Scripture Verse

Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

Introduction

Words: Charles Cof­fin, in the Pa­ris Bre­vi­ary, 1736 (Mun­di Sal­us Qui Nas­cer­is). Trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by Ro­bert Camp­bell (1814–1868). Pub­lished in An­nus Sanc­tus, Vol­ume 1, ed­it­ed by Or­by Ship­ley (Lon­don and New York: Burns & Oates, 1884), page 36.

Music: Well­es­ley Liz­zie Tour­jée, 1878 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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

portrait
Charles Coffin (1676–1749)

Lyrics

Holy Babe, our great sal­va­tion,
Jesu, born to save the earth,
Let pure hearts with love un­fail­ing
Celebrate Thy won­drous birth.

Loving Shep­herd, night des­cend­ing
Calls us soon to need­ful sleep;
But Thou still, Thy flock de­fend­ing,
From the wolf wilt guard Thy sheep.

From the bo­som of Thy mo­ther,
Thou, like us, didst nur­ture find;
Be Thou then our el­der bro­ther,
And pro­tect­or ev­er kind.

Hail, the Day­spring of sal­va­tion;
Virgin born, to Thee be praise;
Father, Thine be ado­ra­tion;
Spirit, Thine through end­less days.