Let Sighing Cease and Woe

Let sigh­ing cease and woe

God from on high hath heard

Heaven’s gate is op­en­ing wide

and lo!

The long ex­pect­ed Word.

Peace—through the deep of night

The heav­en­ly choir breaks forth

Singing with fes­tal songs and bright

Our God and Sav­ior’s birth.

The cave of Beth­le­hem

Those wake­ful shep­herds seek;

Let us

too

rise and greet with them

That In­fant pure and meek.

We en­ter—at the door

What mar­vel meets the eye?

A crib

a mo­ther pale and poor

A child of po­ver­ty.

Art Thou the eter­nal Son

The eter­nal Fa­ther’s ray?

Whose lit­tle hand

Thou infant one

Doth lift the world al­way?

Yea—faith through that dim cloud

Like lightn­ing darts be­fore

And greets Thee

at whose foot­stool bowed

Heaven’s trem­bling hosts adore.

Our Mas­ter—si­lent yet

Thou teache­st from Thy chair;

Shun that on which thy flesh is set;

What flesh ab­hor­reth—bear.

Chaste be our love like Thine

Our swell­ing souls bring low

And in our hearts

O Babe di­vine

Be born

abide and grow.

So shall Thy birth­day morn

Lord Christ

our birth­day be

Then greet we all

our­selves new­born

Our King’s na­ti­vi­ty.

Born at a vir­gin’s beast

Jesu

be praise to Thee

With Sire and Ho­ly Spir­it blest

Through all eter­ni­ty.