O Night of Nights!

O night of nights! O night

Desired of man so long!

The an­cient heav­ens fled forth in light

To sing thee thy new song;

And shoot­ing down the steep

To shep­herd folk of old

An angel

while they watched their sheep

Set foot be­side the fold.

Lo! while as like to die

Of that keen light he shed

They looked on his pure ma­jes­ty

Amazed

and sore be­stead;

Lo! while with words of cheer

He bade their trem­bling cease

The flocks of God swept sweet­ly near

And sang to them of peace.

All on the hill­side grass

That ful­gent ra­di­ance fell

So close those in­no­cents did pass

Their words were heard right well;

Among the sheep

their wings

Some fold­ing

walked the sod

An or­dered throng of shin­ing things

White

with the smile of God.

The waits of Heav­en to hear

Oh! what it must have been!

Think

Christ­ian peo­ple

think

and fear

For cold hearts

for un­clean;

Think how the times go by

How love and long­ing fail

Think how we live and how we die

As this were but a tale.

O ten­der tale of old

Live in thy dear re­nown;

God’s smile was in the dark

be­hold

That way His hosts came down;

Light up

great God

Thy Word

Make the blest mean­ing strong

As if our ears

in­deed

had heard

The glo­ry of their song.

It was so far away

But Thou couldst make it near

And all its liv­ing might dis­play

And cry to it

Be here

Here

in the un­rest­ing town

As once re­mote to them

Who heard it when the heav’ns came down

On pas­tor­al Beth­le­hem.

It was so long ago

But God can make it now

And as with that sweet ov­er­flow

Our emp­ty hearts en­dow;

Take

Lord

those words out­worn

O! make them new for aye

Speak—Unto you a child is born

Today—to­day—to­day.