It came upon the midnight clear

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Edmund H. Sears

It came upon the midnight clear , also It came upon a midnight clear , is a poem and Christmas carol written by Edmund H. Sears (1810–1876), a pastor for the American Unitarian Association in Wayland, Massachusetts . He published the five-stanza poem in 1849.

Sears' lyrics are usually sung to two different melodies: (1) Carol , composed by Richard Storrs Willis, or (2) Noel to an English melody (1874 by Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900)). Some English-language hymnbooks contain different, differing versions of the text.

It was also set up by David Willcocks .

text

English translation
It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth
To touch their harps of gold;
"Peace on the earth, good will to men
From heaven's all-gracious King "-
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.
Still through the cloven skies they come
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O'er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever o'er its Babel-sounds
The blessed angels sing.
But with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love song which they bring; -
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing!
And ye, beneath life's crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing; -
Oh, rest beside the weary road
And hear the angels sing!
For lo! the days are hastening on
By prophet bards foretold,
When, with the ever circling years
Shall come the age of gold;
When Peace shall over all the earth,
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world give back the song,
Which now the angels sing.
In the clear midnight
The wonderful old song rang out
Of angels who bowed to the earth
To play their golden harps:
"Peace on earth, a pleasure to people,
From the merciful king of heaven. "
The world lay in solemn silence
To hear the angel chant.
Through the open sky they come
Peaceful with outspread wings.
And their heavenly music spreads
All over the exhausted world.
About their sad and low levels
Spread your wings.
And about the noise of Babel
The blessed angelic song can be heard.
Under the grief of sin and strife.
The world has been suffering for a long time.
Notwithstanding the angel chant are
Two thousand years of suffering and injustice have passed.
People are at war with one another, they don't hear
The message of peace they bring.
Be still, you warriors,
And hear the angels singing.
And you, you afflicted with grief,
You who are bent low
You who struggle up the steep path
With painful, slow steps.
See! Now are the happy golden hours
Get to you quickly.
Rest by the wayside
And hear the angels singing.
Please refer! Soon the days will come
Foretold by prophets
If in the cycle of years
The golden age is coming.
When there will be peace on earth
In old splendor
And the whole world is singing this song
That the angels are now singing.

Web links

Videos

  • Sound samples: a , b , c , d , e , f (Max Keenlyside, jazz piano)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com