Francis of Assisi's “Canticle of the Creatures” (in Italian “Cantico di frate Sole,” sometimes translated as “Canticle of Brother Sun”) is the earliest Italian vernacular text in the now-extinct Umbrian dialect. It was written toward the end of Francis's life (1224–1225) and expressed his religious experience and understanding of the world in a hymn of praise to the “Most High, good God.” A canticle is a sacred song or chant based on biblical verse and written in the tradition of the medieval lauda; this particular canticle was composed by Francis after a night of extreme physical and emotional pain that brought new insight into the meaning of his own suffering as well as a better understanding of what it means to be human in a creation that signifi es God. Francis wrote the “Canticle of the Creatures” to praise God and express his experience of harmony with creation.