Scripture Verse

The star…went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. Matthew 2:9

Introduction

Words: Ly­dia L. A. Ve­ry (1823–1901).

Music: Dar­ley Will­iam H. W. Dar­ley (1801–1872) (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Dar­ley (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

portrait
Lydia Louisa Anne Very
1823–1901

Lyrics

Christ’s birth­day! soft come float­ing down
The man­ger songs from by­gone years;
Till earth’s white robe new glo­ry wears,
And bright­ly in her shin­ing crown
Each lone­ly star a guide ap­pears.

A guide where ma­ny an in­fant lies,
Born in­to po­ver­ty like Him;
Where plen­ty’s face has ne­ver smiled,
Beneath the light of fad­ing eyes,
Where life’s pale lamp is flick­er­ing, dim.

The man­ger songs! Oh, sweet the lays
Each mo­ther’s lov­ing lips have sung,
’Neath cot­tage roof and pa­lace dome!
Like warb­ling birds in spring’s first days
Back to the ag­èd heart they come.

And soft­ly on the list­en­ing ear
Do an­gel voic­es ca­rol still,
Peace on the earth, good will to men
As on the wild Ju­de­an hills;
And wait­ing spi­rits breathe, Am­en.

Our birth­day! if we wake to life,
The life that ev­er mov­eth on,
That knows no change of time or death,
But, like a calm stream ’mid earth’s strife,
Mirrors the Hea­ven it looks up­on.