Whence ap­pears this bril­liant star
In the east­ern skies afar?
Never hath a ray so bright
Pierced the gloomy shades of night.

See! the glo­ry of its beams
With celestial ra­di­ance streams
Towards Ju­dea’s ho­ly land,
Guiding there a faith­ful band.

There, a low­ly in­fant made,
There, in Beth­le­hem’s man­ger laid,
Christ, the Prince of Life, they find—
Christ, the Sav­ior of man­kind.

Ye who slight Em­ma­nu­el’s grace,
Who in Him no beau­ty trace,
Here His love for sin­ners see,
In His deep hu­mil­ity.

Rise and shine, bright morn­ing star!
Spread thy hea­v’n­ly light afar,
Till each heart il­lum­ined be,
With the ra­di­ance shed by thee.