I cannot dance,
Lord, unless you lead me.
If you want me to leap with abandon,
You must intone the song.
Then I shall leap into love,
From love into knowledge,
From knowledge into enjoyment,
And from enjoyment beyond all human sensations.
There I want to remain, yet want also to circle higher still.
Mechthild of Magdeburg (1207-1297)
English version by Frank J. Tobin, original Language German