A Poor Brother's Hymnal
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
  A Christmas Hymn - Richard Wilber
(Tune: O Sacred Head)

Am F Dm C G C / E Am E Am / F Dm C G C / E Am E Am
Em F G F C / F A7 Dm A / D7 G C G D G / C F G C

A stable-lamp is lighted
Whose glow shall wake the sky;
The stars shall bend their voices,
And every stone shall cry.
And every stone shall cry,
And straw like gold shall shine;
A barn shall harbor heaven,
A stall become a shrine.

This child through David's city
Shall ride in triumph by;
The palm shall strew its branches,
And every stone shall cry.
And every stone shall cry,
Though heavy, dull, and dumb,
And lie within the roadway
To pave his kingdom come.

Yet he shall be forsaken,
And yielded up to die;
The sky shall groan and darken,
And every stone shall cry.
And every stone shall cry
For stony hearts of men:
God's blood upon the spearhead,
God's love refused again.

But now, as at the ending,
The low is lifted high;
The stars shall bend their voices,
And every stone shall cry.
And every stone shall cry,
In praises of the child,
By whose descent among us,
The worlds are reconciled.

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  I sing of a maiden
I sing of a maiden
That is makeles:
King of all kings
To her son she ches.

He came al so stille
There his moder was,
As dew in Aprille
That falleth on the grass.

He came al so stille
To his moder's bour,
As dew in Aprille
That falleth on the flour.

He came al so stille
There his moder lay,
As dew in Aprille
That falleth on the spray.

Moder and maiden
Was never none but she:
Well may such a lady
Goddes moder be.

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Tuesday, June 12, 2007
  The Holy Son of God Most High
“[He] took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” Philippians 2:7

Words: Hen­ry More (1614-1687).

Music: Von Him­mel Hoch, from Geist­liche Lied­er, by Val­en­tin Schu­mann (Leip­zig, Ger­ma­ny: 1539); har­mo­ny by Jo­hann S. Bach (MI­DI, score).


The holy Son of God most high,
For love of Adam’s lapsèd race,
Quit the sweet pleasures of the sky
To bring us to that happy place.

His robes of light He laid aside,
Which did His majesty adorn,
And the frail state of mortals tried,
In human flesh and figure born.

Whole choirs of angels loudly sing
The mystery of His sacred birth,
And the blest news to shepherds bring,
Filling their watchful souls with mirth.

The Son of God thus man became,
That men the sons of God might be,
And by their second birth regain
A likeness to His deity.

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  Let Earth and Heaven Combine
“[He] took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” Philippians 2:7

Words: Charles Wes­ley, Hymns for the Na­tiv­i­ty of Our Lord (Lon­don: Will­iam Stra­han, 1745), num­ber 5.

Music: St. John (Par­ish), Par­ish Choir, 1851; at­trib­ut­ed to Wil­liam H. Ha­ver­gal (MI­DI, score).


Chords (Joan of Arc): C G F C / D G D C G / G Dm F C G

Original Lyrics
Alternate (Joan of Arc)

Let earth and Heaven combine,
Angels and men agree,
To praise in songs divine
The incarnate Deity,
Our God contracted to a span,
Incomprehensibly made Man.

He laid His glory by,
He wrapped Him in our clay;
Unmarked by human eye,
The latent Godhead lay;
Infant of days He here became,
And bore the mild Immanuel’s Name.

See in that Infant’s face
The depths of deity,
And labor while ye gaze
To sound the mystery
In vain; ye angels gaze no more,
But fall, and silently adore.

Unsearchable the love
That hath the Savior brought;
The grace is far above
Of men or angels’ thought:
Suffice for us that God, we know,
Our God, is manifest below.

He deigns in flesh t’appear,
Widest extremes to join;
To bring our vileness near,
And make us all divine:
And we the life of God shall know,
For God is manifest below.

Made perfect first in love,
And sanctified by grace,
We shall from earth remove,
And see His glorious face:
His love shall then be fully showed,
And man shall all be lost in God.

