The Hymns and Carols of Christmas

Lift Your Voices And Sing

Personet hodie

For Christmas, Epiphany

Latin words and melody (in Mode I) from Music: Piæ Cantiones, 1582.

English Words by K. W. Simpson

Compare: Personent hodie, with notes and links to translations.

Source: Richard Runciman Terry, Two Hundred Folk Carols (London: Burns Oates & Washbourne Limited, 1933), Carol #171, pp. 24-25.

 

1. Lift your voices and sing;
Let the glad tidings ring;
“We have found Him, the King!”
Gift of God most holy,
Born of Virgin lowly,
Sing His praise, praise, praise
All our days, days, days,
For our Father in Heaven
Hath a Saviour given.

2. In the manger austere,
Cattle's bedding to share,
He, our King, lieth there!
Tattered garments dight Him,
Flickering candles light Him:
'Tis our Lord-Lord-Lord,
With His Word-Word-Word,
Prince of Darkness did slay,
Light hath giv'n us always.

3. Here the three Magi came;
They had heard of His name;
They had heard of His fame.
And the bright star's gleaming
Led where He lay dreaming:
Off'rings fair-fair-fair,
Gold and myrrh-myrrh-myrrh,
To His cradle they bring,
At His feet adoring.

4. Let us all sing with mirth,
Like the angels on earth
Tidings glad pouring forth!
Old and young uniting,
In the Son delighting:
Let us sing-sing-sing,
Of the King-King-King,
Of the gift to us giv'n
This glad day from Heaven.

1. Personent hodie
Voces puerulae,
Laudantes iucunde
Qui nobis est natus,
Summo Deo datus,
Et de vir, vir, vir,
Et de vir, vir, vir,
Et de virgineo
Ventre procreatus.

2. In mundo nascitur,
Pannis involvitur
Praesepi ponitur
Stabulo brutorum,
Rector supernorum.
Perdi dit-dit-dit
Perdi dit-dit-dit,
Perdidit spolia
Princeps infernorum.

3. Magi tres venerunt,
Magi tres venerunt,
Parvulum inquirunt,
Stellulam sequendo,
Ipsum adorando,
Aurum, thus, thus, thus,
Aurum, thus, thus, thus,
Aurum, thus, et myrrham
Ei offerendo.

4. Omnes clericuli,
Pariter pueri,
Cantent ut angeli:
Advenisti mundo,
Laudes tibi fundo.
Ide-o-o-o,
Ide-o-o-o,
Ideo gloria
In excelsis Deo.

 

Sheet Music from Richard Runciman Terry, Two Hundred Folk Carols (London: Burns Oates & Washbourne Limited, 1933), Carol #171, pp. 24-25.

171a-Lift_Your_Voices.jpg (105035 bytes) 171b-Lift_Your_Voices.jpg (69624 bytes)

Note:

A single copy of Piæ Cantiones found its way into the hands of Rev. John Mason Neale and Rev. Thomas Helmore in 1853, and from this exceptionally rare volume an immense amount of music was saved from oblivion. For more information, see Piæ Cantiones.

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