'Tis Christmas night! the snow,
A flock unnumbered lies:
The old Judean stars aglow,
Keep watch within the skies.
An icy stillness holds
The pulses of the night:
A deeper mystery infolds
The wondering Hosts of Light.
Till, lo, with reverence pale
That dims each diadem,
The lordliest, earthward bending, hail
The Light of Bethlehem!