and blows
Accused of robbery and such
Other crimes. If we embrace this
With patience and without complaint
With the belief in faith and love
And humbleness that we had been
Rejected thus by God's command
Despite our being known to Him
And who obeyed our Lord's command,
Now this is perfect joy.
And yet, if we should knock again
Calling to him to let us in
Our tears now gently falling to
The ground, and yet with greater wrath
Beaten are we with knotted stick
Thrown to the ground and rolled about
And beaten yet again with that
Same knotted stick. If we can bear
These injuries without complaint
Remembering the sufferings
The crucified Lord underwent
Now this is perfect joy.
As is the greatest gift of all:
To overcome oneself, whereby
Accepting willingly, out of
Love for the Lord, contempt and all
Discomfort, injury and all
Suffering. All things are gifts from God.
The church in Corinth* had to learn
These things, as did the Christians in
Galatia^. We can only boast
In the cross of Christ, by which the world
Is crucified to me, and I
To this world, now we say Amen.
* 1 Corinthians 4:7
^ Galatians 6:14
Dominus-Iesus-est 