It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Harmony of Hope: Embracing Peace Amidst Life's Struggles
Lyrics
It came upon the midnight clear,
Refers to a peaceful event occurring at midnight.
That glorious song of old,
Describes the beautiful and renowned song from the past.
From angels bending near the earth,
Depicts angels bending close to the earth.
To touch their harps of gold:
Illustrates angels playing harps made of gold.
"Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,
Quotes angels proclaiming "Peace on the earth, goodwill to men."
From heaven's all-gracious King."
Attributes the message to heaven's benevolent ruler.
The world in solemn stillness lay,
Describes a tranquil world in stillness to listen to angels.
To hear the angels sing.
Encourages attention to the angels' song.
Still through the cloven skies they come,
Depicts angels continuing to descend through the split skies.
With peaceful wings unfurled,
Portrays angels with open, peaceful wings.
And still their heavenly music floats
Describes the heavenly music persisting over the world.
O'er all the weary world;
States that the music extends over the entire weary world.
Above its sad and lowly plains,
Highlights angels hovering over the world's sad and humble areas.
They bend on hovering wing,
Emphasizes angels' presence above the world's chaos.
And ever o'er its babel sounds
Notes angels singing amid worldly confusion.
The blessed angels sing.
Reiterates the ongoing song of the blessed angels.
Yet with the woes of sin and strife
Acknowledges the world's enduring sufferings from sin and strife.
The world has suffered long;
Expresses the long duration of the world's troubles.
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
Attributes two millennia of wrong beneath the angelic influence.
Two thousand years of wrong;
Describes humanity at war, deaf to the angels' love-song.
And man, at war with man, hears not
Points out the obliviousness of man to the angels' message.
The love-song which they bring;
Urges an end to the noise of human conflict to hear the angels.
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
Calls for the cessation of strife to listen to the angels.
And hear the angels sing.
And ye, beneath life's crushing load,
Addresses individuals under life's heavy burdens, physically bowed.
Whose forms are bending low,
Depicts people toiling with slow and painful steps.
Who toil along the climbing way
Encourages those struggling to look for approaching joyful hours.
With painful steps and slow,
Describes the weary journey along life's path.
Look now! for glad and golden hours
Announces the arrival of glad and golden hours on swift wings.
come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
Invites rest by the weary road, listening to the angels.
And hear the angels sing!
Reiterates the call to hear the angels' song during rest.
For lo!, the days are hastening on,
Foretells the approaching days prophesied by bards.
By prophet bards foretold,
Refers to a future age of gold in the ever-circling years.
When with the ever-circling years
Describes the age when peace will spread across the earth.
Comes round the age of gold
Anticipates the restoration of ancient splendors with peace.
When peace shall over all the earth
Envisions a world where peace overcomes all.
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world give back the song
Foresees the entire world echoing the angels' song of peace.
Which now the angels sing.
Highlights the continuity of the angels' song.
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