Wie schön geschmückt der festliche Raum! Die Lichter funkeln am Weihnachtsbaum! O fröhliche Zeit, o seliger Traum! Die Mutter sitzt in der Kinder Kreis, Nun schweiget alles auf ihr Geheiß, Sie singet des Christkinds Lob und Preis, Und rings vom Weihnachtsbaum erhellt, Ist schön in Bildern aufgestellt Des [heil'gen]1 Buches Palmenwelt. Die Kinder schauen der Bilder Pracht, Und haben wohl des Singens acht, Das tönt so süß [durch die]2 Weihenacht. O glücklicher Kreis im festlichen Raum, O [goldene]3 Lichter am Weihnachtsbaum, O fröhliche Zeit, o seliger Traum!
Confirmed with Peter Cornelius, Gedichte, eingeleitet von Adolf Stern, Leipzig: C.F. Kahnt Nachfolger, 1890, page 139.
1 Cornelius: "heiligen"2 Cornelius: "in der"
3 Cornelius: "gold'ne"
Text Authorship:
- by Peter Cornelius (1824 - 1874), "Christbaum", appears in Gedichte, in 2. Zu eignen Weisen, in Weihnachtslieder [author's text checked 2 times 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 Cornelius (1824 - 1874), "Christbaum", op. 8 no. 1 (1856), published 1871 [ voice and piano ], from Weihnachtslieder, no. 1, Leipzig, Fritzsch; note: in 1979 Geoffrey Emerson wrote a clarinet part to go along with this song [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by H. N. Bate , "The Christmas Tree" ; composed by Emma Lou Diemer.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Christmas Tree", copyright ©
- ENG English [singable] (Elsa Ebertz) , "Christmas-Tree"
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "L'albero di Natale", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 15
Word count: 90
The holly's up, the house is all bright, The tree is ready, the candles alight: Rejoice and be glad, all children tonight! The mother sings of our Lord's good grace Whereby the Child who saved our race Was born and adored in a lowly place, Once more the shepherds, as she sings, Bend low, and angels touch their strings: With "Glory" they hail the King of kings. The children listening round the tree Can hear the heavenly minstrelsy, The manger's marvel they can see, Let every house be ready tonight — The children gathered, the candles alight — That music to hear, to see that sight.
Confirmed with Anne Thaxter Eaton, ed., Welcome Christmas! A Garland Of Poems, New York : The Viking Press, 1955
Text Authorship:
- by H. N. Bate , "The Christmas Tree" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Peter Cornelius (1824 - 1874), "Christbaum", appears in Gedichte, in 2. Zu eignen Weisen, in Weihnachtslieder
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Emma Lou Diemer (1927 - 2024), "The Christmas tree", 1988, published 1991, copyright © 1991, first performed 1988 [ satb chorus and brass or piano ], from A Feast for Christmas, no. 1, Charlene Archibeque Choral Series, Santa Barbara Music Publishing
Publisher: Santa Barbara Music Publishing [external link] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-09-13
Line count: 15
Word count: 106