And now, let earth and Heaven combine,
Bright angels and frail men agree,
Together praise in songs divine
The blessed, incarnate Deity,

Our God contracted to a span,
Infant of days He here became
Incomprehensibly made Man.
And bore the mild Immanuel’s Name.

See how He laid His glory by,
And wrapped Himself up in our clay;
And there, unmarked by human eye,
The latent, loving Godhead lay;

Infinity in Infant face
There dwelled the depths of Deity,
So greatly labor while ye gaze
To sound the sacred mystery

In vain; ye angels gaze no more,
Suffice for us that God, we know,
So fall, and silently adore.
Our God, our God is manifest below.

Unsearchable the holy love
That hath the holy Savior brought;
The holy grace is far above
Of mortal men or endless angels’ thought:

He deigns in frail flesh t’appear,
Thus the widest extremes to join;
To bring our vexed (or vicious) vileness near,
And then to make us all divine.

And we the life of God shall know,
His love shall then be fully showed,
For God was manifest below.
And man shall all be lost in God.

For we, made perfect first in love,
And perfect, sanctified by grace,
Shall from this veiled vale remove,
To gaze upon His glorious face.


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  Behold the Great Greator Makes
“[He] took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” Philippians 2:7

Words: Thom­as Pes­tel (1584-1659), in Ser­mons and De­vo­tions Old and New, as stan­zas 5-9 of “A Psalm for Christ­mas Day Morn­ing” (start­ing “Fair­est of morn­ing lights ap­pear”).

Music: This End­ris Nyght, 15th Cen­tu­ry (MI­DI, score).


C G Am Em / F E / F C Dm Am / C G C

Behold the great Creator makes
Himself a house of clay,
A robe of virgin flesh He takes
Which He will wear for ay.

Hark, hark, the wise eternal Word,
Like a weak infant cries!
In form of servant is the Lord,
And God in cradles lies.

This wonder struck the world amazed,
It shook the starry frame;
Squadrons of spirits stood and gazed,
Then down in troops they came.

Glad shepherds ran to view this sight;
A choir of angels sings,
And eastern sages with delight
Adore this King of kings.

Join then, all hearts that are not stone,
And all our voices prove,
To celebrate this holy One
The God of peace and love.

This hymn is from a poem by Thomas Pestel[l] (c1586-1667), in Sermons and Devotions Old and New (1639). The above are stanzas 5-9 of A Psalm for Christmas Day Morning. The first 4 verses (printed in a book of his poems in 1940) are as follows:
Fairest of morning lights, appear,
Thou blest and gaudy day,
On which was born our Saviour dear;
Arise and come away.

See, see, our pensive breasts do pant,
Like gasping land we lie,
Thy holy dews our souls do want.
We faint, we pine, we die.

Let from the skies a joyful rain
Like mel or manna fall
Whose searching drops our sins may drain,
And quench our sorrows all.

This day prevents His day of doom;
His mercy now is nigh;
The mighty God of Love is come,
The dayspring from on high.

[Gaudy = feast; mel = honey; prevents = comes before; doom = judgment]

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  I've Found the Pearl of Greatest Price

"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." Matthew 13:46

I've found the Pearl of greatest price,
My heart doth sing for joy;
And sing I must, for Christ is mine;
Christ shall my song employ.

Christ is my Prophet, Priest and King;
A Prophet full of light,
My great High Priest before the throne,
My King of heav'nly might.

For He indeed is Lord of lords,
And He the King of kings;
He is the Sun of righteousness,
With healing in His wings.

Christ is my Peace; He died for me,
For me He gave His blood;
And as my wondrous Sacrifice,
Offered Himself to God.

Christ Jesus is my All in all,
My Comfort and my Love,
My Life below, and He shall be
My Joy and Crown above.

Words: Possibly John Mason (circa 1645-1694).

