Queen of the May

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

Dear Reader,

Can I be direct with you?

War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.

First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.

But we can’t do it without readers like you.

Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.


Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.

Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.

GIVE NOW

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.

Next
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

A Culture of Parricide

Ephraim Radner

I learned a new word the other day: déploration. It’s the French, directly from the Latin, for “lament.”…

The Chariot Burials

Benjamin Myers

Wheeling through the clotted earth, / Bronze, bone, and leather clumped in clay...

William of St. Thierry

David Lyle Jeffrey

“Where love and understanding join, hearts are tranquil, / They rise above the turmoil of this world…