Ah! how humble is thy birth
In the lowly manger,
Thou the Lord of heaven and earth,
Weeping as a stranger;
If a King indeed art thou,
Where is all thy glory now?
Where thy halls of splendour?
Here is nought but poverty,
Barren need and penury,
Little child so tender.
"Hither hath a love sublime
Drawn me down so lowly,
Love of man whose greed and crime
Make the earth unholy.
I must suffer this disgrace
To uplift the human race,
Out of woes distressing;
I must suffer want and pain,
To enrich your race, and gain
Everlasting blessing."
Thee I praise, my King divine
With a thousand praises;
Loving thoughts this love of thine
In my bosom raises.
Glory, glory evermore
Be to thee from shore to shore,
Lord of earth and heaven;
Honor unto thee and love
Through the earth and heaven above
Be forever given.
John Mauburne (1460 - 1502) Belgium
Translated by Daniel Joseph Donahoe
Source: Early Christian Hymns: Series II. Translations of the Verses of the Most Noted Latin Writers of the Early and Middle Ages, edited by Daniel Joseph Donahoe, Donahoe Publishing Company, 1911
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please keep your comments relevant and free from abusive language. Thank you. Note that comments are moderated so it may be a day or two before your comment is posted - irrelevant or abusive comments will not be published.