Night Prayer

O my Lord,

the stars glitter

and the eyes of men are closed.

Kings have locked their doors

and each lover is alone with his love.

Here, I am alone with you.

--Rabi’a (Basra, 717-801), female Sufi poet and mystic (translated by Jane Hirshfield)

The version of this prayer that was in Evelyn Underhill's Prayer Book is as follows:

O Lord, the stars are shining and all things take their rest; and kings have shut their doors and every lover is alone with his beloved: and here I am alone with You.

O my Lord

O my Lord,

if I worship you
from fear of hell, burn me in hell.

If I worship you
from hope of Paradise, bar me from its gates.

But if I worship you
for yourself alone, grant me then the beauty of your Face.

--Rabi'a al-Basri (717-801), Sufi mystic, translated by Jane Hirschfeld

Rabi'a was an influence on Evelyn Underhill.