Merry Christmas

Ok; I can't be a total Scrooge, Grinch, Harod, etc. this Christmas season. I am going to be flying back to the USofA to see my family, so I'd better Christmas-cheer up. In the mean time my posts on apokalupto will be sparse, so don't expect too much until after the New Year's.

And, for the record, I do enjoy Christmas music. It's just that there's about a half-dozen songs that get so overplayed during this season that I have to cast my vision farther afield to find Christmas songs I can enjoy. Here's the lyrics to a real Christmas classic from 1582, Personet Hodie. (I prefer Gustav Holst's arrangement of this song for male voices accompanied by organ.)

Personet Hodie

Personent hodie
voces puerulae,
laudantes iucunde
qui nobis est natus,
summo Deo datus,
et de virgineo ventre procreatus.

In mundo nascitur,
pannis involvitur
praesepi ponitur
stabulo brutorum,
rector supernorum.
perdidit spolia princeps infernorum.

Magi tres venerunt,
parvulum inquirunt,
parvulum inquirunt,
stellulam sequendo,
ipsum adorando,
aurum, thus, et myrrham ei offerendo.

Omnes clericuli,
pariter pueri,
cantent ut angeli:
advenisti mundo,
laudes tibi fundo.
ideo gloria in excelsis Deo.
(via The Hymns and Carols of Christmas)

And for those of us who aren't Latin scholars, a translation.

On This Day Earth Shall Ring
trans. Jane M. Joseph

On this day earth shall ring
with the song children sing
to the Lord, Christ our King,
born on earth to save us;
him the Father gave us.

Refrain:
Id-e-o-o-o, id-e-o-o-o,
Id-e-o gloria in excelsis Deo!

His the doom, ours the mirth;
when he came down to earth,
Bethlehem saw his birth;
ox and ass beside him
from the cold would hide him.

Refrain

God's bright star, o'er his head,
Wise Men three to him led;
kneel they low by his bed,
lay their gifts before him,
praise him and adore him.

Refrain

On this day angels sing;
with their song earth shall ring,
praising Christ, heaven's King,
born on earth to save us;
peace and love he gave us.

Refrain

(via The Hymns and Carols of Christmas)