V.
I
The stars shine bright while earth is dark
While all the woods are dumb
How clear those far off silver chimes
From tower and turret come!
II
Chilly but sweet the midnight air:
And lo! with every sound
Down from the ivy-leaf a drop
Falls glittering to the ground.
III
'Twas night when Christ was born on earth;
Night heard His faint, first cry;
While Angels carolled round the star
Of the Epiphany.
IV
Alas! and is our love too weak
To meet Him on His way?
To pray for nations in their sleep?
For Love then let us pray!
V
Pray for the millions slumbering now:
The sick, who cannot sleep:
O may those sweet sounds waft them thoughts
As peaceful, and as deep.
VI
Pray for the unholy and the vain:
O may that pure-toned bell
Disperse the Demon Powers of Air,
And evil Dreams dispel!
VII
Pray for the aged, and the poor;
The crown-encompassed head;
The friends of youth, now far away;
The dying; and the dead.
VIII
And ever let us wing our prayer
With praise; and ever say
Glory to God Who makes the night
Benignant as the day!
