On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity

Compos'd 1629

This is the Month, and this the happy morn
Wherein the Son of Heav'ns eternal King
Of wedded Maid, and Virgin Mother born
Our great redemption from above did bring;
For so the holy sages once did sing, [ 5 ]
That he our deadly forfeit should release
And with his Father work us a perpetual peace

II
That glorious Form, that Light unsufferable
And that far-beaming blaze of Majesty
Wherwith he wont at Heav'ns high Councel-Table, [ 10 ]
To sit the midst of Trinal Unity
He laid aside; and here with us to be
Forsook the Courts of everlasting Day
And chose with us a darksom House of mortal Clay
III
Say Heav'nly Muse, shall not thy sacred vein [ 15 ]
Afford a present to the Infant God?
Hast thou no vers, no hymn, or solemn strein
To welcom him to this his new abode
Now while the Heav'n by the Suns team untrod
Hath took no print of the approching light, [ 20 ]
And all the spangled host keep watch in squadrons bright?
IV
See how from far upon the Eastern rode
The Star-led Wisards haste with odours sweet:
O run, prevent them with thy humble ode
And lay it lowly at his blessed feet; [ 25 ]
Have thou the honour first, thy Lord to greet
And joyn thy voice unto the Angel Quire
From out his secret Altar toucht with hallow'd fire
The Hymn
I
It was the Winter wilde
While the Heav'n-born-childe, [ 30 ]
All meanly wrapt in the rude manger lies;
Nature in aw to him
Had doff't her gawdy trim
With her great Master so to sympathize:
It was no season then for her [ 35 ]
To wanton with the Sun her lusty Paramour
II
Onely with speeches fair
She woo's the gentle Air
To hide her guilty front with innocent Snow
And on her naked shame, [ 40 ]
Pollute with sinfull blame
The Saintly Vail of Maiden white to throw
Confounded, that her Makers eyes
Should look so neer upon her foul deformities
III
But he her fears to cease, [ 45 ]
Sent down the meek-eyd Peace
She crown'd with Olive green, came softly sliding
Down through the turning sphear
His ready Harbinger
With Turtle wing the amorous clouds dividing, [ 50 ]
And waving wide her mirtle wand
She strikes a universall Peace through Sea and Land
IV
No War, or Battails sound
Was heard the World around:
The idle spear and shield were high up hung; [ 55 ]
The hooked Chariot stood
Unstain'd with hostile blood
The Trumpet spake not to the armed throng
And Kings sate still with awfull eye
As if they surely knew their sovran Lord was by. [ 60 ]
V
But peacefull was the night
Wherin the Prince of light
His raign of peace upon the earth began:
The Windes, with wonder whist
Smoothly the waters kist, [ 65 ]
Whispering new joyes to the milde Ocean
Who now hath quite forgot to rave
While Birds of Calm sit brooding on the charmed wave
VI
The Stars with deep amaze
Stand fixt in stedfast gaze, [ 70 ]
Bending one way their pretious influence
And will not take their flight
For all the morning light
Or Lucifer that often warn'd them thence;
But in their glimmering Orbs did glow, [ 75 ]
Untill their Lord himself bespake, and bid them go
VII
And though the shady gloom
Had given day her room
The Sun himself with-held his wonted speed
And hid his head for shame, [ 80 ]
As his inferiour flame
The new-enlightn'd world no more should need;
He saw a greater Sun appear
Then his bright Throne, or burning Axletree could bear
VIII
The Shepherds on the Lawn, [ 85 ]
Or ere the point of dawn
Sate simply chatting in a rustick row;
Full little thought they than
That the mighty Pan
Was kindly com to live with them below; [ 90 ]
Perhaps their loves, or els their sheep
Was all that did their silly thoughts so busie keep
IX
When such musick sweet
Their hearts and ears did greet
As never was by mortall finger strook, [ 95 ]
Divinely-warbled voice
Answering the stringed noise
As all their souls in blisfull rapture took:
The Air such pleasure loth to lose
With thousand echo's still prolongs each heav'nly close. [ 100 ]
X
Nature that heard such sound
Beneath the hollow round
Of Cynthia's seat, the Airy region thrilling
Now was almost won
To think her part was don, [ 105 ]
And that her raign had here its last fulfilling;
She knew such harmony alone
Could hold all Heav'n and Earth in happier union
XI
At last surrounds their sight
A Globe of circular light, [ 110 ]
That with long beams the shame-fac't night array'd
The helmed Cherubim
And sworded Seraphim
Are seen in glittering ranks with wings displaid
Harping in loud and solemn quire, [ 115 ]
With unexpressive notes to Heav'ns new-born Heir
XII
Such Musick (as 'tis said)
Before was never made
