1000 Songs/While shepherds watched their flocks by night (Tate and Brady)

While shepherds watched their flocks by night (Tate and Brady)

1000 Songs

Text
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks:

Dum nocte pastores suum custodiunt pecus, circumfulgente gloria descendit angelus. "Ne timeatis!" inquit is (nam sunt perterriti) "Magnum proclamo gaudium vobis et generi. In urbe David hodie de David stripe fit Salvator Christus nomine; et signum hoc erit: infantem ibi quaerite in visu hominum, vestitum valde viliter, praesepi creditum." Sic ille; cuius comites nitere visi sunt, Deum magnificans cohors, qui sic cecinerunt: "Nunc fiat pax hominibus et Deo gloria, et caritas inter duos esto perpetua."

While shepherds watched their flocks by night, all seated on the ground, the angel of the Lord came down, and glory shone around. "Fear not," said he, for mighty dread had seized their troubled mind; "Glad tidings of great joy I bring to you and all mankind. "To you, in David's town, this day is born of David's line a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord; and this shall be the sign: "The heavenly Babe you there shall find to human view displayed, all meanly wrapped in swathing bands, and in a manger laid." Thus spake the seraph, and forthwith appeared a shining throng of angels praising God, who thus addressed their joyful song: "All glory be to God on high and on the earth be peace; good will henceforth from heaven to men begin and never cease."

Author
Nahum Tate (1652-1715) Nicholas Brady (1659-1726)

Translations/Challenges
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Tune
The standard tune in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries is the "" tune.