Personent Hodie
Medieval Latin poem
setting by Lara Hoggard

Personent hodie voces puerulae,
laudantes iucundequi nobis est natus,
summo Deo datus, et de virviret de virvirvir,
et de virgineo ventre procreatus
In mundo nascitur, pannis in volvitur,
praesepi ponitur stabulo brutorum, rector supernorum,
perdidt spolia princeps infernorum
Magi tres venerunt munera offerunt,
parfulum inquirunt, stellulam sequendo,
ipsum adorando, aurum, thus aurum et myrrham ei offerendo.
Omnes clericuli, pariter pueri cantent ut angeli,
advenisti mundo,
GLORIA IN EXCELCIS DEO!
Let youthful voices resound today,
joyfully praising Him who is born for us,
who is given unto us by the most high God,
and brought forth from a virgin.
He is born in the world, is wrapped in swaddling cloths
and placed in a manger in a stable of beasts.
He is ruler over all things.
(The prince of darkness has lost his prey!)
Three wise men come, bearing gifts.
They have found the Child by folowing a little star
Adoring the Lord, they offer Him gold, incense and myrrh.
Let all young choristers now sing as did the angels,
praising Him who has come into all the world:
 "Glory to God in the highest!"