Carol of the Birds
Here's the English version of a Christmas Carol called "Nadal dels aucèls" (originally in the Occitan language of France)...
Carol of the Birds
Christmas Carol
1. Whence comes this rush of wings afar,
Following straight the Noel star?
Birds from the woods in wondrous flight,
Bethlehem seek this Holy Night.
2. "Tell us, ye birds, why come ye here,
Into this stable, poor and drear?"
"Hast'ning we seek the newborn King,
And all our sweetest music bring."
3. Hark how the Greenfinch bears his part,
Philomel* too, with tender heart,
Chants from her leafy dark retreat,
Re, mi, fa, sol, in accents sweet.
4. Angels and shepherds, birds of the sky,
Come where the Son of God doth lie;
Christ on earth with man doth dwell,
Join in the shout "Noel, Noel."
Notes
*Philomel is a figure in Greek mythology who turns into a nightingale. Learn more on Wikipedia's entry on Philomela.
Author: Anonymous
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Musical score comes from "Carols Old and Carols New for Use at Christmas and Other Seasons of the Christian Year" (Boston, 1916) by Charles Lewis Hutchins.
