Lady, adorned with the sun,
with a crown of stars and the shine of eternity,
who has the moon of heaven beneath your feet,
protect us from the annoying breath of envy,
crush falsehood, the deadly snares of deception,
break the dam of hatred and extinguish the flames of anger.
Help us when we need to wage war
against the army of hell, against the accursed troops.
In this battle I will stand firm even without weapons,
as long as your blessed name,
Maria, is on my side.
(Fray Luis de León OSA /1527–1591/,
excerpt from the poem A Nuestra Señora
translated by Josef Hrdlička)
