Nativity Hymn 14: The Night of the Watchers

Of the birth of the Firstborn let us tell on his feast day;

on his day he gives secret comforts.

If the unclean king at his feast, in memory of his day,

gave the gift of wrath, the head on a platter,

how much more will the Blessed One give blessings to the one

who sings praise at his feast!

Refrain: Blessed be he who became low beyond measure,

that he might make us great beyond measure!

Let us not count our vigil like the vigils of every day.

His feast exceeds them a hundredfold in its reward.

For this feast makes war on sleep by its vigil;

speaking, it makes war on silence by its voice;

clothed with all blessings, it is the chief of feasts

and of every joy.

Today the angels and the archangels

came down to sing

a new song on earth.

In this mystery they come down and rejoice with those who keep vigil.

At the time when they gave praise, blasphemy abounded.

Blessed be the birth by which, see, the world resounds

with anthems of praise!

For this is the night that joined the Watchers on high with those who keep vigil.

The Watcher came to make watchers in the midst of creation.

See, the vigil-keepers are made comrades of the Watchers;

the singers of praise are made companions of the seraphim.

Blessed be the one who becomes the harp of your praise,

and your grace becomes his reward!

The birth of the Firstborn, then, I will sing, and tell how

the Godhead wove itself a garment in the womb.

He put it on and came out in birth; in death he took it off again.

Once he took it off; twice he put it on.

On the left he wore it, then took it off from there,

and laid it at the right.

The Might that rules all dwelt in a narrow bosom.

While he was dwelling there, he held the reins of the whole.

He made offering to his Father, so that he might fulfill his will;

heaven was filled by him, and every creature.

The Sun entered the womb, and in the height and the depth

his splendor remained.

He dwelt in the wide bosoms of all the creatures,

too narrow to hold the greatness of the Firstborn.

How then was that bosom of Mary enough for it?

A marvel if it was enough; bewilderment if it was not.

Of all the bosoms that held him, one bosom was enough for him:

his, the Supreme One who begot him.

The bosom that held him, if it held him wholly,

equals the wondrous bosom of the Supreme One who begot him.

But who dares say that the bosom which is narrow, weak and lowly

is equal to his, who is the Supreme Being?

He dwelt there of his mercy, though his nature is so great

that it is without bound.

Reconciling Peace, sent to the nations!

Gladdening Brightness, who came to the sad!

Mighty Yeast, overcoming all in silence!

Patient One, who have taken man after man in your net!

Happy is the one who has welcomed your joy into his heart

and forgotten his groans in you!

The Watchers sounded out peace to those who kept vigil;

among the vigil-keepers the good news was announced by the Watchers.

Who would sleep on that night, which has woken all creatures?

For they bring good news of peace where there had been warfare.

Blessed is the one who has pleased the Divine Majesty by his silence,

when speaking stirred up his wrath!

Watchers mingled with watchers; they rejoiced that the world came to life.

The Evil One, who was king, was put to shame; he had woven a crown of lies

and set up his throne as God in the world.

The Baby laid in the manger threw him out of his dominion.

The sun gave worship, paying him homage through its Magi;

in its worshipers it worshiped him.

God saw that mankind worshiped created things.

He put on a created body, so that he might catch us by our own habit.

See, in this form of ours the one who formed us healed us;

and in this created shape our Creator gave us life.

He did not draw us by force. Blessed be he who came in what is ours

and joined us in what is his!

Who would not marvel at Mary, David’s daughter,

bearing a baby, with her virginity kept!

She lays him on her breast and lulls him with song, and he rejoices.

The angels raise hymns; the seraphim cry, “Holy!”

The Magi offer acceptable gifts

to the Son who is born.

O great above measure, made low beyond measure!

Praised beyond all praises, brought down to humiliation!

The tender mercies laid on you bowed you down to all this.

Let your grace bow me down, evil as I am, to give praise!

Happy is the one who becomes a fountain of voices,

all praising you in all things!

He was a servant on earth; he is Lord in heaven.

Heir of the height and the depth, he became a stranger.

He whom men judged with deceit is the judge in truth.

He whose face they spat on breathes his Spirit on their faces.

He who held the frail reed has become the staff of the world,

which grows old and leans on him.

He who rose to wait on his servants now sits to be worshiped.

He whom the scribes despised: before him the seraphim cry, “Holy!”

This was the praise Adam wanted to steal in secret.

The serpent that made him fall saw to what height he was raised.

He crushed it because it had deceived him; the feet of Eve trod it down,

the serpent that had sent venom into her ears.

The wife proved barren and held back her fruit,

but the bosom of Mary conceived in holiness.

She had no need to wonder at fields and admire plants,

she who received, and gave back what she had not borrowed.

Nature confessed its defeat; the womb knew it,

and gave back what nature had not given.

Mary was defeated in the judgment by Elizabeth.

She who was barren pleaded that the Will which had prevailed

to close the open door has opened the closed one.

He has made the married womb childless; he has made the virgin womb fruitful.

Because the People were cursed and faithless, he kept her who was married

from bearing, before the face of the young girl.

He who could give moisture to breasts barren and dead

made them fail in youth and made them flow in old age;

he forced and changed nature, in its season and out of its season.

The Lord of natures changed the Virgin’s nature.

Because the People were barren, he made her who was old

a mouth speaking on behalf of the young girl.

And as he began at birth, he went on and fulfilled it in death.

His birth received worship; his death paid the debt.

As he came to his birth, the Magi worshiped him;

again he came to his suffering, and the thief took refuge in him.

Between his birth and his death he set the world in the middle;

by birth and by death he gave it life.

Thousands of thousands stand, and ten thousand thousands hurry.

The thousands and ten thousands cannot search out the One,

for all of them stand in silence to serve.

He has no heir to his throne except the Son who is from him.

The inquiry into him lies in the midst of silence. When the Watchers come to search him out,

they reach silence and are held back.

The Firstborn entered the womb, and the pure Virgin was not harmed.

He stirred and came out in her labor, and the fair Mother was troubled by him.

Glorious and unseen in entering, humble and visible in coming out;

for he was God in entering, and he was man in coming out.

A marvel and a bewilderment to hear: fire entered the womb,

put on a body, and came out!

Gabriel, chief of the angels, called him “My Lord.”

He called him “My Lord” to teach that he was his Lord, not his fellow.

Gabriel had Michael with him as a fellow;

the Son is Lord of the servants; his nature is exalted, as is his name.

No servant can search him out; for however great the servant,

he is great above his servant.

When the Watchers stand before you with songs of praise,

they do not know in what place they will discern you.

They have sought you above in the height; they have seen you below in the depth.

They have searched for you in the midst of heaven; they have seen you in the midst of the abyss.

They have discerned you beside the one who is worshiped; they have found you in the midst of the creatures.

They have come down to you and sung “Glory” to you.

You are wholly wonderful in every place where we seek you.

You are near,

and far; and who can reach you?

No seeking can stretch far enough to reach you.

Where it stretches out to reach you, it is checked and stops;

it falls short of your mountain. Faith reaches there,

and love with prayer.

The Magi also sought him, and when they found him in the manger,

instead of scrutiny they offered him worship in silence;

instead of empty strivings they gave him offerings.

You too, seek the Firstborn, and if you find him in the height,

instead of troubled questionings, open your treasures before him

and offer him your works.