Hunc, quem latebra et obstetrix,
  et virgo feta, et cunulae
  et inbecilla infantia
  regem dederunt gentibus, 100

    peccator intueberis
  celsum coruscis nubibus,
  deiectus ipse et inritus
  plangens reatum fletibus: 

    Cum vasta signum bucina 105
  terris cremandis miserit,
  et scissus axis cardinem
  mundi ruentis solverit: 

    Insignis ipse et praeminens
  meritis rependet congrua, 110
  his lucis usum perpetis,
  illis gehennam et tartarum.

  Iudaea tunc fulmen crucis

experta, qui sit, senties,
quem te furoris praesule 115
mors hausit et mox reddidit.

XI.  Hymn for Christmas-day

Why doth the sun re-orient take
A wider range, his limits break? 
Lo!  Christ is born, and o’er earth’s night
Shineth from more to more the light!

Too swiftly did the radiant day
Her brief course run and pass away: 
She scarce her kindly torch had fired
Ere slowly fading it expired.

  Now let the sky more brightly beam,
  The earth take up the joyous theme: 
  The orb a broadening pathway gains
  And with its erstwhile splendour reigns.

  Sweet babe, of chastity the flower,
  A virgin’s blest mysterious dower! 
  Rise in Thy twofold nature’s might: 
  Rise, God and man to reunite!

  Though by the Father’s will above
  Thou wert begot, the Son of Love,
  Yet in His bosom Thou didst dwell,
  Of Wisdom the eternal Well;

  Wisdom, whereby the heavens were made
  And light’s foundations first were laid: 
  Creative Word! all flows from Thee! 
  The Word is God eternally.

  For though with process of the suns
  The ordered whole harmonious runs,
  Still the Artificer Divine
  Leaves not the Father’s inmost shrine.

  The rolling wheels of Time had passed
  O’er their millennial journey vast,
  Before in judgment clad He came
  Unto the world long steeped in shame.

  The purblind souls of mortals crass
  Had trusted gods of stone and brass,
  To things of nought their worship paid
  And senseless blocks of wood obeyed.

  And thus employed, they fell below
  The sway of man’s perfidious foe: 
  Plunged in the smoky sheer abyss
  They sank bereft of their true bliss.

  But that sore plight of ruined man
  Christ’s pity could not lightly scan: 
  Nor let God’s building nobly wrought
  Ingloriously be brought to nought.

  He wrapped Him in our fleshly guise,
  That from the tomb He might arise,
  And man released from death’s grim snare
  Home to His Father’s bosom bear.

  This is the day of Thy dear birth,
  The bridal of the heaven and earth,
  When the Creator breathed on Thee
  The breath of pure humanity.