Scripture Verse

Good tidings of great joy. Luke 2:10

Introduction

Words & Mu­sic: Evi­dent­ly an old French car­ol from the Be­san­çon re­gion (On vint de nous ai­pou­tha). Trans­lat­ed from French to Eng­lish by John O’Con­nor (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know when the trans­la­tion was done, or where to get a good pic­ture of O’Con­nor (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Lyrics

We’ve been told a joy­ful thing,
News for all the na­tions.
Angels have been heard to sing
Round the shep­herd sta­tions,
One in­toned the Glo­ria,
Others Al­le­lu­ia;
Peace to all things hu­man;
War no more for true man.

Up and get you quick­ly there
Folk of field and vil­lage!
Over to that sta­ble bare
Up be­yond the til­lage.
There you’ll find a ba­by born
Old be­fore His mo­ther’s morn
Young with dewy splen­dor
Of par­ent stem so ten­der.

So we come to pay our vows:
Hail! God save thee, Ma­ry!
Joseph, man of this poor house,
Fortune seems con­tra­ry.
Let us look on Christ the Lord,
That was sure the an­gel’s word.
Swathèd in a man­ger,
Welcome, ho­ly Stran­ger!