Music: "Martyrdom," Hugh Wilson, 1800; arranged by Ralph E. Hudson, circa 1885

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Sunday, June 10, 2007
  Salve Virgo Virginum
Latin lyrics Literal English translation

Salve virgo virginum
Salve sancta parens
Concepisti dominum
Virgo labe carens
Salve virgo virginum
Salve sancta parens

Tu salus fidelium
Salve sancta parens
In christo credentium
Virgo labe carens
Salve virgo virginum
Salve sancta parens

Sis in adiutorium
Salve sancta parens
Te nunc imitantium
Virgo labe carens
Salve virgo virginum
Salve sancta parens

Hail virgin of virgins
Hail holy parent
Thou has conceived the lord
O virgin lacking sin
Hail virgin of virgins
Hail holy parent

Thou art the salvation of the faithful
Hail holy parent
Believing in christ
O virgin lacking sin
Hail virgin of virgins
Hail holy parent

Be thou the aid
Hail holy parent
(The aid) of those following thee
O virgin lacking sin
Hail virgin of virgins
Hail holy parent



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Friday, June 08, 2007
  Secret Birth
Child of the stable's secret birth
The Lord by right of the lords of earth
Let angels sing of a king newborn
The world is weaving a crown of thorn
A crown of thorn for that infant head
Cradled soft in a manger bed.

Infant hands in a mother's hand,
For none but Mary can understand
Whose are the hands and the fingers curled
But his who fashioned and made our world:
And through those hands in the hour of death
Nails shall strike to the wood beneath.

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  Exult, O Morning Stars Aflame
Exult, O morning stars aflame!
with all the works of God proclaim
the Child of Bethlehem who came
for love and love alone.

Come earth and air and sky and sea,
bear witness to his deity
who lived, the Man of Galilee,
for love and love alone.

By faith behold the Crucified,
his arms of mercy open wide,
the Lamb of Calvary, who died
for love and love alone.

Let every eye his glories see,
who was, and is, and is to be;
who reigns as Christ in Majesty
for love and love alone.

O world, by strife and sorrow torn,
new hope is yours on Christmas morn,
the Prince of Peace a child is born,
for love and love alone.

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Monday, June 04, 2007
  A Poor Brother's Psalm
“I am poor and sorrowful: let Thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.” Psalm 69:29

François H. Barthélémon (1741-1808)

Words: Par­a­phrase of Psalm 69; au­thor un­known.

Music: Ball­er­ma, François H. Bar­thél­é­mon (1741-1808), adapt­ed by Ro­bert Simp­son in A Se­lect­ion of Orig­in­al Sac­red Mu­sic, 1833 (MI­DI, score).


Though I am poor and sorrowful,
Hear Thou, O God, my cry;
Let Thy salvation come to me
And lift me up on high.

Then will I praise my God with song,
To Him my thanks shall rise,
And this shall please Jehovah more
Than offered sacrifice.

The meek shall see it and rejoice;
Ye saints, no more be sad;
For lo, Jehovah hears the poor
And makes his His prisoners glad.

Let Heaven and earth and seas rejoice,
Let all therein give praise,
For Zion God will surely save,
Her broken walls will raise.

In Zion they that love His Name
Shall dwell from age to age,
Yea, there shall be their lasting rest,
Their children’s heritage.

 
  All Creatures of Our God and King

“Let Heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and all that move in them.” Psalm 69:34

Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)

Words: Francis of Assisi, cir­ca 1225 (Can­ti­co di frat­re so­le, Song of Bro­ther Sun). He wrote this hymn short­ly be­fore his death, but it was not pub­lished for al­most 400 years. Trans­lat­ed to Eng­lish by Wil­liam H. Drap­er for a child­ren’s Whit­sun­tide fes­ti­val in Leeds, Eng­land; first ap­peared in the Pub­lic School Hymn Book, 1919.

Music: Lasst Uns Er­freu­en, Auss­er­le­se­ne Ca­thol­ische Geist­liche Kirch­en­ge­säng (Köln, Ger­ma­ny: Pe­ter von Brach­el, 1623); har­mo­ny by Ralph Vaughan Wil­liams in The Eng­lish Hymn­al (Lon­don: Ox­ford Un­i­ver­si­ty Press, 1906), num­ber 519 (MI­DI, score).


Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!

Refrain

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice!

Refrain

Thou flowing water, pure and clear,
Make music for thy Lord to hear,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright,
That givest man both warmth and light.

