(I)

O Lord, my soul's most cherished mystery, how light this world is when I weigh it on a scale with Thee!
On one side is a lake of molten gold, and on the other a cloud of smoke.
All my cares along with my body and its foolish convulsions of sweetness and bitterness what are they except smoke, beneath which my soul is swimming in a golden lake?
How can I confess to people the mystery that I see through the rings of Thy Archangels?
How can I tell particles about totality? How can fingernails understand the circulation of blood in the body? It is truly painful for one struck dumb with wonder to speak to those deafened by noise...
Thou art dear to me, my love, because Thou art a mystery to me. Every love burns without burning out as long as the mystery lasts. Mystery revealed is love burned out. I promise myself to Thee with eternal love even as Thou pledgest Thyself to me with eternal mystery.
Thou hast clothed thyself with seven heavens; Thou hast hidden Thyself too deep for any eyes. If all the suns were to merge in to a single eye, they would be unable to burn through all Thy veils. Thou hast not concealed Thyself intentionally, O Great Lord, but because of our imperfection. A divided and dissected creature does not see Thee. Thou art unhidden only to the one who has become one with Thee. Thou art unhidden only to the one for whom the wall between "I" and "Thou" has been razed.
O Lord, my soul's most cherished mystery, how light this world is, when I weigh it on a scale with Thee!
On one side of the scale is a lake of molten gold, and on the other a cloud of smoke.

(II)
Would that I could make musicians out of stone, and dancers out of the sand of the lake, and minstrels out of the leaves of all the trees in the mountains, so that they might help me glorify the Lord - and so that the voice of the earth might be heard amidst the choirs of angels!
The sons of men gorge themselves at the table of the absent Master, and do not sing for anyone except themselves at the table of the absent Master, and do not sing for anyone except themselves and their mouthfuls, which must eventually return to the earth.

Exceedingly sad is the blindness of the sons of men, who do not see the power and the glory of the Lord. A bird lives in the forest and does not see the forest. A fish swims in the water and does not see the water. A mole lives in the earth, and does not see the earth. In truth, the similarity of man to birds, fish and moles is exceedingly sad.
People, like animals, do not pay attention to what exists in excessive abundance, but only open their eyes before what is rare or exceptional.

There is too much of Thee, O Lord, my breath, therefore people do not see Thee. Thou art too obvious O Lord my sighing, therefore the attention of people is diverted from Thee and directed toward polar bears, toward rarities in the distance.

Thou servest Thy servants too much, my sweet faithfulness, therefore, Thou art subjected to scorn. Thou risest to kindle the sun over the lake too early, therefore sleepyheads cannot bear Thee. Thou art too zealous in lighting the vigil lamps in the firmament at night, my unsurpassed zeal, and the lazy heart of people talks more about an indolent servant than about zeal.

O my Love, would that I could motivate all the inhabitants of the earth, water and air to hum a hymn to Thee! Would that I could remove leprosy from the face of the earth and turn this wanton world back into the sort of virgin that Thou created!

Truly, my God, Thou art just as great with or without the world. Though art great whether the world glorifies Thee or whether the world blasphemes Thee. But when the world blasphemes Thee, Thou seemest even greater in the eyes of Thy saints.

(III)

Arise all you creatures and serve the Living Lord who cares about you. Worship Him and serve Him for no-one greater than He has visited you in this vale of fear and tears.
Servants come and make themselves lords. The Lord came and made Himself a servant. Servile lords strive to lord it over as many people and creatures as possible, while the lordly Servant strives to serve as many people and creatures as possible.
Arise, O lilies of the field, and give off your fragrance, for His holy mouth mentioned your name.
Arise, O stone and rock, and worship Him for His holy feet walked over you.
Arise, O desert, and rejoice, for He sanctified you with his longest and most mysterious prayers.
Arise, O wheat and grapevine, for He blessed you especially among all created things. Arise and bless Him.
Arise, O fish and glorify the Lord, for He was hungry and you nourished Him.
Arise, O water and skies, and serve Him, for by His power He cleansed and calmed you.
Arise, O sycamore tree, and clothe yourself in silk, for in you He saw a sinner and saved him.
Arise, O sheep and oxen, and be filled with awe, for in your lowly stable He was born.
Arise, O birds, and sing, for He raised you up as an example for men.
Arise, O oil, and burn before His throne, for when He was anointed with you He felt joyful and saved a sinful woman.
Arise, O thorns and reed, and be filled with shame, for you caused Him pain.
Arise, O iron and wood, and repent, for even unwillingly you caused him torments on the cross.
Arise, inhabitants of cities, and weep, for you did not believe in Him.
Arise, O leaders of the people, and sprinke yourselves with ashes, for you passed judgement over Him.
Arise, O paupers, and embrace Him, for He is your wealth.
Arise, O kings, and lay down your crowns before Him, for He alone has taught you true wisdom concerning primacy and leadership.
Arise, O sinners and start sobbing before Him, for only His hand does not cast a stone at you.
Arise, O righteous, and be vigilant, for your Leader is coming to you.
Arise, all you stars, and begin to dance, for your Light-giver goes to visit you.
Arise, O universe, and begin to hum the Lord's hymn, for the living Lord who cares about you has entered you.

