diff --git a/src/speech.rs b/src/speech.rs
index 100d5ff3..1417000e 100644
--- a/src/speech.rs
+++ b/src/speech.rs
@@ -709,24 +709,38 @@ impl Intent {
 
 
         /// "lift" up the children any "TEMP_NAME" child -- could short circuit when only one child
+        ///
+        /// TEMP_NAME is only ever a transport wrapper created by `replace_nodes_tree`, so wrappers can nest:
+        /// a rule whose replacement is a bare `x:` (e.g., the mrow 'matrix' rule returns `x: "*[2]"`) yields
+        /// TEMP_NAME(matrix), and the parent intent's `x: "*[1]"` wraps that again. Lifting only one level left
+        /// `power(TEMP_NAME(matrix), 2)`, spoken as "TEMP NAME of the 2 by 2 matrix ... squared" (issue #762).
+        /// Nested wrappers whose children are all elements are flattened; a leaf wrapper (text from a Text or
+        /// Attribute node) is only unwrapped when it is a direct child, matching the previous behavior.
         fn lift_children(result: Element) -> Element {
             // debug!("lift_children:\n{}", mml_to_string(result));
             // most likely there will be the same number of new children as result has, but there could be more
             let mut new_children = Vec::with_capacity(2*result.children().len());
             for child_of_element in result.children() {
-                match child_of_element {
-                    ChildOfElement::Element(child) => {
-                        if name(child) == "TEMP_NAME" {
-                            new_children.append(&mut child.children());  // almost always just one
-                        } else {
-                            new_children.push(child_of_element);
-                        }
-                    },
-                    _ => new_children.push(child_of_element),      // text()
-                }
+                push_lifted(child_of_element, &mut new_children, true);
             }
             result.replace_children(new_children);
             return result;
+
+            fn push_lifted<'a>(child_of_element: ChildOfElement<'a>, new_children: &mut Vec<ChildOfElement<'a>>, is_direct_child: bool) {
+                if let ChildOfElement::Element(child) = child_of_element {
+                    if name(child) == "TEMP_NAME" {
+                        let grandchildren = child.children();
+                        let is_leaf_wrapper = grandchildren.iter().any(|gc| matches!(gc, ChildOfElement::Text(_)));
+                        if is_direct_child || !is_leaf_wrapper {
+                            for grandchild in grandchildren {
+                                push_lifted(grandchild, new_children, false);
+                            }
+                            return;
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+                new_children.push(child_of_element);
+            }
         }
     }    
 }
diff --git a/tests/Languages/en/mtable.rs b/tests/Languages/en/mtable.rs
index 8a670988..e2d06368 100644
--- a/tests/Languages/en/mtable.rs
+++ b/tests/Languages/en/mtable.rs
@@ -1390,3 +1390,47 @@ fn single_line_with_label() -> Result<()> {
       expr, "1 equation, with label 2; b equals 2")?;
     return Ok(());
   }
+
+#[test]
+fn matrix_raised_to_power() -> Result<()> {
+  // A parenthesized matrix as the base of msup must speak as "the matrix ... squared".
+  // Regression for #762: the mrow 'matrix' intent rule returns a bare `x:`, so the intent tree
+  // carried a nested TEMP_NAME wrapper into `power` and NVDA read "TEMP NAME of the 2 by 2 matrix ...".
+  let expr = "<math><msup>
+      <mrow><mo>(</mo>
+        <mtable>
+          <mtr><mtd><mn>1</mn></mtd><mtd><mn>2</mn></mtd></mtr>
+          <mtr><mtd><mn>3</mn></mtd><mtd><mn>4</mn></mtd></mtr>
+        </mtable>
+      <mo>)</mo></mrow>
+      <mn>2</mn>
+    </msup></math>";
+  test("en", "ClearSpeak", expr, "the 2 by 2 matrix; row 1; 1, 2; row 2; 3, 4; squared")
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn matrix_raised_to_power_lualatex_spacing() -> Result<()> {
+  // The exact MathML from #762 (LuaLaTeX pmatrix output): negative-width mspace around the
+  // table and fence attributes on the parens. Canonicalization must fold the spacing away so
+  // the matrix is still recognized as the base of the power.
+  let expr = "<math display='block'>
+    <msup>
+      <mrow>
+        <mo fence='true' lspace='0' rspace='0' symmetric='true'>(</mo>
+        <mspace width='-4.981pt'/>
+        <mrow>
+          <mspace width='4.981pt'/>
+          <mtable>
+            <mtr><mtd><mn>1</mn></mtd><mtd><mn>2</mn></mtd></mtr>
+            <mtr><mtd><mn>3</mn></mtd><mtd><mn>4</mn></mtd></mtr>
+          </mtable>
+          <mspace width='4.981pt'/>
+        </mrow>
+        <mspace width='-4.981pt'/>
+        <mo fence='true' lspace='0' rspace='0' symmetric='true'>)</mo>
+      </mrow>
+      <mn>2</mn>
+    </msup>
+  </math>";
+  test("en", "ClearSpeak", expr, "the 2 by 2 matrix; row 1; 1, 2; row 2; 3, 4; squared")
+}