Refrain

Dear mother earth, who day by day
Unfoldest blessings on our way,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
The flowers and fruits that in thee grow,
Let them His glory also show.

Refrain

And all ye men of tender heart,
Forgiving others, take your part,
O sing ye! Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
Praise God and on Him cast your care!

Refrain

And thou most kind and gentle Death,
Waiting to hush our latest breath,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou leadest home the child of God,
And Christ our Lord the way hath trod.

Refrain

Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!

Refrain



D Bm A x2
D G D Bm E A
D Bm A x2
G A D Em G Bm
Bm E A x2 G A D

C Am G x2
C F C Am D G
C Am G x2
F G C Dm F Am
Am D G x2 F G C

Brother Sun, Sister Moon


The Canticle of the Sun

by Francis of Assisi

Most high, all powerful, all good Lord! All praise is yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessing. To you, alone, Most High, do they belong. No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name.

Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day; and you give light through him. And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in the heavens you have made them, precious and beautiful.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, and clouds and storms, and all the weather, through which you give your creatures sustenance.

Be praised, My Lord, through Sister Water; she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom you brighten the night. He is beautiful and cheerful, and powerful and strong.

Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth, who feeds us and rules us, and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Be praised, my Lord, through those who forgive for love of you; through those who endure sickness and trial. Happy those who endure in peace, for by you, Most High, they will be crowned.

Be praised, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whose embrace no living person can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin! Happy those she finds doing your most holy will. The second death can do no harm to them.

Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks, and serve him with great humility.

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  All Things Bright and Beautiful
“God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.” Genesis 1:31

Martin F. Shaw (1875-1958)

Words: Ce­cil F. Al­ex­an­der, Hymns for Lit­tle Child­ren, 1848. Alex­an­der is thought to have writ­ten these lyr­ics at Mark­ree Cas­tle, near Sli­go, Ire­land.

Music: Roy­al Oak, 17th Cen­tu­ry Eng­lish mel­o­dy; ar­ranged by Mar­tin F. Shaw, 1915 (MI­DI, score). Al­ter­nate tunes:

  • Bright and Beau­ti­ful, Wil­liam H. Monk (MI­DI, score)
  • Ger­ald, Lud­wig Spohr, 1834 (MI­DI, score)

Cecil F. Alexander (1818-1895)

Refrain

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.

Refrain

[Most hymnals omit the following verse]

The rich man in his castle,
The poor man at his gate,
He made them, high or lowly,
And ordered their estate.

Refrain

The purple headed mountains,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning
That brightens up the sky.

Refrain

The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one.

Refrain

The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water,
To gather every day.

Refrain

He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.

Refrain

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  For the Beauty of the Earth
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.” Isaiah 6:3


Conrad Kocher (1786-1872)
Words: Fol­li­ot S. Pier­point, in Lyra Eu­cha­rist­ica, by Or­by Ship­ley, se­cond edi­tion, 1864.

Music: Dix, Con­rad Koch­er, 1838 (MI­DI, score). Al­ter­nate tunes:

This hymn was sung in the 1994 ver­sion of the mo­vie Lit­tle Wo­men, which was nom­in­at­ed for sev­er­al Acad­e­my Awards.

If you have ac­cess to a pic­ture of Fol­li­ot Pier­point that we could put on­line, please click here.


For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.

Refrain

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour,
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon, and stars of light.

Refrain

For the joy of ear and eye,
For the heart and mind’s delight,
For the mystic harmony
Linking sense to sound and sight.

Refrain

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild.

Refrain

For Thy Church, that evermore
Lifteth holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore
Her pure sacrifice of love.

Refrain

For the martyrs’ crown of light,
For Thy prophets’ eagle eye,
For Thy bold confessors’ might,
For the lips of infancy.

Refrain

For Thy virgins’ robes of snow,
For Thy maiden mother mild,
For Thyself, with hearts aglow,
Jesu, Victim undefiled.

Refrain

For each perfect gift of Thine,
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
Flowers of earth and buds of Heaven.

