From God our Heavenly Father,
A blessed angel came;
And unto certain shepherds.
Brought tidings of the same:
How that in Bethlehem was born.
The Son of God by name.

"Fear not," then said the angel, "Let nothing you affright, This day is born a Saviour

Of virtue, power, and might, So frequently to vanquish all The friends of Satan quite."

The shepherds at these tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding
In tempest, storm, and wind,
And went to Bethlehem straightway,
This blessed babe to find.

But when to Bethlehem they came,
Whereat this infant lay,
They found Him in a manger,
Where oxen feed on hay,
His mother Mary kneeling,
Unto the Lord did pray.

Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood

Each other now embrace;

This holy tide of Christmas
All others doth deface.

O tidings of comfort and joy!
For Jesus Christ, our Saviour,
Was born on Christmas Day.

THE THREE KINGS

Three Kings came riding from far away,
Melchior and Gaspar and Baltasar;

Three Wise Men out of the East were they,
And they travelled by night and they slept by day,
For their guide was a beautiful, wonderful star.

The star was so beautiful, large and clear,

That all the other stars of the sky

Became a white mist in the atmosphere;

And by this they knew that the coming was near Of the Prince foretold in the prophecy.

Three caskets they bore on their saddle-bows,
Three caskets of gold with golden keys;
Their robes were of crimson silk, with rows
Of bells and pomegranates and furbelows,
Their turbans like blossoming almond-trees.

And so the Three Kings rode into the West,

Through the dusk of night, over hill and dell, And sometimes they nodded with beard on breast, And sometimes talked, as they paused to rest, With the people they met at some wayside well.

"Of the child that is born," said Baltasar,
"Good people, I pray you, tell us the news,

For we in the East have seen his star,
And have ridden fast, and have ridden far,
To find and worship the King of the Jews."

And the people answered, "You ask in vain;
We know of no king but Herod the Great!"
They thought the Wise Men were men insane,

As they spurred their horses across the plain
Like riders in haste, and who cannot wait.

And when they came to Jerusalem,

Herod the Great, who had heard this thing, Sent for the Wise Men and questioned them; And said, "Go down unto Bethlehem,

And bring me tidings of this new king."

So they rode away, and the star stood still,
The only one in the gray of morn;

Yes, it stopped,—it stood still of its own free will,
Right over Bethlehem on the hill,

The city of David, where Christ was born.

And the Three Kings rode through the gate and the guard,
Through the silent street, till their horses turned
And neighed as they entered the great inn-yard;

But the windows were closed, and the doors were barred,
And only a light in the stable burned.

And cradled there in the scented hay,

In the air made sweet by the breath of kine,

The little child in the manger lay,

The Child that would be King one day
Of a kingdom not human, but divine.

His mother, Mary of Nazareth,

Sat watching beside his place of rest, Watching the even flow of his breath, For the joy of life and the terror of death Were mingled together in her breast.

They laid their offerings at his feet:
The gold was their tribute to a King;
The frankincense, with its odor sweet,

Was for the Priest, the Paraclete;

The myrrh for the body's burying.

And the mother wondered and bowed her head,
And sat as still as a statue of stone;
Her heart was troubled yet comforted,
Remembering what the Angel had said
Of an endless reign and of David's throne.

Then the Kings rode out of the city gate,
With a clatter of hoofs in proud array;
But they went not back to Herod the Great,
For they knew his malice and feared his hate,
And returned to their homes by another way.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

THE ADORATION OF THE WISE MEN

Saw you never in the twilight,

When the sun had left the skies,
Up in heaven the clear stars shining,
Through the gloom with silver eyes?
So of old the wise men watching,
Saw a little stranger star,

And they knew the King was given,
And they followed it from far.

Heard you never of the story,
How they crossed the desert wild,
Journeyed on by plain and mountain,
Till they found the Holy Child?
How they opened all their treasure,
Kneeling to that Infant King,
Gave the gold and fragrant incense,
Gave the myrrh in offering?

Know ye not that lowly Baby

Was the bright and morning star,
He who came to light the Gentiles,
And the darkened isles afar?
And we too may seek his cradle,

There our heart's best treasures bring,
Love, and Faith, and true devotion,
For our Saviour, God, and King.

Cecil Frances Alexander

LULLABY IN BETHLEHEM

There hath come an host to see Thee,
Baby dear,

Bearded men with eyes of flame

And lips of fear,

For the heavens, they say, have broken

Into blinding gulfs of glory,

And the Lord, they say, hath spoken
In a little, wondrous story,

Baby dear.

There have come three kings to greet Thee,
Baby dear,

Crowned with gold and clad in purple,
They draw near,

They have brought rare silks to bind Thee,
At Thy feet behold they spread them,

From their thrones they sprang to find Thee,

And a blazing star hath led them,
Baby dear.

I have neither jade nor jasper,
Baby dear,

Thou art all my hope and glory,
And my fear,