Scripture Verse

There were…shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them. Luke 2:8–9

Introduction

Words: From Ger­ma­ny, some­time be­tween the 13th and 17th Cen­tu­ries (Quem pas­tor­es lauda­ve­re). Trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by John O’Con­nor in Arun­del Hymns, by Hen­ry Fitz­a­lan-How­ard & Charles T. Gat­ty, 1902, num­ber 29.

Music: Quem Pas­tor­es me­lo­dy from Hoh­en­furth (now Vyš­ší Brod, Czech­ia) ma­nu­script, 1410 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Lyrics

Shepherds, tell your beau­te­ous sto­ry,
How the dazz­ling an­gel glo­ry
Sang to Ju­da’s hill­sides hoa­ry,
Born is your eter­nal King.

Bethlehem hath now be­hold­en
Kings of tribes far off and old­en,
Incense, myrrh and trea­sure golde­n
To her con­quer­ing Li­on bring.

So with Ma­ry’s glad­ness blend­ing,
Let our than­kful­ness as­cend­ing
Scale high Heav’n in sweet con­tend­ing
With the an­gels’ glo­ri­ous choir.

God with us, thro’ Ma­ry, dwell­eth!
This dear grace all praise ex­cell­eth;
Let the song such bliss that tell­eth
In its own great joy ex­pire.