The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown:
Refrain:
The rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.
The holly bears a blossom,
As white as lily flow'r,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
To be our dear Saviour: Refrain
The holly bears a berry,
As red as any blood,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
To do poor sinners good: Refrain
The holly bears a prickle,
As sharp as any thorn,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
On Christmas Day in the morn: Refrain
The holly bears a bark,
As bitter as the gall,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
For to redeem us all: Refrain
The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown: Refrain
In the bleak mid-winter, frosty wind made moan
earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
in the bleak mid-winter, long ago.
Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;
heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign:
in the bleak mid-winter a stable-place sufficed
the Lord God incarnate, Jesus Christ.
Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
but his mother only, in her maiden bliss,
worshiped the beloved with a kiss.
Enough for him, whom Cherubim
worship night and day,
A breastful of milk
and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.
What can I give him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
if I were a wise man, I would do my part;
yet what I can I give him give my heart.
In dulci jubilo now sing with hearts aglow!
Out delight and pleasure lies in praesipio,
Like sunshine is our treasure matris in gremio.
Alpha es et O! Alpha es et O!
O Jesu, parvule, For thee I long alway;
Comfort my heart’s blindness, O puer optime,
With all thy lovingkindness, O princeps gloriae.
Trahe me post te! Trahe me post te!
O Patris caritas! O Nati lenitas!
Deeply were we stainéd Per nostra crimina;
But thou for us hast gainéd coelorum gaudia.
O that we were there! O that we were there!
Ubi sunt gaudi in any place but there?
There are angels singing nova cantica,
And there the bells are ringing in Regis curia.
O that we were there! O that we were there!
It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold!
"Peace on the earth, good will to men,
From heaven's all gracious King!
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.
Still through the cloven skies they
come,
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats,
O'er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains,
They bend on hovering wing.
And ever o'er its Babel sounds,
The blessed angels sing.
Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the world! the Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
while fields and floods,
rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of His righteousness,
and wonders of His love,
and wonders of His love,
and wonders, wonders of His love.
Yet with the woes of sin and strife,
The world hath suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled,
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not,
The love song which they bring:
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing.
For lo! the days are hastening on,
By prophet bards foretold,
When, with the ever-circling years,
Shall come the Age of Gold;
When peace shall over all the earth,
Its ancient splendors fling,
And all the world give back the song,
Which now the angels sing.
The first good joy that Mary had, it was the joy of one;
To see the blessed Jesus Christ when he was first her son:
When he was first her son,…
Refrain:
…good man: and blessed may he be,
Both Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to all eternity.
The next good joy that Mary had, it was the joy of two;
To see her own son, Jesus Christ, to make the lame to go:
To make the lame to go,… Refrain
The next good joy that Mary had, it was the joy of three;
To see her own son, Jesus Christ, to make the blind to see:
To make the blind to see,… Refrain
The next good joy that Mary had, it was the joy of four;
To see her own son, Jesus Christ, to read the bible o’er:
To read the bible o’er,… Refrain
The next good joy that Mary had, it was the joy of five;
To see her own son, Jesus Christ, to bring the dead alive:
To bring the dead alive,… Refrain
The next good joy that Mary had, it was the joy of six;
To see her own son, Jesus Christ, upon the crucifix:
Upon the crucifix,… Refrain
The next good joy that Mary had, it was the joy of seven;
To see her own son, Jesus Christ, to wear the crown of heaven:
To wear the crown of heaven,… Refrain
O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee to-night.
For Christ is born of Mary,
And gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth!
And praises sing to God the King,
And peace to men on earth.
How silently, how silently,
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still
The dear Christ enters in.
Where children pure and happy
Pray to the blessed Child,
Where misery cries out to thee,
Son of the mother mild;
Where charity stands watching
And faith holds wide the door,
The dark night wakes, the glory breaks,
And Christmas comes once more.
O holy Child of Bethlehem!
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in,
Be born in us to-day.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!