where art collides

Hark! the herald angels sing:
‘Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!’
Joyful, all ye nations, rise!
Join the triumphs of the skies!
With th’angelic host proclaim:
‘Christ is born in Bethlehem!’

Hark! the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King. 

Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord:
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of a Virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see!
Hail the incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with man to dwell:
Jesus, our Emmanuel!

Hail!, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.

Adeste, fideles, 
Laeti triumphantes,
Venite, venite in Bethlehem!
Natum videte, Regem Angelorum!

Venite adoremus!
Venite adoremus!
Venite adoremus
Dominum!

O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come and behold Him, 
Born the King of Angels!

O come let us adore Him, x3
Christ the Lord!

God of God,
Light of Light,
Lo! He abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
Very God, 
Begotten, not created.

See how the shepherds
Summoned to his cradle,
Leaving their flocks draw nigh to gaze!
We, too, will thither
Bend our hearts’ oblations.

Lo, star led chieftains,
Magi, Christ adoring,
Offer him incense, gold and myrrh;
We to the Christ-child
Bring our hearts’ oblations.

Child, for us sinners,
Poor and in the manger,
Fain we embrace thee with love and awe;
Who would not love thee,
Loving us so dearly?

Sing, choirs of angels!
Sing in exultation!
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
‘Glory to God
In the highest.’

Yea, Lord we greet thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesu, to thee be glory given,
Word of the Father
Now in flesh appearing.

Last verse traditionally only sung on Christmas Day itself.

The first ‘Nowell!’ the angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep.

Nowell! nowell! nowell! nowell,
Born is the King of Israel.

They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the east beyond them far;
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night.

And by the light of that same star
Three wise men came from country far;
To seek for a King was their intent,
And to follow the star wherever it went.

This star drew nigh to the north-west:
O’er Bethlehem it took its rest;
And there it did both stop and stay,
Right over the place where Jesus lay.

Then did they know assuredly
Within that house the king did lie;
One entered in then for to see,
And found the babe in poverty.

Then entered in those wise men three,
Full reverently upon their knee,
And offered there, in his presence,
Both gold and myrrh, and frankincense.

Between an ox-stall and an ass
This Child there truly borned was;
For want of clothing they did him lay
All in the manger, among the hay.

Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord
That hath made heaven and earth of nought,
And with his blood mankind hath bought.

If we in our lifetime shall do well
We shall be free from death and hell,
For God hath prepared for us all
A resting-place in general.

On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

a partridge in a pear tree
two turtle doves
three French hens
four cally birds
five gold rings
six geese a laying
seven swans a swimming
eight maids a milking
nine   ladies dancing
ten lords a leaping
eleven pipers piping
twelve drummers drumming

Deck the hall with boughs of holly:
‘Tis the season to be jolly!
Fill the mead cup drain the barrel
Troll the ancient Christmas Carol

See the flowing bowl before us!
Strike the harp and join the chorus!
Follow me in merry measure,
While I tell of beauty’s treasure.

Fast away the old year passes,
Hail the new, ye lads and lasses!
Laughing, quaffing, all together,
Heedless of the wind and weather.

We wish you a merry Christmas x3
And a happy new year!

Good tidings we bring to you and your kin;
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Now bring us a figgy pudding x3
And bring it us here!

Oh we won’t go until we’ve got some x3
So give it us here!

Oh we all like figgy pudding x 3
So bring it out here!

The angel Gabriel from heaven came,
His wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame:
‘All hail,’ said he, ‘thou lowly maiden Mary,
Most highly favoured lady!’ Gloria!

‘For known a blessed Mother thou shalt be;
All generations laud and honour thee:
Thy Son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold.
Most highly favoured lady!’ Gloria!

Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head;
‘To me be as it pleaseth God!’ she said.
‘My soul shall laud and magnify his holy Name.’
Most highly favoured lady!’ Gloria!

Of her Emmanuel, the Christ, was born,
In Bethlehem, all on a Christmas morn;
And Christian folk throughout the world will ever say:
Most highly favoured lady!’ Gloria!

We three kings of Orient are,
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.

