Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth, (or descending)
Our full homage to demand. (or comes our homage to demand)
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.
At His feet the six wingèd seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!
Words: Liturgy of St. James, 4th Century (Σιγησάτο παρα σὰρξ βροτεία); translated from Greek to English by Gerard Moultrie, 1864.
Music: Picardy, French carol melody; harmony from The English Hymnal, 1906, number 318 (MIDI, score).
If you have access to a picture of Gerard Moultrie that we could put online, please click here.
Am E7 / C Dm E7 / x2
A Dm Am G / Am Dm E7
Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
A Dm Am G / Am Dm E7
Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth, (or descending)
Our full homage to demand. (or comes our homage to demand)
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.
At His feet the six wingèd seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!
Labels: 4th c., chords, christmas, eastern, eucharist
¶ Wednesday, January 17, 2007