I Saw Angelic Virtue on Earth

I saw angelic virtue upon the earth,
And heavenly beauty in a mortal form,
So that I live both sorrowful and joyful in remembrance,
While all I see now seems but dream, shadow, and smoke.

I saw two beloved eyes filled with tears,
Making the sun itself grow jealous a thousand times;
And I heard words rising from sighs,
Strong enough to move mountains and still the rivers.

Love, Wisdom, Sorrow, Honor, and Compassion
Joined together in the sweetest choir of lament
Ever heard beneath the moon.

And Heaven itself was so absorbed by that harmony
That not a single leaf appeared to stir upon its branches,
So gentle and so sweet were the wind and the air.