Words: , Hym­ni Sac­ri, 1689 (Di­vi­ne cres­ce­bas Pu­er); trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by , Hymns of the Prim­i­tive Church, 1837.

Music: Tall­is’ Or­din­al, , cir­ca 1567.


In stature grows the heavenly Child,
With death before His eyes;
A Lamb unblemished, meek and mild,
Prepared for sacrifice.

The Son of God His glory hides
With parents mean and poor;
And He Who made the heaven abides
In dwelling place obscure.

Those mighty hands that stay the sky
No earthly toil refuse;
And He Who set the stars on high
An humble trade pursues.

He before Whom the angels stand,
At Whose behest they fly,
Now yields himself to man’s command,
And lay His glory by.

Jesu, the virgin’s holy Son,
We praise Thee and adore,
Who art with god the Father One,
And Spirit evermore.