An Infant Lay Within a Shed

An in­fant lay with­in a shed

Where ox and ass were tied and fed;

Hard by there stood a maid­en mild;

’Twas Ma­ry

mo­ther to the Child.

My God

my Lord

Je­sus

’Twas He was cra­dled thus.

With voic­es sweet in awe to Him

There sung a choir of se­ra­phim

Praise

wor­ship

glo­ry

loud they cry

To God whose king­dom fills the sky.

The shep­herds

when they heard them say

Anon with glad­ness went their way

To Beth­lem; when they found Him there

That no­ble Child

full fain they were.

A bright star at the self-same tide

Was by the three good kings es­pied:

Afar from east­ern land they fare;

A good­ly pre­sent each doth bear.

Before yon babe

of high de­gree

They kneel and pray on bend­ed knee

Presenting gifts with rev­er­ence

Of gold

and myrrh

and frank­in­cense.

Then Her­od King

in mood un­mild

Assayed to slay the roy­al Child;

Fell ma­ny a babe at his com­mand

But Christ was safe in Egypt-land.

When thir­ty years were ful­ly past

This In­fant

He was crossed at last

Was dead

and bur­ied tomb with­in

That man eter­nal life might win.

But

on the third day

no­thing else

He rose again

as Gos­pel tells:

Ascended to His Fa­ther-land

There sit­teth He at God’s right hand.