Angels we have heard on high

Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o'er the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains.

Refrain

Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heavenly song?

Refrain

Come to Bethlehem and see
Christ Whose birth the angels sing
Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.

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See Him in a manger laid,
Whom the choirs of angels praise
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
While our hearts in love we raise.

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An al­ter­nate trans­la­tion, by George Rat­cliffe Wood­ward (1848-1934):

Shepherds in the field abiding,
Tell us when the seraph bright
Greeted you with wondrous tiding,
What you saw and heard that night.

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We beheld-it is no fable-
God incarnate, King of bliss,
Swathed and cradled in a stable,
And the angel strain was this:

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Choristers on high were singing
Jesus and His virgin birth,
Heavenly bells the while a-ringing
"Peace, good will to men on earth."

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