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Dante's Prayer Lyrics

Artist: Loreena McKennitt
Album: The Book Of Secrets

When the dark wood fell before me
And all the paths were overgrown
When the priests of pride say there is no other way
I tilled the sorrows of stone

I did not believe because I could not see
Though you came to me in the night
When the dawn seemed forever lost
You showed me your love in the light of the stars

Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me

Then the mountain rose before me
By the deep well of desire
From the fountain of forgiveness
Beyond the ice and the fire

Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me

Though we share this humble path, alone
How fragile is the heart
Oh give these clay feet wings to fly
To touch the face of the stars

Breathe life into this feeble heart
Lift this mortal veil of fear
Take these crumbled hopes, etched with tears
We'll rise above these earthly cares

Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me...

Comments/Interpretations
by Will on 5/19/2008 5:50pm Who is the "You"? God or a Lover? I think its a lover but I'm not sure. Beautiful anyway.
by T on 5/23/2008 5:02pm Could really be either, I've always assumed God given the significance of Dante, his task, and the refrences to forgiveness, ice and fire. Thinking about it I seem to remember reading a commentary from her on the song that refrenced a more religious feel, but I can't find it again for a refrence, so I may have imagined that bit. :)
by Caleb on 5/27/2008 9:33pm I think it can be read as either, or maybe even both. The mystics of Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam have a long tradition of speaking of God as a lover, and the Hebrew Scriptures frequently refer to the relationship between God and Israel as a marriage of two lovers.
by Greg on 6/5/2008 4:07pm Why, Dante is of course speaking to Beatrice Portinari, his unrequited true love, who inspired the Divine Comedy and, in that epic poem, led Dante from the top of the Mountain of Purgatory and into Paradise. Yes, there is a certain unconcerned mixing of earthly and divine love. John Donne would have appreciated it.
by Trudy on 6/6/2008 1:17pm The "YOU" is both, or someone who believes in you. I believe this because they---God, a love, or friend/parents---give you courage to go on.
by Angela on 6/11/2008 2:44pm I always interpreted the "you" to refer to both God and Beatrice, the woman from the Divine Comedy (who also existed in Dante's real life).
by Emily on 6/18/2008 11:32am I interpret the 'you' to be God because of one line: 'Lift this mortal veil of fear' If it was just 'veil of fear' this could speak of fear of rejection, of judgement, of the negative reguard of his lover. Instead it was 'mortal veil of fear' which to me sounds like the fear of death which all living things have and must overcome in order to look forward to the delights of heaven.
by kate on 6/22/2008 12:49pm it has to be lover!I always was sure of that and that's why i felt in love with this song.
by Akselr on 7/25/2008 1:37pm My best friend had cancer and had a long hard fight untill his death.. he wantet this song played in his funural... Thanks
by storykpr on 7/25/2008 8:10pm I love music, and have enjoyed many wonderful, fun, and beautiful songs over the years, but this is one that echoed straight into my soul. It sums up, beautifully, that moment of sad and inspiring clarity that so many look for in life. As for the "you" in the song, I have to say that it refers to both God and a lover. The way I figure it, isn't until we find love here on Earth(not necessarily of the romantic variety) that we can even begin to realize the love of God.
by yuri on 8/3/2008 8:03am Actuo hace unos dias en Barcelona Loreena Mckennitt, fue un placer descubrirla. Gente entre el publico al escuchar esta cancion no podian parar de derramar lagrimas. Mientras escribo la estoy oyendo, mias lagrimas tambien se derraman. Es un tema precioso. La vida aveces te regala para los oidos temas tan y tan profundos como Dante´s prayer. Gracias por dejarme oirte Loreena.
by muggy on 8/14/2008 3:11pm All life started from the sea. cast your soul to the sea. it's about the grand creator.
by Loreena is wonderful on 8/27/2008 12:40pm Definitely God. All of her songs are about God, in one way or another. Look at Dark Night of the Soul, a song based on the poem from St. John of the Cross and it sounds like a love song, it is a spiritual song however. If you look at the Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon) in the Old Testament (of the Bible), you will see this imagery is well suited to God the lover of our souls.
by Sunshine on 9/14/2008 11:56pm I strongly believe with all my heart that the you is for God. First You came to me in the night when the dawn seemed forever lost is an ending to mortal life You will face only the spirits creator at a time like this. Lift this mortal veil of fear also speaks to God. Who else can do that ?
by Stephanie on 9/15/2008 12:08am This sounds like someone meeting his maker. A nonbeliever given a chance to believe . That's my viewpoint. Its better to believe and die to find out it wasn't real than to not believe then find out it was real. A lot of us die not believing till the last minute. This is a perfect representation for it. ? What's this about Dante and Beatrice ? I never heard of this story so what's the name of the book I can read about them ? Thank u
