My Lady, Queen of Heaven, Queen of Earth,
I weave for you a crown of white muguet.
Delightful, fragrant, quiet bells of mirth
I twine for Mary garlanded in May.
Madonna, Fairest Flower of the Field,
Of all God’s glories born from basest clay,
A Lily of the Valley, Love revealed,
I weave for you a rapture of muguet.
All Beauty’s Mirror, Vessel of our Joy,
I crown you with these flowers’ lovely spray,
A clutch of spring no winter will destroy,
I wreathe the starry sprigs of fragrant May.
Creation’s Darling, Splendor of God’s Peace,
I bring these petaled pearls, a crown bouquet,
To you whose mother’s love will never cease,
The gentle loveliness of the muguet.
—Mary-Patrice Woehling
What We’ve Been Reading—Autumn 2025
First Things staff share their most recent autumn reading recommendations.
Walker Percy’s Pilgrimage
People can get used to most anything. Even the abyss may be rendered tolerable—or, for that matter,…
Outgrowing Nostalgia in The Ballad of Wallis Island
No man is an island,” John Donne declares in his Devotions upon Emergent Occasions. The Ballad of…