Stabat Mater Dolorosa
1. Stabat Mater dolorósa juxta Crucem lacrimósa, dum pendébat Fílius.
At the Cross her station keeping, Stood the mournful Mother weeping, Close to Jesus to the last.
2. Cuius ánimam geméntem, contristántem et doléntem pertransívit gládius.
Through her heart, His sorrow sharing, All His bitter anguish bearing, Now at length the sword has passed.
3. O quam tristis et afflícta fuit illa benedícta, mater Unigéniti!
Oh, how sad and sore distressed Was that Mother highly blest, Of the sole-begotten One!
4. Quae mœrébat et dolébat, pia Mater, dum vidébat nati pœnas ínclyti.
Christ above in torment hangs; She beneath beholds the pangs Of her dying glorious Son.
5. Quis est homo qui non fleret, matrem Christi si vidéret in tanto supplício?
Is there one who would not weep, Whelm'd in miseries so deep, Christ's dear Mother to behold?
6. Quis non posset contristári Christi Matrem contemplári doléntem cum Fílio?
Can the human heart refrain From partaking in her pain, In that Mother's pain untold?
7. Pro peccátis suæ gentis vidit Jésum in torméntis, et flagéllis súbditum.
Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled, She beheld her tender Child All with bloody scourges rent:
8. Vidit suum dulcem Natum moriéndo desolátum, dum emísit spíritum.
For the sins of His own nation, Saw Him hang in desolation, Till His spirit forth He sent.
9. Eja, Mater, fons amóris me sentíre vim dolóris fac, ut tecum lúgeam.
O thou Mother! fount of love! Touch my spirit from above, Make my heart with thine accord:
10. Fac, ut árdeat cor meum in amándo Christum Deum ut sibi compláceam.
Make me feel as thou hast felt; Make my soul to glow and melt With the love of Christ my Lord.
11. Sancta Mater, istud agas, crucifíxi fige plagas cordi meo válide.
Holy Mother! pierce me through; In my heart each wound renew Of my Savior crucified:
12. Tui Nati vulneráti, tam dignáti pro me pati, pœnas mecum dívide.
Let me share with thee His pain, Who for all my sins was slain, Who for me in torments died.
13. Fac me tecum pie flere, crucifíxo condolére, donec ego víxero.
Let me mingle tears with thee, Mourning Him who mourned for me, All the days that I may live:
14. Juxta Crucem tecum stare, et me tibi sociáre in planctu desídero.
By the Cross with thee to stay, There with thee to weep and pray, Is all I ask of thee to give.
15. Virgo vírginum præclára, mihi iam non sis amára, fac me tecum plángere.
Virgin of all virgins blest!, Listen to my fond request: Let me share thy grief divine;
16. Fac ut portem Christi mortem, passiónis fac consórtem, et plagas recólere.
Let me, to my latest breath, In my body bear the death Of that dying Son of thine.
17. Fac me plagis vulnerári, fac me Cruce inebriári, et cruóre Fílii.
Wounded with His every wound, Steep my soul till it hath swooned, In His very Blood away;
18.Flammis ne urar succénsus, per te, Virgo, sim defénsus in die iudícii.
Be to me, O Virgin, nigh, Lest in flames I burn and die, In His awful Judgment day.
19. Christe, cum sit hinc exíre, da per Matrem me veníre ad palmam victóriæ.
Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence, Be Thy Mother my defense, Be Thy Cross my victory;
20. Quando corpus moriétur, fac, ut ánimæ donétur paradísi glória. Amen.
While my body here decays, May my soul Thy goodness praise, Safe in Paradise with Thee. Amen.
The Stabat Mater Dolorosa is a deeply moving medieval hymn from the 13th century, born in Italy amid a wave of heartfelt devotion to Our Lady's suffering at the foot of the Cross. It brings us right into that sacred moment—Mary standing there in sorrow as her Son hangs dying—and it touched hearts so profoundly that by the late 1300s, groups like the Flagellants were singing it in processions, and it spread quickly across Europe. The Church later included it in the liturgy for the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15 (restored in 1727 after being set aside at the Council of Trent), and it remains a cherished prayer today, especially during Lent, the Stations of the Cross, or quiet moments of reflection on Mary's compassion with Christ.
Tradition most often credits the Franciscan friar Jacopone da Todi (c. 1230–1306) as its author—his passionate, emotional poetry matches the hymn's tender intensity so well that many early sources linked it to him, and the longstanding devotion of the Church points strongly in his direction. While some scholars have suggested others, like Pope Innocent III, and an early manuscript discovery has raised questions, Jacopone remains the most beloved and probable source in Catholic tradition. The English translation we share here is by Edward Caswall (1814–1878), a convert and talented hymn writer whose beautiful, rhyming words let the prayer sing in our hearts today. May this timeless hymn draw us ever closer to Mary and her Son, Jesus Christ.