Christmas Antiphones

I -- In Church

Thou whose birth on earthAngels sang to men,While thy stars made mirth,Saviour, at thy birth,5This day born again;

As this night was brightWith thy cradle-ray,Very light of light,Turn the wild world's night10To thy perfect day.

God whose feet made sweetThose wild ways they trod,From thy fragrant feetStaining field and street15With the blood of God;

God whose breast is restIn the time of strife,In thy secret breastSheltering souls opprest20From the heat of life;

God whose eyes are skiesLove-lit as with spheresBy the lights that riseTo thy watching eyes,25Orbed lights of tears;

God whose heart hath partIn all grief that is,Was not man's the dartThat went through thine heart,30And the wound not his?

Where the pale souls wail,Held in bonds of death,Where all spirits quail,Came thy Godhead pale35Still from human breath -

Pale from life and strife,Wan with manhood, cameForth of mortal life,Pierced as with a knife,40Scarred as with a flame.

Thou the Word and LordIn all time and spaceHeard, beheld, adored,With all ages poured45Forth before thy face,

Lord, what worth in earthDrew thee down to die?What therein was worth,Lord, thy death and birth?50What beneath thy sky?

Light above all loveBy thy love was lit,And brought down the DoveFeathered from above55With the wings of it.

From the height of night,Was not thine the starThat led forth with mightBy no worldly light60Wise men from afar?

Yet the wise men's eyesSaw thee not more clearThan they saw thee riseWho in shepherd's guise65Drew as poor men near.

Yet thy poor endure,And are with us yet;Be thy name a sureRefuge for thy poor70Whom men's eyes forget.

Thou whose ways we praised,Clear alike and dark,Keep our works and waysThis and all thy days75Safe inside thine ark.

Who shall keep thy sheep,Lord, and lose not one?Who save one shall keep,Lest the shepherds sleep?80Who beside the Son?

From the grave-deep wave,From the sword and flame,Thou, even thou, shalt saveSouls of king and slave85Only by thy Name.

Light not born with mornOr her fires above,Jesus virgin-born,Held of men in scorn,90Turn their scorn to love.

Thou whose face gives graceAs the sun's doth heat,Let thy sunbright faceLighten time and space95Here beneath thy feet.

Bid our peace increase,Thou that madest morn;Bid oppressions cease;Bid the night be peace;100Bid the day be born.

II--OUTSIDE CHURCH

We whose days and waysAll the night makes dark,What day shall we praise105Of these weary daysThat our life-drops mark?

We whose mind is blind,Fed with hope of nought;Wastes of worn mankind,110Without heart or mind,Without meat or thought;

We with strife of lifeWorn till all life cease,Want, a whetted knife,115Sharpening strife on strife,How should we love peace?

Ye whose meat is sweetAnd your wine-cup red,Us beneath your feet120Hunger grinds as wheat,Grinds to make you bread.

Ye whose night is brightWith soft rest and heat,Clothed like day with light,125Us the naked nightSlays from street to street.

Hath your God no rod,That ye tread so light?Man on us as God,130God as man hath trod,Trod us down with might.

We that one by oneBleed from either's rod.What for us hath done135Man beneath the sun,What for us hath God?

We whose blood is foodGiven your wealth to feed,From the Christless rood140Red with no God's blood,But with man's indeed;

How shall we that seeNightlong overheadLife, the flowerless tree,145Nailed whereon as weWere our fathers dead -

We whose ear can hear,Not whose tongue can name,Famine, ignorance, fear,150Bleeding tear by tearYear by year of shame,

Till the dry life dieOut of bloodless breast,Out of beamless eye,155Out of mouths that cryTill death feed with rest -

How shall we as ye,Though ye bid us, pray?Though ye call, can we160Hear you call, or see,Though ye show us day?

We whose name is shame,We whose souls walk bare,Shall we call the same165God as ye by name,Teach our lips your prayer?

God, forgive and give,For His sake who died?Nay, for ours who live,170How shall we forgiveThee, then, on our side?

We whose right to lightHeaven's high noon denies,Whom the blind beams smite175That for you shine bright,And but burn our eyes,

With what dreams of beamsShall we build up day,At what sourceless streams180Seek to drink in dreamsEre they pass away?

In what street shall meet,At what market-place,Your feet and our feet,185With one goal to greet,Having run one race?

What one hope shall opeFor us all as oneOne same horoscope,190Where the soul sees hopeThat outburns the sun?

At what shrine what wine,At what board what bread,Salt as blood or brine,195Shall we share in signHow we poor were fed?

In what hour what powerShall we pray for morn,If your perfect hour,200When all day bears flower,Not for us is born?

III--BEYOND CHURCH

Ye that weep in sleep,Souls and bodies bound,205Ye that all night keepWatch for change, and weepThat no change is found;

Ye that cry and die,And the world goes on210Without ear or eye,And the days go byTill all days are gone;

Man shall do for you,Men the sons of man,215What no God would doThat they sought untoWhile the blind years ran.

Brotherhood of good,Equal laws and rights,220Freedom, whose sweet foodFeeds the multitudeAll their days and nights

With the bread full-fedOf her body blest225And the soul's wine shedFrom her table spreadWhere the world is guest,

Mingling me and thee,When like light of eyes230Flashed through thee and meTruth shall make us free,Liberty make wise;

These are they whom dayFollows and gives light235Whence they see to slayNight, and burn awayAll the seed of night.

What of thine and mine,What of want and wealth,240When one faith is wineFor my heart and thineAnd one draught is health?

For no sect electIs the soul's wine poured245And her table decked;Whom should man rejectFrom man's common board?

Gods refuse and choose,Grudge and sell and spare;250None shall man refuse,None of all men lose,None leave out of care.

No man's might of sightKnows that hour before;255No man's hand hath mightTo put back that lightFor one hour the more.

Not though all men call,Kneeling with void hands,260Shall they see light fallTill it come for allTribes of men and lands.

No desire brings fireDown from heaven by prayer,265Though man's vain desireHang faith's wind-struck lyreOut in tuneless air.

One hath breath and saithWhat the tune shall be -270Time, who puts his breathInto life and death,Into earth and sea.

To and fro years flow,Fill their tides and ebb,275As his fingers goWeaving to and froOne unfinished web.

All the range of changeHath its bounds therein,280All the lives that rangeAll the byways strangeNamed of death or sin.

Star from far to starSpeaks, and white moons wake,285Watchful from afarWhat the night's ways areFor the morning's sake.

Many names and flamesPass and flash and fall,290Night-begotten names,And the night reclaims,As she bare them, all.

But the sun is one,And the sun's name Right;295And when light is noneSaving of the sun,All men shall have light.

All shall see and beParcel of the morn;300Ay, though blind were we,None shall choose but seeWhen that day is born.