Let all mortal flesh keep silence
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly-minded,
For with blessing in his hand
Christ, our God, to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to command.
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords in human vesture,
In the body and the blood
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heav’nly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way
As the Light from Light, descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the pow’rs of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.
At his feet the six-winged seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
“Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, Lord Most High!”
“Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, Lord Most High!”
Word: From the Liturgy of St. James, 5th C.; tr. Gerard Moultrie
Music: Traditional French Carol; arr. Erik Dewar, Ruth Gregornik, Caleb Wiley
© Public Domain