by Goonie on 10/6/2008 1:15pm I think she refers to God. "Please remember me" sounds like Luke 23, 42. "Jesus, remember me when you'll enter your reign." Sorry guys, I can have translated this quotation not properly because I'm not English!
by arthur on 10/9/2008 4:47am The Divine Comedy written by Dante Alighieri.
by Rainy on 10/18/2008 8:51am i think it could mean either. its such a beautiful song...and that's an understatement!! Way to go, Loreena!
by Sav on 10/18/2008 2:31pm I think it could be ether, and I suppose it depends on what the listener wants it to mean. To me, its about a lover.
by Morag on 11/15/2008 8:41pm I believe it's about the listener - magnificent, truly inspirational song, one to be played in the most momentous occasions.
by amikayjohn on 11/22/2008 9:27am Isn't wonderful that so many people see so many things in this song. This song moves me strongly when I'm working on my family history. It inspires me to keep looking. Making sure I find everyone.
by Leo's mommy on 11/23/2008 10:42pm We had a death in the family recently....a much beloved pet of 13 years. When the ordeal was over I made a tribute video and used the last 3:30 seconds of the song; at that time I did not know all the lyrics. I have since read them and have come to believe they are a message....of peace and release. I gave his clay feet wings to fly.....
by celtic spirit on 1/13/2009 8:31pm her music actually gets me through life it self i can seperate myself from the world and dream of being some where else i feel this song is speaking of my life
by Clark on 1/16/2009 6:52am Isn't that the sign of a truly gifted poet; each of us finds meaning in their words? Personally, Dante's Prayer is all about the sense of hopelessness and the desire and need for some "one" in the Universe to remember us. That's my two cents worth.
by mischa on 1/28/2009 3:54pm It is whatever the listener wants it to be, in my case both. When the love of my life lay dying she gave me this song and said, "You gave me wings to fly, and now I will use them to find God." That was nine years ago and when I have the courage to listen to this song, I am with her again....
by Ashleyder on 1/28/2009 4:34pm I'm pretty certain it's meant to be God, based off the line "you showed me your love in the light of the stars" ... talking about how in the darkness of night when dawn is past, God continues to offer a means of light (and love) via the stars. Not something a mortal lover could do.
by Hashkar on 2/4/2009 2:50am Hi well it seems this song been really feel a meaning full sense , this is mystic true but just now i discovered it (well da track was DL 3mnths back but i nvr checked) Ya i thing its love with God........ Rly misteriyes song ......Good
by Phatty on 2/5/2009 11:35am I had always wanted Enya "exile" at my funeral, but i changed my mind to this lol Truely beautiful song as are most of Loreena Mckennitt's
by Kerri on 2/19/2009 11:34am I'm not sure, i mean it could be about God, but I heard she wrote this song shortly after her fiance died in a boating accident? I think it's her talking to him... especially when she sings "cast your eyes on the ocean, cast your soul to the sea, when the dark night seems endless, please remember me"
by Steve on 2/21/2009 3:30pm It is a prayer, the voice of God is in the chorus text. The verse is the voice of man.. Sad, downtrodden, afraid, lacking hope who's spirit was crushed in the machine.
by kimba on 2/22/2009 4:52am the soul's haunting is timeless--LM has captured our deepest desire to connect, to be loved, remembered... This piece is reminiscent of the ancient lays of a wanderer, seafarer, prophet in the desert, indeed Dante... It speaks the heart of the old telling, an "ubi sunt" motif. Brilliant--at once universal, and so deeply, intimately personal.
by mariam on 3/3/2009 7:30am a yaaa ;)
by Cheryl on 3/8/2009 12:28am It can be eather. But the reason I found this is because it fits a Role Play i am doing with a friend so well. In my interpitation of it, using my role play, it is a lover. but truley it can be either. It just relates to someone very close to you.
by Kendyl on 3/30/2009 1:52pm I think You is supposed to be who ever or whatever you want it to be. You want it to be god then it is, a lover? Again that is was it is. I don't think there is a specific person for You
by Robert B. on 4/2/2009 11:23am Will asked: "Who is the "You"? God or a Lover? I think its a lover but I'm not sure." In the context of the Commedia, it's both. Dante's initial impetus for the journey is to see his earthly love, Beatrice, again, for it was she who sent Virgil to guide him through Hell and Purgatory. Eventually, Dante does transfer this affection for Beatrice directly to God. "Beautiful anyway." Yes it is...
by Robert B. on 4/2/2009 11:51am Several of you mentioned the "please remember me" section of the refrain. The souls in Purgatorio ask Dante to remind their surviving friends and family to pray for them because their prayers can shorten their time of purgation and allow them to reach Heaven more quickly.
by Iulius on 4/14/2009 12:31am The "you" could be either lover or God, but all that really matters is the feeling of love and that the being holds a divine place in your heart.
