一 親愛主，我不能禱告，幻想重重圍繞；
紛亂雜念四面群起，迫我心思離祢。
黯淡俗世忽放光明，當我心趨天庭；
計畫、方案不思而起，不斷向我迎逼。
二 一切天然，猶如水泉﹕聲影幻夢源源；
當我屈膝，更如山洪，爆發聲勢洶洶。
所有肉體趁勢發動，易變肢體協同；
激起心思虛幻錯覺，使我深處厭倦。
三 哦，主，教我寶貝這個疲乏、沉悶時刻；
雖然愚昧、無助、無言，仍俯伏在祢前。
因祢常來親近懷抱，聽我微弱禱告；
只要罪人願脫自己，必定得尋見祢。
四 是否我願時刻把守我心，我眼，我口？
是否我願終日抑制屬己宴樂之事？
哦，主，是否除祢以外我無所樂，所愛？
如此禱告必然通暢，必然自由釋放。
五 既是如此，我有何慮？除罪，我有何懼？
紛亂心思雖在外侵，平安卻在內盈。
一切反覆煩惱折磨，猶如海面興波；
但心深處無能震動，惟主掌權其衷。
1. Ah, dearest Lord! I cannot pray,
My fancy is not free;
Unmannerly distractions come,
And force my tho'ts from Thee.
The world that looks so dull all day
Glows bright on me at pray'r,
And plans that ask no tho't but then
Wake up and meet me there.
2. All nature one full fountain seems
Of dreamy sight and sound,
Which, when I kneel, breaks up its deeps,
And makes a deluge round.
My very flesh has restless fits;
My changeful limbs conspire
With all these phantoms of the mind
My inner self to tire.
3. Sweet Jesus! teach me how to prize
These tedious hours when I,
Foolish and mute before Thy Face,
In helpless worship lie.
Yet Thou art oft most present, Lord!
In weak distracted prayer:
A sinner out of heart with self
Most often finds Thee there.
4. Had I kept stricter watch each hour
O'er tongue and eye and ear,
Had I but mortified all day
Each joy as it came near.
Had I, dear Lord! no pleasure found
But in the thought of Thee,
Prayer would have come unsought, and been
A truer liberty.
5. My Saviour! why should I complain,
And why fear aught but sin?
Distractions are but outward things;
Thy peace dwells far within.
These surface-troubles come and go,
Like rufflings of the sea;
The deeper depth is out of reach
To all, my God, but Thee.