St. Therese on Suffering and Hiddenness in Her “Canticle to the Holy Face” by Walker Larson

In addition to her much-beloved Story of a Soul, St. Therese of Lisieux wrote many poems during her earthly sojourn. She wrote them for herself, to express the longings of her heart, but due to her worldwide fame following her death, we are blessed to have the chance to read these meditations of her soul.

The original French versions, according to The Complete Therese of Lisieux, reveal that “Therese’s poetry demonstrates considerable skill as well as a high level of education. Many of the poems were composed to be sung to hymn tunes that were familiar to late nineteenth-century French worshippers.” Unfortunately, the English translations cannot capture all the power of the French originals, because both rhyme scheme and meter tend to be lost in translation. Still, even with this diminution, the English versions of the poems contain some beautiful lines of poetry, and, above all, a ringing expression of a pure, humble, and completely authentic love for God. …