Scripture Verse

A virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel. Matthew 1:23

Introduction

Words: Fred­er­ick G. Lee, in Car­ols Old and Car­ols New, by Charles L. Hutch­ins (Bos­ton, Mas­sa­chu­setts: Par­ish Choir, 1916), num­ber 10.

Music: Bor­row Will­iam H. Bor­row, in Car­ols Old and Car­ols New, by Charles L. Hutch­ins (Bos­ton, Mas­sa­chu­setts: Par­ish Choir, 1916), num­ber 10 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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

Lyrics

Slowly fall the snow­flakes,
Clothing earth in white,
Sweetly bells are chim­ing,
On this Christ­mas night;
Dark the earth afore­time,
White on Christ­mas morn;
Christ the curse re­vers­ing—
Mary’s Son is born.

Slowly fall the snow­flakes,
Virgin-white the sod,
In the chill des­cend­ing,
Like the grace of God;
Wild the var­ied chim­ings,
One tale on­ly tell—
Lies in Beth­le­hem’s manger
Great Em­ma­nu­el.

Slowly fall the snow­flakes,
Hang the hol­ly high,
Bright its ber­ries greet­ing
God In­car­nate nigh;
Dark the earth no long­er,
Barren ne­ver­more,
Grace-flow­ers spring to blos­som
On th’eter­nal shore.