Hymns on the Nativity · Part 9

R., Blessed is the Child that is worshipped.

8. The months wore three crowns, and crowned Him in His triumphs.--Blessed is the Sun for His Birth, and for His Resurrection desired,--and for His Ascension blessed; the months have borne Him crowns.

R., Blessed be He Who has triumphed in His months!

9. Unveil and make glad thy face, O Creature, in our feast.--Let the Church sing with voice; Heaven and earth in silence!--Sing and praise the Child, who has brought release for all!

R., Blessed be He Who has annulled the bonds!

10. When fools did reverence to the Sun, in reverence to him they disgraced him.--But now when all know he is a servant, in his course his Lord is worshipped;--all servants rejoice, that as servants they are reckoned.

R., Blessed be He Who ordered their natures!

11. We have done perverse things, who have become servants of servants.--Lo! our freedom compelled him, a servant, to become lord to us:--the Sun, the servant for all, we have made Lord for all.

R., Blessed is He Who to Himself has turned us!

12. And the Moon too which was worshipped, has been set free by His Birth.--For 'tis strange that by her light, which enlightens the eyes,--by it the eyes were darkened, that they gazed on her as a God.

R., Blessed be the beam that has enlightened us!

13. Fire commended Thy Birth, which drew away worship from it.--The magi used to worship it: they who have worshipped before Thee.--They left it and worshipped its Lord; they exchanged fire for the Fire.

R., Blessed is He Who has bathed us in His light!

14. In place of the senseless fire that eats up its own body of itself,--the magi adored the Fire Who gave His Body to be eaten.--The live coal drew near and sanctified, the lips that were unclean.

R., Blessed is He Who has mixed His Fire in us!

15. Delusion blinded men, to worship created things:--fellow servants were worshipped, and the God of all was wronged.--He Who is to be worshipped came down to His birth, and gathered to himself worship.

R., Blessed is He Who by all is worshipped!

16. The All-knowing saw, that men worship things that were made:--He put on a body that was made, that in our custom He might take us captive,--and by a body that was made, drew us to the Creator.

R., Blessed be He Who drew us with guile!

17. The Evil One knew how to harm us; and by lights he blinded us,--by possessions he hurt us, through gold he made us poor,--by the graver's graven images, he made us a heart of stone.

R., Blessed is He Who came and softened it!

18. They graved and set up stones, whereon men should stumble.--They set them not on the highway, for the blind to stumble on:--they called them Gods, that on them with open eyes men might stumble.

R., Blessed is He Who exposed the idols which they feared!

19. Sin had spread its wings, and covered all things,--that none could discern, of himself or from above, the truth.--Truth came down into the womb, came forth and rolled away error.

R., Blessed is He Who dispelled Sin by His Birth!

20. For Mercy endured not, to see the way hindered.--When He came down for conception, He opened the way and made it easy:--when He came forth in birth, He trod it and marked its miles.

R., Blessed is the peace of Thy Way!

21. He chose the Prophets; they cleared the way for the people:--He sent the Apostles; they smoothed paths for the nations.--The snares of the Evil One were shamed, when feeble men cleared them away.

R., Blessed is He Who made our paths plain!

22. The graven images blinded, their gravers in secret:--they graved eyes on stone, and darkened the eyes of the soul.--Praise to Thy Birth that opened, the sight that was blinded.

R., Blessed be He Who has restored sight!

23. Let women praise Her, the pure Mary,--that as in Eve their mother,--great was their reproach,--lo! in Mary their sister,--greatly magnified was their honour.

R., Blessed is He Who sprang from women!

24. Let the nations praise Thy Birth, that they have gained eyes to see,--how their wine has made them reel; and they have seen their own humiliation?--They come to know themselves, and worship Him who has rescued them.

R., Blessed is He Who has taught repentance!

25. Its worship mankind--had spread everywhere:--Him Who is to be worshipped it sought not, that worship should be paid Him.--But He endured not--worshippers that err.

R., Blessed is He Who came down and is worshipped!

26. The gold of the idols worshipped Thee, that Thou didst treat it as alms; which availed not apart, for the uses of life.--It hasted to Thy purse, as it had hasted to the manger.

R., Blessed be He Whom Creation has loved!

27. The frankincense worshipped Thy Birth, which had served demons.--It sorrowed then in its vapour: it exulted when it saw its Lord.--Instead of being the incense of delusion, it was an oblation before God!