Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume XIII/Ephraim the Syrian and Aphrahat/Hymns on the Nativity/Hymn XIX

(.&#8212;Blessed be thy Birth that gladdens all creatures!)

1.&#160; The first year wherein, our Saviour was born,&#8212;is source of blessing, and ground of life;&#8212;for by it are borne,&#8212;manifold triumphs, the sum of all help:&#8212;as the first day of &#8220;the beginning,&#8221;&#8212;the great pillar of all creatures,&#8212;bears the building of Creation;&#8212;so the year of the Firstborn bears help for man.

2.&#160; In the second year, of our Saviour&#8217;s Birth,&#8212;the Magi exult, the Pharisees mourn:&#8212;treasures are opened,&#8212;kings are hastening, and infants are slain.&#8212;For in it are offered in Bethlehem,&#8212;oblations precious and terrible;&#8212;for while love made offering of gold,&#8212;hatred offered infants by the sword.

3.&#160; The day of the All-Lightening, exults in His birth;&#8212;a pillar of radiance, which drives away, by its beams&#8212;the works of darkness.&#160; After the type of that day, wherein light was created,&#8212;and sundered the darkness that spread&#8212;over the fair beauty of Creation;&#8212;the radiance of our Saviour&#8217;s birth&#8212;came in to sunder the darkness that was on the heart.

4.&#160; The first day the source and the beginning,&#8212;orders the roots, to make all things grow.&#8212;Our Saviour&#8217;s day&#8212;is praised far above it, a tree planted in the world.&#8212;For His Death is as the root in the earth; His Resurrection as the head in heaven; on all sides His words reach as boughs; likewise His Body as fruit for the eaters.

5.&#160; Let the second day, sing praise to the Birth&#8212;of the second Son, and His voice which first&#8212;commanded the firmament and it was made,&#8212;divided the waters that were above, and gathered the seas that were under.&#8212;He Who divided waters from waters, divided Himself from the Watchers and came down to man.&#8212;For the waters which at His command were gathered.&#8212;He cleft the fountain of life and gave drink.

6.&#160; Let the third day weave with divers hymns&#8212;the crown of psalms and with one voice present it&#8212;for His Birth who gave growth&#8212;of buds and flowers, on the third day.&#8212;But now He the All-giver of growth,&#8212;has come down and become the All-holy Flower; from the thirsting earth has sprang forth and gone up,&#8212;that he may decorate and crown the conquerors.

7.&#160; Let the fourth day praise, first among the four,&#8212;His Birth Who created as the fourth day&#8212;the two lightgivers,&#8212;which fools worship, and are sightless and blind.&#8212;The Lord of Lightgivers has come down,&#8212;and from the womb has shone on us as the Sun.&#8212;His splendours have opened the eyes of the blind:&#8212;His rays have given light to the wandering.

8.&#160; Let the fifth day laud Him Who created&#8212;on the fifth day creeping things and Dragons&#8212;of whose kind is the serpent.&#8212;He deceived with guile our mother, a maid void of counsel.&#8212;The deceiver who had mocked the maid,&#8212;by the Dove was exposed as false,&#8212;which from a virgin bosom sprang, and came forth&#8212;the Wise that trod down the crafty.

9.&#160; Let the sixth day laud Him who created&#8212;on Vesper-day Adam, whom Satan envied; as a feigned friend&#8212;cheered him in offering poison in his food.&#8212;The medicine of life reached them both,&#8212;put on a body and came near to both.&#8212;The mortal tasted Him and lived through Him;&#8212;the devourer who ate Him was left void.

10.&#160; Let the seventh day hallow the Holy One,&#8212;Who halloweth the Sabbath, and gave rest to all that live.&#8212;The Blessed One Who wearied not&#8212;has care for mankind, and has care for the beasts.&#8212;When Freedom fell under the yoke,&#8212;He came to the Birth and became bond to make it free:&#8212;He was smitten on the face by servants in the judgment hall;&#8212;He broke the yoke that was on the free, as Lord.

11.&#160; Let the eighth day, which circumcised the Hebrews,&#8212;praise Him Who commanded his namesake Joshua&#8212;to circumcise with a flint&#8212;the people circumcised in body, while the heart was profane within.&#8212;Lo! as the eighth day, as a Babe,&#8212;to circumcision He came Who circumcises all.&#8212;Though the sign of Abraham is on His Flesh,&#8212;the blind daughter of Sion had defiled it.

12.&#160; Let the tenth day sing, praises in its turn.&#8212;For God the first letter of Jesus (goodly name!), is ten in numbering.&#8212;He Who is as a lamb, turns back the numbers.&#8212;For when the number goes up to ten, it is turned back to begin again from one.&#160; O great mystery of that which is in Jesus, Whose might turns all creation back again!

13.&#160; The All-Purifier Firstborn in the day of His purifying,&#8212;purified the purification of the firstborn and was offered in the Temple:&#8212;the Lord of offering needed offerings,&#8212;to make offering of birds.&#8212;In His Birth were fulfilled the types,&#8212;in His purification and circumcision the allegories.&#8212;He came and paid over debts in His coming down;&#8212;in His Resurrection He went up and sent down treasures.