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A Christmas Antiphone · Ririro.com - Poetry

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  Speaker 1: A Christmas antiphone, Thou whose birth on earth, angels sang
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  Speaker 1: to men, while thy stars made mirth savior at thy birth,
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  Speaker 1: this day born again, as this night was bright with
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  Speaker 1: thy cradle ray, very light of light, turn the wild
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  Speaker 1: world's night to thy perfect day, God whose feet made
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  Speaker 1: sweet those wild ways they trod from Thy fragrant feet,
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  Speaker 1: staining field and street with the blood of God, God
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  Speaker 1: whose breast is rest in time of strife, in thy
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  Speaker 1: secret breast, sheltering souls oppressed from the heat of life.
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  Speaker 1: God whose eyes are skies, love lit as with spheres
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  Speaker 1: by the lights that rise to thy watching eyes, orbid
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  Speaker 1: lights of tears. God whose heart hath part in all
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  Speaker 1: grief that is was not man's, the dart that went
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  Speaker 1: through thine heart, and the wound not his. Where the
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  Speaker 1: pale souls wail, held in bonds of death, where all
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  Speaker 1: spirits quail, came Thy godhead, pale still from human breath,
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  Speaker 1: pale from life and strife, when with manhood came forth
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  Speaker 1: of mortal life, pierced as with a knife, scarred as
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  Speaker 1: with a flame. Thou, the Word and Lord, in all
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  Speaker 1: time and space, heard, beheld ador'd with all ages ponder
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  Speaker 1: forth before thy face, Lord, What worth in earth drew
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  Speaker 1: thee down to die? What therein was worth, Lord, thy
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  Speaker 1: death and birth? What beneath thy sky light above all love,
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  Speaker 1: by thy love was lit and brought down. The dove
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  Speaker 1: feathered from above, with the wings of it from the
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  Speaker 1: height of night, was not thine the star that led
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  Speaker 1: forth with might by no worldly light wise men from afar.
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  Speaker 1: Yet the wise men's eyes saw thee not more clear
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  Speaker 1: than they saw thee rise, who in shepherd's guise drew
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  Speaker 1: as poor men near. Yet thy poor endure and are
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  Speaker 1: with us. Yet be thy name a sure refuge for
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  Speaker 1: thy poor, whom men's eyes forget. Thou, whose ways we praise,
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  Speaker 1: clear alike and dark. Keep our works and ways this
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  Speaker 1: and all thy days safe inside thine ark. Who shall
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  Speaker 1: keep thy sheep, Lord, and lose not one who save
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  Speaker 1: one shall keep lest the shepherds sleep, Who beside the
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  Speaker 1: sun from the grave, deep wave, from the sword and flame. Thou,
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  Speaker 1: even thou shall save souls of king and slave only
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  Speaker 1: by thy name, Light, not born with morn or her fires.
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  Speaker 1: Above Jesus Virgin, born held of men in scorn, turn
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  Speaker 1: their scorn to love Thou, whose face gives grace as
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  Speaker 1: the suns doth heat. Let thy sun bright face, lighten
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  Speaker 1: time and space here beneath thy feet. Bid our peace
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  Speaker 1: increase thou that madest mourn. Bid oppression cease. Bid the
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  Speaker 1: night be peace, Bid the day be born.