Ox and ass at Bethlehem On a night, ye know of them. We were only creatures small, Hid by shadows on the wall. We were swallow, moth and mouse; The Child was born in our house, And the bright eyes of us three Peeped at His nativity. Hands of peace upon that place Hushed our beings for a space Quiet feet and folded wing, Nor a sound of any thing. With a moving star we crept Closer when the Baby slept; Men who guarded where He lay Moved to frighten us away. But the Babe, awakened, laid Love on things that were afraid; With so sweet a gesture He Called us to His company.
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Text Authorship:
- by Bruce Blunt (1899 - 1957) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Peter Warlock (1894 - 1930), "The first mercy", 1927, published 1927 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 114