O Star of Wonder, Star of Night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Born a king on Bethlehem’s plain,
Gold I bring to crown him again,
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign.

Frankincense to offer have I,
Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising all men raising,
Worship Him, God on high.

Myrrh is mine; Its bitter perfume
Breaths a life of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.

Glorious now behold Him arise,
King, and God and sacrifice.
Heaven sing: ‘Alleluia’;
‘Alleluia’ the earth replies.

Ding! dong! merrily on high
In heav’n the bells are ringing;
Ding dong! verily the sky
Is riv’n with angel singing.

Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis! Gloria!

E’en so here below, below,
Let steeple bells be swungen,
And ‘Io, io, io!’
By priest and people sungen.

Pray you, dutifully prime
Your matin chime, ye ringers;
May you beautifully rime
Your evetime song, ye singers!

Silent night! holy night!
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child;
Holy Infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Silent night! holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing: ‘Alleluia!
Christ the Saviour, is born!
Christ the Saviour, is born!

Silent night! holy night!
Son of God, love’s pure light,
Radiant, beams from thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth!
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth!

While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
All seated on the ground,
The angel of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around.

‘Fear not!’ said he; (for mighty dread
Had seized their troubled mind),
‘Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you and all mankind.

‘To you, in David’s town, this day
Is born of David’s line,
The Saviour, who is Christ the Lord;
And this shall be the sign:

‘The heavenly babe you there shall find
To human view displayed,
All meanly wrapped in swathing bands,
And in a manger laid.’

Thus spake the seraph; and forthwith
Appeared a shining throng
Of angels, praising God, who thus
Addressed their joyful song:

‘All glory be to God on high,
And to the earth be peace;
Good will henceforth from highest heaven,
Begin and never cease.’

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 almighty
Jesus Christ.

Enough for him, whom cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breast full of milk
And a manger full 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.

God rest you merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
Remember Christ our Saviour
Was born on Christmas Day
To save poor souls from Satan’s power
Which had long time gone astray.

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy!

From God that is our Father
The blessed angels came,
Unto some certain shepherds
With tidings of the same:
That there was born in Bethlehem
The Son of God by Name.

‘Go fear not,’ said God’s angels,
‘Let nothing you afright
For there is born in Bethlehem,
Of a pure virgin bright,
One able to advance you
And throw down Satan quite’

The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding
In tempest storms of wind;
And straight they came to Bethlehem
The Son of God to find.

Now when they came to Bethlehem,
Where our sweet Saviour lay,
They found him in a manger,
Where oxen feed on hay;
The blessed Virgin, kneeling down,
Unto the Lord did pray.

With sudden joy and gladness
The shepherds were beguiled,
To see the Babe of Israel
Before his mother mild;
On them with joy and cheerfulness
Rejoice each mother’s child.

Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
Like we true loving brethren
Each other to embrace,
For the merry time of Christmas
Is drawing on apace.

God bless the ruler of this house,
And send him long to reign,
And many a merry Christmas
May live to see again
Among your friends and kindred
That live both far and near.

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about,
Deep and crisp and even;
Brightly shone the moon that night,
Though the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight,
Gath’ring winter fuel.

‘Hither, page, and stand by me;
If thou know’st it telling-
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?’
‘Sire, he lives a good league hence,
Underneath the mountain,
Right against the forest fence,
By Saint Agnes’ fountain.’

‘Bring me flesh, and bring me wine!
Bring me pine logs hither!
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear them thither.’
Page and monarch forth they went,
Forth they went together,
Through the rude wind’s wild lament
And the bitter weather.

‘Sire, the night is darker now,
And the wind grows stronger;
Fails my heart, I know not how.
I can go no longer.’
‘Mark my footsteps good my page,
Tread thou in them boldly:
Thou shalt find the winter’s rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly.’

In his master’s steps he trod,
Where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure,
Wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing.

The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown.

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 the lily flower,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
To be our sweet Saviour.

The holly bears a berry
As red as any blood,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good.

The holly bears a prickle
As sharp as any thorn,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
On Christmas Day in the morn.

The holly bears a bark
As bitter as any gall,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
For to redeem us all.

The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown.