ON THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST

by: William Dunbar (1465-1520?)

ORATE coeli desuper!

Hevins, distil your balmy schouris [1]!

For now is risen the bricht day-ster,

Fro the rose Mary, flour of flouris:

The cleir Sone, quhom no cloud devouris,

Surmounting Phebus in the Est,

Is cumin [2] of his hevinly touris:

Et noblis Puer natus est.

 

Archangellis, angellis, and dompnationis,

Tronis, potestatis, and marteiris seir [3],

And all ye hevinly operationis,

Ster, planeit, firmament, and spheir,

Fire, erd [4], air, and water cleir,

To Him gife loving, most and lest [5],

That come in to so meik maneir;

Et nobis Puer natus est.

 

Synnaris [6] be glad, and penance do,

And thank your Maker hairtfully;

For he that ye micht nocht come to

To you is cumin full humbly

Your souilis with his blood to buy

And loose you of the fiendis arrest--

And only of his own mercy;

Pro nobis Puer natus est.

 

All clergy do to him inclyne,

And bow unto that bairn benyng [7],

And do your observance divyne

To him that is of kingis King:

Encense his altar, read and sing

In holy kirk, with mind digest,

Him honouring attour all thing

Qui nobis Puer natus est.

 

Celestial foulis in the air,

Sing with your nottis upon hicht,

In firthis and in forrestis fair

Be myrthful now at all your mycht;

For passit is your dully nicht,

Aurora has the cloudis perst,

The Son is risen with glaidsum licht,

Et nobis Puer natus est.

 

Now spring up flouris fra the rute,

Revert you upward naturaly,

In honour of the blissit frute

That raiss up fro the rose Mary;

Lay out your levis lustily,

Fro deid take life now at the lest

In wirschip of the Prince worthy

Qui nobis Puer natus est.

 

Sing, hevin imperial, most of hicht!

Regions of air mak armony!

All fish in flud and fowl of flicht

Be mirthful and mak melody!

All Gloria in excelsis cry!

Heaven, erd, se, man, bird, and best [8],--

He that is crownit abone the sky

Pro nobis Puer natus est!

1 showers.

2 come, entered.

3 various.

4 earth.

5 least.

6 sinners.

7 benign.

8 beast.

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