Che fai qui, core?
The Call to Divine Love
The soul is urged to abandon worldly distractions and seek the sweet, transformative love of Jesus Christ.
What are you doing here, heart? What are you doing here, heart? Go to your sweet love. Love is Jesus Christ, who sweetly sets the heart ablaze and makes glad every sorrowful heart that sighs for him and longs for him. Whoever loves him purely strips away every error. What are you doing here, heart? Etc.1 If you feel afflicted, this is sweet comfort; this is the sweet shore and happy harbor that I always urge you to love with great fervor. What are you doing here, heart? etc.
Fleeing the False World
The heart is warned against the treachery of the world and encouraged to seek the divine splendor for peace and safety.
Don't stay with me any longer, my heart, if you want to live in peace; go to Jesus and stay with him, for the world is so false that by now nothing pleases it but the traitor.2 What are you doing here, heart? Etc.3 If you stay here on earth, your life will be bitter; there's war in every place, and faith and peace are rare: if life is dear to you, go to the divine splendor. What are you doing here, heart? etc.4 Don't put your trust in others, for everyone is full of deceit. If you go to Him, your hardships will become sweet, and you'll spend your years with merit and honor.5 What are you doing here, heart? And so on.6
Union with the Crucified
The soul seeks intercession and intimate union with the suffering Christ, finding strength in his wounds.
If you find him, humbly commend me to him, and make sure he is fervent in granting my request, so that his sweetness may pour out over my great sorrow. What are you doing here, heart? etc. And when you've reached him, give him a holy kiss: his hands and feet are pierced—embrace him completely; set yourself so on fire with love for him that you long for him at every hour.✦✦7 What are you doing here, heart? etc.8 If he takes your hand, never let him go. Whoever is kindled with his love feels no eternal woe; and if you stay with him, you put out every fear. What are you doing here, heart? etc.9
Steadfast in the Beloved
The heart is exhorted to remain with Jesus despite worldly opposition, finding that all suffering becomes sweet in his presence.
Stay with Jesus, my heart, and let everyone cry out: This is your sweet God, the one you must love, and for his love endure every rage the world can throw. What are you doing here, heart? etc.10 Take up all your weapons, enemies of every good, for I no longer fear; and it seems to me the pains are sweet. And this is fitting for anyone who remains in love. What are you doing here, heart? etc.11
Read the original Latin
Che fai qui, core? Che fai qui, core? Vane al tuo dolce amore.
L’amor è Iesù Cristo Che dolcemente infiama, Fa lieto ogne cor tristo, Che lui suspira e brama. Chi puramente l’ama, Si spoglia d’ogne errore. Che fai qui, core? ec.
Se tu ti senti afflito, Questo è dolce conforto; Questo è quel dolce lito E quel felice porto, El qual sempre te esorto Amar cum gran fervore. Che fai qui, core? ec.
Non star, cor mio, più meco, Se viver voi in pace; Vane a Iesù, e sta’ seco, Ch’el mondo è sì fallace, Ch’or mai a lui non piace Se non chi è traditore. Che fai qui, core? ec.
Se tu stai quivi in tera, Serà tua vita amara; In ogne loco è guera, E fede e pace rara: Se t’è la vita cara, Vane al divin splendore. Che fai qui, core? ec.
Non te fidar d’altrui, Chè ogn’om è pien d’inganni. Se tu ne vai a lui, Dolci seran gli affanni, E spendera’ i to’ anni Con merito et onore. Che fai qui, core? ec.
Se tu ’l trovi, umilmente A lui me ricomanda, E fa’ che sia fervente A far la mia dimanda, Che sua dolceza espanda Sopra el mio gran dolore. Che fai qui, core? ec.
E quando serai gionto, Dara’gli un bacio santo: Le mane e’ pedi ha ponto, Abrazial tutto quanto: Infiàmmati in lui tanto, Ch’el brami a tutte l’ore. Che fai qui, core? ec.
Se lui la man ti prende, Non lo lassar già mai. Chi del suo amor s’accende, Non sente eterni guai; E se con lui ti stai, Tu spengi ogne timore. Che fai qui, core? ec.
Sta’ cum Iesù, cor mio, E lassa ogn’om gridare: Questo è el tuo dolce Idio, El qual tu debbi amare, E per suo amor portare Ogne mondan furore. Che fai qui, core? ec.
Prendete tutti l’arme, Nemici d’ogne bene, Chè più non temo; e parme Che dolce sian le pene. E questo s’acconvene A chi sta con l’amore. Che fai qui, core? ec.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Rom.16.16;1Cor.16.20;2Cor.13.12;1Thess.5.26 — Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. 1Cor.16.20 — All the brothers greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. 2Cor.13.12 — Greet one another with a holy kiss. 1Thess.5.26 — Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss.
- ↩Ps.22.16 — My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; and you lay me down in the dust of death.
Notes
- 1 ↩Italian ec. is the conventional abbreviation for etc., marking continuation or repetition of the refrain.
- 2 ↩Source 'voi' read as 'vuoi' (you want), standard early-Italian orthography in this lauda context.
- 3 ↩Source 'ec.' abbreviates the repeated refrain/coda (eccetera); rendered as 'Etc.'
- 4 ↩Italian ec. is the refrain cue (et cetera), pointing back to the chapter refrain Che fai qui, core?
- 5 ↩lui picks up the preceding divine addressee (divin splendore / God); not a human other.
- 6 ↩Source ec. is the conventional abbreviation for etcetera, marking continuation of the refrain.
- 7 ↩ponto (gionto/punto spelling) rendered as pierced (of the Crucified's hands and feet), not as mere wounding in general.
- 8 ↩ec. expands the printed refrain abbreviation (etc.), not a full repeated verse.
- 9 ↩Italian 'ec.' is the refrain abbreviation for 'eccetera'; rendered as English 'etc.' to mark the repeated close of the stanza.
- 10 ↩Source 'ec.' is the abbreviated refrain marker (etcetera), not a full verse line.
- 11 ↩ec. is a manuscript abbreviation for the refrain (etc.), not a full verse line.
Lauds companion
Never lose the rhythm again
Chosen Portion delivers your morning, midday and night office to your phone — the Hours, without the bells.
Chosen Portion is a modern Book of Hours: it turns the fixed-hour structure this collection preserves into scheduled, tappable daily prayer on your phone.
- Three daily prayer moments scheduled around your real calendar, not a monastery's
- Psalms and historic prayers sequenced for you — no page-flipping or decision fatigue
- A visible streak of completed offices, so the rhythm compounds instead of collapsing