But when of old the sons of morning sung
While the Creator Great [ 120 ]
His constellations set
And the well-balanc't world on hinges hung
And cast the dark foundations deep
And bid the weltring waves their oozy channel keep
XIII
Ring out ye Crystall sphears, [ 125 ]
Once bless our human ears
(If ye have power to touch our senses so)
And let your silver chime
Move in melodious time;
And let the Base of Heav'ns deep Organ blow, [ 130 ]
And with your ninefold harmony
Make up full consort to th' Angelike symphony
XIV
For if such holy Song
Enwrap our fancy long
Time will run back, and fetch the age of gold, [ 135 ]
And speckl'd vanity
Will sicken soon and die
And leprous sin will melt from earthly mould
And Hell itself will pass away
And leave her dolorous mansions to the peering day. [ 140 ]
XV
Yea Truth, and Justice then
Will down return to men
Th' enameld Arras of the Rainbow wearing
And Mercy set between
Thron'd in Celestiall sheen, [ 145 ]
With radiant feet the tissued clouds down stearing
And Heav'n as at som festivall
Will open wide the Gates of her high Palace Hall
XVI
But wisest Fate sayes no
This must not yet be so, [ 150 ]
The Babe lies yet in smiling Infancy
That on the bitter cross
Must redeem our loss;
So both himself and us to glorifie:
Yet first to those ychain'd in sleep, [ 155 ]
The wakefull trump of doom must thunder through the deep
XVII
With such a horrid clang
As on mount Sinai rang
While the red fire, and smouldring clouds out brake:
The aged Earth agast [ 160 ]
With terrour of that blast
Shall from the surface to the center shake
When at the worlds last session
The dreadfull Judge in middle Air shall spread his throne
XVIII
And then at last our bliss [ 165 ]
Full and perfect is
But now begins; for from this happy day
Th' old Dragon under ground
In straiter limits bound
Not half so far casts his usurped sway, [ 170 ]
And wrath to see his Kingdom fail
Swindges the scaly Horrour of his foulded tail
XIX
The Oracles are dumm
No voice or hideous humm
Runs through the arched roof in words deceiving. [ 175 ]
Apollo from his shrine
Can no more divine
With hollow shreik the steep of Delphos leaving
No nightly trance, or breathed spell
Inspire's the pale-ey'd Priest from the prophetic cell. [ 180 ]
XX
The lonely mountains o're
And the resounding shore
A voice of weeping heard, and loud lament;
From haunted spring and dale
Edg'd with poplar pale, [ 185 ]
The parting Genius is with sighing sent
With flowre-inwov'n tresses torn
The Nimphs in twilight shade of tangled thickets mourn
XXI
In consecrated Earth
And on the holy Hearth, [ 190 ]
The Lars, and Lemures moan with midnight plaint
In Urns, and Altars round
A drear, and dying sound
Affrights the Flamins at their service quaint;
And the chill Marble seems to sweat, [ 195 ]
While each peculiar power forgoes his wonted seat
XXII
Peor, and Baalim
Forsake their Temples dim
With that twise-batter'd god of Palestine
And mooned Ashtaroth, [ 200 ]
Heav'ns Queen and Mother both
Now sits not girt with Tapers holy shine
The Libyc Hammon shrinks his horn
In vain the Tyrian Maids their wounded Thamuz mourn
XXIII
And sullen Moloch fled, [ 205 ]
Hath left in shadows dred
His burning Idol all of blackest hue
In vain with Cymbals ring
They call the grisly king
In dismall dance about the furnace blue; [ 210 ]
The brutish gods of Nile as fast
Isis and Orus, and the Dog Anubis hast
XXIV
Nor is Osiris seen
In Memphian Grove, or Green
Trampling the unshowr'd Grasse with lowings loud: [ 215 ]
Nor can he be at rest
Within his sacred chest
Naught but profoundest Hell can be his shroud:
In vain with Timbrel'd Anthems dark
The sable-stoled Sorcerers bear his worshipt Ark. [ 220 ]
XXV
He feels from Juda's land
The dredded Infants hand
The rayes of Bethlehem blind his dusky eyn;
Nor all the gods beside
Longer dare abide, [ 225 ]
Nor Typhon huge ending in snaky twine:
Our Babe, to shew his Godhead true
Can in his swadling bands controul the damned crew
XXVI
So when the Sun in bed
Curtain'd with cloudy red, [ 230 ]
Pillows his chin upon an Orient wave
The flocking shadows pale
Troop to th' infernall jail
Each fetter'd Ghost slips to his severall grave
And the yellow-skirted Fayes [ 235 ]
Fly after the Night-steeds, leaving their Moon-lov'd maze
XXVII
But see the Virgin blest
Hath laid her Babe to rest
Time is our tedious Song should here have ending
Heav'ns youngest-teemed Star [ 240 ]
Hath fixt her polisht Car
Her sleeping Lord with Handmaid Lamp attending
And all about the Courtly Stable
Bright-harnest Angels sit in order serviceable