O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel;
qui aperis, et nemo claudit;
claudis, et nemo aperit:
veni et educ vinctum de domo carceris,
sedentem in tenebris et umbra mortis.
O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel
you open and no one can shut;
you shut and no one can open:
Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house,
those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.
O Clavis
Even in the darkness where I sit
And huddle in the midst of misery
I can remember freedom, but forget
That each dark clasp, sharp and intricate,
Must find a counter-clasp to meet its guard
Particular, exact and intimate,
The clutch and catch that meshes with its ward.
I cry out for the key I threw away
That turned and over turned with certain touch
And with the lovely lifting of a latch
Opened my darkness to the light of day.
O come again, come quickly, set me free.
Even in the darkness where I sit
And huddle in the midst of misery
I can remember freedom, but forget
That each dark clasp, sharp and intricate,
Must find a counter-clasp to meet its guard
Particular, exact and intimate,
The clutch and catch that meshes with its ward.
I cry out for the key I threw away
That turned and over turned with certain touch
And with the lovely lifting of a latch
Opened my darkness to the light of day.
O come again, come quickly, set me free.
-- Malcolm Guite
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