Come, O true light!
Come, O eternal life!
Come, O hidden mystery!
Come, O indescribable treasure!
Come, O ineffable thing!
Come, O inconceivable person!
Come, O endless delight!
Come, O unsetting light!
Come, O true and fervent expectation of all those who will be saved!
Come, O rising of those who lie down!
Come, O resurrection of the dead!
Come, O powerful one,
who dost always create and recreate and transform by Thy will alone!
Come, O invisible and totally intangible and untouchable!
Come, O Thou who always remainest immobile
and at each moment movest all, and comest to us, who lie in hades,
Thou Who art above all heavens.
Come O desirable and legendary name,
which is completely impossible for us to express what Thou art or to know Thy nature. Come, O eternal joy!
Come, O unwithering wreath!
Come, O purple of the great king our God!
Come, O crystalline cincture, studded with precious stones!
Come, O inaccessible sandal!
Come, O royal robe and truly imperial right hand!
Come, Thou whom my wretched soul has desired and does desire!
Come, Thou who alone goest to the lonely for as Thou seest I am lonely!
Come, Thou who hast separated me from everything and made me solitary in this world!
Come, Thou who hast become Thyself desire in me,
Thou hast made me desire Thee, the absolutely inaccessible one!
Come, O my breath and life!
Come, O consolation of my humble soul!
Come, O my joy, my glory, and my endless delight!
I thank Thee that Thou hast become one spirit with me,
without confusion, without mutation, without transformation,
Thou the God of all; and that Thou hast become everything for me,
inexpressible and perfectly gratuitous nourishment,
which ever flows to the lips of my soul and gushes out into the fountain of my heart, dazzling garment which burns the demons,
purification which bathes me
with these imperishable and holy tears,
that Thy presence brings to those whom Thou visitest.
I give Thee thanks
that for me Thou hast become unsetting light and non-declining sun;
for Thou who fillest the universe with Thy glory
hast nowhere to hide Thyself.
No, Thou hast never hidden Thyself from anyone
but we are the ones who always hide from Thee, by refusing to go to Thee;
but then, where wouldest Thou hide,
Thou who dost nowhere find the place of Thy repose?
Why wouldest Thou hide,
Thou who dost not turn away from a single creature,
who dost not reject a single one?
Today, then, O Master, come pitch Thy tent with me;
until the end, make Thy home and live continually, inseparably
within me, Thy slave,
O most-kind one,
that I also may find myself again in Thee,
at my departure from this world
and after my departure may I reign with Thee,
O God who art above everything.
O Master, stay and do not leave me alone,
so that my enemies, arriving unexpectedly,
they who are always seeking to devour my soul,
may find Thee living within me and that they may take flight,
in defeat, powerless against me,
seeing Thee, O more powerful than everything,
installed interiorly in the home of my poor soul.
Yea, O Master, just as Thou didst remember me,
when I was in the world and,
in the midst of my ignorance,
Thou chosest me and separatedst me from this world
and set me before Thy glorious face,
so now keep me interiorly,
by Thy dwelling within me, forever upright, resolute;
that by perpetually seeing Thee,
I, the corpse, may live;
that by possessing Thee,
I, the beggar, may always be rich, richer than kings;
that by eating Thee and by drinking Thee,
by putting Thee on at each moment,
I go from delight to delight in inexpressible blessings;
for it is Thou, who art all good and all glory and all delight
and it is to Thee,
O holy, consubstantial, and life-creating Trinity
that the glory belongeth,
Thou whom all the faithful venerate, confess, adore and serve
in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
both now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.