Refrain



E A E A B E
E B E A F#m7 B E

D G D G A D
D A D G Em A D

C F C Am F G C
C G C F Dm G C

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  Fairest Lord Jesus / Beautiful Savior
“Who is this…fair as the moon, bright as the sun, majestic as the stars?” Song of Solomon 6:10

Richard S. Willis (1819-1900)

Words: Written by Ger­man Je­su­its as Schön­ster Herr Je­su in the 17th Cen­tu­ry. Pub­lished in the Mün­ster Ge­sang­buch, 1677, and trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by Jo­seph A. Seiss, 1873.

Music: Cru­sad­er’s Hymn Si­le­sian folk song from Schles­ische Volks­lied­er, 1842; ar­ranged by Ri­chard S. Will­is, 1850 (MI­DI, score).


Joseph A. Seiss (1823-1904)

Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
O Thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown.

Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
Who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Fair is the sunshine,
Fairer still the moonlight,
And all the twinkling starry host;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels heaven can boast.

All fairest beauty, heavenly and earthly,
Wondrously, Jesus, is found in Thee;
None can be nearer, fairer or dearer,
Than Thou, my Savior, art to me.

Beautiful Savior! Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forever more be Thine.


The lyr­ics above are the ones shown in most hymn­als. How­ev­er, Seiss’ orig­in­al trans­la­tion is some­what dif­fer­ent; he titled it “Beau­ti­ful Sav­ior.” It is found under this name in ma­ny Lu­ther­an hymn­als.

Beautiful Savior, King of Creation
Son of God and Son of Man!
Truly I’d love Thee, truly I’d serve Thee,
Light of my soul, my joy, my crown.

Fair are the meadows, Fair are the woodlands,
Robed in the flowers of blooming spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
He makes our sorrowing spirit sing.

Fair is the sunshine, Fair is the moonlight,
Bright the sparkling stars on high;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels in the sky.

Beautiful Savior, Lord of the nations,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, Praise, adoration
Now and forevermore be Thine!

 C  Am      Dm G C   C    Am    Dm G C
Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
C F C G7 C G
O Thou of God and man the Son;
C F C A7 Dm C Dm G7 C
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor
Am F C G7 C
Thou my soul's glory, joy and crown.

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  What Are The Words
"The testimony given by the heavens is no mere hint, but a plain, unmistakable declaration...'Day after day they pour forth speech'...as though days and nights were but a fountain flowing evermore with Jehovah's praise. HALLELUJAH!"
- Charles Spurgeon in "The Treasury of David

And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
- Luk 19:40



C F C Am F G / C F C Am Bb D / G F C

D G D Bm G A / D G D Bm C E / A G D

G C G Em C D / G C G Em F A / D C G

What are the words?
What are they saying?
If I am still
I, too, can hear;
The skies are singing
The breezes whisper
"Make friends with silence,
Stop and draw near"

Our God is true
Our Lord is mighty
Glorious Jehovah
Is calling you.
Now through the thunder
Now through the raining
Now through the laughter
Now through the pain."

Chorus
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

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  Let All Things Now Living
LET ALL THINGS NOW LIVING
Words: Kathrine K. Davis, 1939
Tune: Ash Grove, Traditional Welsh Melody
Season: Thanksgiving

Chords in D

Verses: A7 D A7 D Bm Em A7 (D Em A7)
A7 D G D A7 D (D G A7 D)

Chorus: D Bm A7 D (D A7)
A7 D Bm A7 Em A (Bm Em A)

Chords in C

C Dm G7 / C F G7 C
C G7 / Am Dm G

Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving
To God the creator triumphantly raise.
Who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us,
Who still guides us on to the end of our days.
God's banners are o'er us, His light goes before us,
A pillar of fire shining forth in the night.
Till shadows have vanished and darkness is banished
As forward we travel from light into light.

His law he enforces, the stars in their courses
And sun in its orbit obediently shine;
The hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains,
The deeps of the ocean proclaim him divine.
We too should be voicing our love and rejoicing;
With glad adoration a Song let us raise
Till all things now living unite in thanksgiving:
"To God in the highest, Hosanna and praise!"

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All my favorite hymns. Most of them are from before the Reformation.

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