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!
R., Blessed is Thy Birth which is worshipped!
28. The myrrh worshipped Thee for itself, and for its kindred ointments.--The hands that bore its ointment, had anointed abominable graven images.--To Thee the perfume was sweet, from the anointing wherewith Mary anointed Thee.
R., Blessed is Thy savour which is sweet to us!
29. The gold that had been worshipped worshipped thee, when the magi offered it.--That which had been worshipped in molten images, gave worship to Thee.--With its worshippers it worshipped Thee, it confessed that Thou art He that is to be worshipped.
R., Blessed is He Who claimed worship for Himself!
30. The Evil One fled and his hosts, he that used to exult in the world.--In the high places they sacrificed heifers to him, in the gardens they slew bulls for him.--He swallowed up all creation, he filled his belly with prey.
R., Blessed be He Who came and made him disgorge!
31. Of him the Lord said, that he had fallen from Heaven.--The Abhorred One had exalted himself; from his uplifting he has fallen. The foot of Mary has trod him down, who bruised Eve with his heel.
R., Blessed be He Who by His Birth laid him low!
32. Chaldeans went about, in all places and led astray:--the preachers of delusion, were shamed through the world,--they were shamed and overcome,--by the preachers of truth.
R., Blessed be the Babe Whom they preached!
33. Sin had spread out, her nets for the draught.--Praise be to Thy Birth that captured, the nets of delusion.--The soul took flight on high, which had been taken in the deep.
R., Blessed is He Who prepared for us wings!
34. His Will was able, even by force to rescue us.--But since it was not force that made us guilty, it was not by force He purged us.--The Evil One by enticement enslaved us: Thy Birth enticed to give us life.
R., Blessed be He Who planned and gave us life!
35. The creatures complained that they were worshipped; in silence they sought release.--The All-Releaser heard, and because He endured it not He came down,--put on the form of a servant in the womb, came forth, set free Creation.
R., Blessed be He Who made his Creation his gain!
36. Mercy was kindled on high, at the voice of Creation that cried out:--Gabriel was sent; he came and gave tidings of Thy Conception.--When Thou camest to the Birth, Watchers gave tidings of thy coming forth.
R., Blessed be by Thy Worship above all!
37. For greater is the joy of the Birth than the Conception.--Yea it was one angel, that brought us tidings of Thy Conception:--but in the joy of Thy Birth, a multitude of Watchers brought tidings.
R., Blessed be Thy tidings in Thy day!
38. Glory to Thee I too in Thy day, will offer, O Thou that art worshipped!--Take of the fruit that is mine; and give me mercy which is Thine!--For if the evil that is in me gives gifts, how much more shalt Thou give Who art good!
R., Blessed is Thy wealth in Thy servant!
39. The two things Thou soughtest, in Thy Birth have been done for us.--Our visible body Thou hast put on; Thy invisible might we have put on:--our body has become Thy clothing; Thy Spirit has become our robe.
R., Blessed be He Who has been adorned and has adorned us!
40. Height and depth were amazed, that Thy Birth subdued the rebels.--For that we gave Thee hostages, Thou gavest us the Paraclete:--when the hostages went up from us, the Captain of the host came down to us.
R., Blessed be He Who took away and sent down!
41. Come ye mouths of all and pour forth, and be in the likeness of waters, and wells of voices! May the Holy Spirit come,--and sing glory through us all, to the Father Who has redeemed us through His Son!
R., Blessed is He above all in His Birth!
Hymn XVI.
(Resp.--Glory to all of Thee from all of us! (bis.)
1. Who then that is mortal man, can declare concerning the All-Life giver,--Who quitted the height of His Majesty, and abased Himself to humility?--Thou Who exaltest all in Thy Birth, exalt my weak mind,--to declare of Thy Birth; not that I should search out Thy Majesty,--but that I should proclaim Thy grace.
R., Blessed be He Who conceals and reveals in His discourses!
2. It is a great marvel that the Son, dwelt wholly in a body;--abode therein wholly and it sufficed for Him; dwelt therein though not bounded thereby.--His Will was wholly therein; His bounds reached wholly to His Father.--Who is sufficient to tell, how though He dwelt wholly in a body.--He likewise dwelt wholly in all?
R., Blessed is He Who though without bounds was bounded!
3. Thy Majesty is concealed from us; Thy Grace is revealed before us.--I will be silent, O Lord of Thy Majesty; and I will tell of Thy grace.--Thy grace clove to Thee, and bowed Thee down to our vileness:--Thy grace made Thee a babe; Thy grace made Thee man:--it straitened, it enlarged, Thy Majesty.
R., Blessed be the might that became little and became great!
4. Glory to Him Who became lowly, though lofty He was by His nature!--He became in His love the firstborn of Mary, Firstborn though He be of Godhead.--He became in name the offspring of Joseph, offspring though He be of the Most High.--He became by His own Will man, God though He be by His Nature.--Glorified be Thy Will and Thy Nature!
R., Blessed be Thy Glory which put on our image!
5. Yea, O Lord, Thy Birth, has become mother of all creatures; for it travailed anew and gave birth, to mankind which gave birth to Thee. Thou wast born of it bodily; it was born of Thee spiritually.--All that Thou camest for to birth, was that man might be born in Thy likeness.--Thy Birth became the author of birth to all.
R., Blessed be He Who became a youth and to all gave youth!
6. When man's hope had broken down, hope was increased by Thy Birth.--Good tidings of hope they bore, the Heavenly Ones to men.--Satan who cut off our hope, his own hope by his own hands had cut off.--when he saw that hope was increased: Thy Birth became to the hopeless,--a fountain teaming with hope.
R., Blessed be He Who bore the tidings of hope!
7. The day of Thy Birth is like Thee, for it is desired and loved as Thou.--We who saw not Thy Birth, and its flame as in its own time,--in this Thy day we see Thee, even as Thou wast a babe;--beloved by all men, lo! in Thee the Churches rejoice;--Thy day adorns and is adorned.
R., Blessed be Thy day which was ordained for us!
8. Thy day has given us a gift, to which the Father has none other like;--It was not Seraphim He sent us, nor yet did Cherubim come down among us;--there came not Watchers or Ministers, but the Firstborn to Whom they minister.--Who can suffice to give thanks, that the Majesty which is beyond measure--is laid in the lowly manger!
R., Blessed be He Who gave us what He had won!
9. That generation Thy Birth made glad, and our generation Thy day makes glad: twofold was the happiness of that generation, for they saw Thy Birth and also Thy day:--less is the happiness of them that come after, for the day of Thy Birth they see only.--Yet because they that then were, doubted, greater is the happiness of them that come after,--who though they have not seen Thee have believed in Thee.
R., Blessed be Thy happiness that is added to us!
10. The Magi exalted from afar; the Scribes murmured near at hand;--the prophet showed his message, and Herod his wrath;--the scribes showed their doctrine, the Magi showed their offerings. It is a marvel that to Him, the Babe, they of His own house hasted with their swords, and they that were strangers with their offerings.