by Pericone on 4/28/2009 2:06pm I always play this song when I'm feeling really down. In that way it's connected to my moments of deepest loneliness or sorrow. I don't believe in a god, but still this song has a very intense and special meaning to me. "Please remember me" is my reminder of my place in this world, of the goodness and joy I can bring to other people. It's like a small voice deep in my heart crying at me that I do make a difference to some people, that, though times may be difficult and I might feel lonely, there's still my own strength and care for others that I can count on. "Please remember me" means to me: please remember all the people that do love me and would not like to do without me...
by Ruud on 5/9/2009 2:33am This song is haunting. Cuts right through my soul. Am in tears again now listening to it.
by Akiva on 5/15/2009 1:29am I think that it does not matter who the you is. The main point is the plaintive cry for the person to be remembered. Each of us wants to be remember, to be forgotten is akin as to never ever having existed. Whether it is God that is being asked to remember or a lover, friend or family member, we all want someone to remember who we were. The first time I heard the song it moved me. Years later when my younger brother died, I found that it spoke to me both in my desire to be remembered not only by the living but by those who are on the other side.
by tina t. on 5/15/2009 9:37pm I think the song is a meditation. Asking god to light your path with a star. please don't forget me on my path just like dante. This song always helps me when I feel lost.
by Kay on 5/17/2009 7:51pm We had this sung at our wedding! It's a transcendent song, capable of being interpreted in so many ways. That's why it speaks to so many of us. We imagine it just the way we need to. As a songwriter myself, there could be nothing better...
by Stay on 6/12/2009 3:36pm I think ther person sings the verses while GOD is singing the chorus
by Shaelyn on 8/4/2009 9:29pm I love this song. Before, I used to love The Highwayman and Skellig as my favorites, but now this is my favorite. I'm Atheist and don't believe in God, but I find the songs the refer to God tend to be the most beautiful, so it doesn't matter to me. I'm only a kid, but when I grow up and get married I'm going to have this song played at the wedding.
by Moon on 8/30/2009 3:46pm I'm almost sure, Loreena's singing about Dante's feeling for his lost love in the Divine Comedie. But maybe she aslo talking about her and one of her stories. Who knows. But that what I like with McKennitt: lyrics are always a bit mysterious and we can imagine whatever we want.
by Holly on 9/3/2009 4:01pm R.I.P Raven,the most precious thing I ever knew in life. This is the song you wanted me to hear should you die before me. I know why now.
by Aeryn on 9/5/2009 1:57pm It sounds kind of like "Remember me" that Josh Groban sang for Troy (which is another great song). They both talk of love and death in some way and refer to remembrance if they do not return from their quests. Dante I think it speaking to a lover about finding his faith, rather than speaking to faith (God) itself. I love McKennitt's songs, they give people the chance to perceive their own meaning to the songs. The first one I listened to was 'The Mystic's Dream' that had a feature in the movie "The Mists of Avalon".
by Nadya on 9/17/2009 9:11pm I like to think of death as my shadowlover, and every time I extricate myself from his embrace I find the words to this song running through my mind. Faith in myself, my God, and humanity keep me alive. They also keep me from fearing death. Mourn for the living, but never for the dead. To me, that's what this song is about.
by Me.Think Loves Dante's Prayer on 10/13/2009 12:56am Who is 'You' that helps us to overcome attachment and moral fear? Whoever understand us more than our own self? If ‘You’ is our reasoning mind, then anything else is the object of her scrutinized eyes on the ocean and soul to the sea.
by Alex MTz on 10/14/2009 1:51pm I guess the 'You' is about Beatriz that in the Divine Comedy, she is represented as the "Hope" to get through everything in life, that takes you to get through your own hell up to the Heaven. So I think this is about hope. Hope and Faith are the only things that help you to get through any kind of problem in this life and not God, God would just be there to see you and be sure how capable you are to rise yourself from problems. I guess God is more our advocate, not our behavioral Lord.
by Dionisius on 10/30/2009 12:18pm God is love, and love is god, the Eternal Beloved, he hides behind every being... As being the only one that exists -assuming many roles- he is you and me, lover and beloved... he is Loreena singing... he is her sweet and deep voice... he is the wind that takes it to the stars, he is the stars shining every night... though hidden, he listens to the cry of a lonely heart The truth is hiding behind a veil, she will reveal her nakedness, but firs we must do so... our heart in our sleeves... Don´t analyze love with your mind, it´s like trying to have the privilege of seeing with your ears...

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