| Composer: | Simon-Joseph Pellegrin |
| O Come, Divine Messiah | |
| Native Name: | Venez, Divin Messie |
| Native Name Lang: | fr |
| Genre: | Christmas music |
| Language: | French, English |
O Come, Divine Messiah is a popular Christian hymn for the season of Advent before Christmas. It recalls the time of waiting of the people of Israel before the birth of Christ. This song is at the same time a call to adore Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist. The melody is taken from an old Christmas song of the 16th century, Let your beasts graze.
O Come, Divine Messiah is adapted from the old traditional French Christmas song Let your beasts graze, attested in the former French province of Bresse in the 16th century. The melody had already been plagiarized for satirical uses.[1] The lyrics are the work of Abbot Simon-Joseph Pellegrin in the first half of the 18th century, who composed for the attention of the young Demoiselles de Saint-Cyr at the Maison royale de Saint-Louis many verses on the songs of the old Christmases of France, in order to modernize the text. The melody was also used by Marc-Antoine Charpentier in his Messe de minuit pour Noël.[2]
Since the 19th century, a modern version of the text, considerably impoverished, and a 4-part harmonization written in 1845 by Abbé Lambert have been in use in Catholic communities in France.[3]
In 1872, the carol was translated into English by Sister Mary of Saint Philip.
The original lyrics of Simon-Joseph Pellegrin (1663–1745) are inspired from Isaiah 4:14, Luke 2:4-14 and John 3:16-18.
1. Ah ! descendez, hâtez vos pas,Seigneur de l’éternel trépasDélivrez-nous, ne tardez pas.Les temps se renouvellentSans voir nos crimes pardonnésLes peuples vous appellent,Venez, venez, venez. 2. Que nos soupirs soient entendus,Les biens que nous avons perdusNe nous seront-ils pas rendus.Voyez couler nos larmesGrand Dieu si vous nous pardonnezNous n’aurons plus d’alarmesVenez, venez, venez. 3. Ah | Puissions-nous chanter un jourDans votre bienheureuse courEt votre gloire et votre amour.A nous livrer la guerreTous les démons sont acharnésPour vaincre leur colère,Venez, venez, venez. 4. Si vous venez en ces bas lieux,Nous vous verrons victorieux,Fermer l’enfer, ouvrir les cieux.Nous l’espérons sans cesse ;Les cieux nous furent destinés :Tenez votre promesse ;Venez, venez, venez. | Venez, venez, venez ! 1. Ô Fils de Dieu, ne tardez pas,Par votre Corps donnez la joieÀ notre monde en désarroi.Redites-nous encoreDe quel amour vous nous aimez;Tant d'hommes vous ignorent | Venez, venez, venez ! 2. À Bethléem, les cieux chantaient,Que le meilleur de vos bienfaitsC'était le don de votre paix.Le monde la dédaigne :Partout les cœurs sont divisés | Qu'arrive votre règne !Venez, venez, venez | 3. Vous êtes né pour les pécheurs,Que votre grâce, ô Dieu Sauveur,Dissipe en nous la nuit, la peur !Seigneur que votre enfanceNous fasse vivre en la clarté,Soyez la délivrance,Venez, venez, venez | 4. Quand vous viendrez au dernier jourJuger le monde sur l'amour,Que nous veillions pour ce retour !Que votre main nous prenneDans le Royaume des sauvés | Que meure enfin la haine,Venez, venez, venez ! | 1, Dear Savior haste;Come, come to earth,Dispel the night and show your face,And bid us hail the dawn of grace. 2. O come, divine Messiah | The world in silence waits the dayWhen hope shall sing its triumph,And sadness flee away. 3. O Christ, whom nations sigh for,Whom priest and prophet long foretold,Come break the captive fetters;Redeem the long-lost fold. 4. Dear Savior haste;Come, come to earth,Dispel the night and show your face,And bid us hail the dawn of grace. 5. O come, divine Messiah!The world in silence waits the dayWhen hope shall sing its triumph,And sadness flee away. 6. You come in peace and meekness,And lowly will your cradle be;All clothed in human weaknessShall we your Godhead see. 7. Dear Savior haste;Come, come to earth,Dispel the night and show your face,And bid us hail the dawn of grace. 8. O come, divine Messiah | The world in silence waits the dayWhen hope shall sing its triumph,And sadness flee away. |
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