CATHOLIC HYMNS.
33
So thou wert sinless in thy birth,
And sinless after as before;
The only creature of this earth
Whom sin ne'er cast its shadow o'er.
O sweetest lily! all untorn,
Though nurs'd the thorns of earth among,
To thee we sigh, to thee we mourn,
To thee we lift our suppliant song.
From Satan's snare preserve us free,
And keep us safe from earthly stain,
That in this world we pure may be,
And in the next may see thee reign.
