All hail, Thou noble Guest, this morn,
Whose love did not the sinner scorn;
In my distress Thou com’st to me;
What thanks shall I return to Thee?
Were earth a thousand times as fair,
Beset with gold and jewels rare,
She yet were far too poor to be,
A narrow cradle, Lord, for Thee.
Ah dearest Jesus, Holy Child,
Make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled,
Within my heart, that it may be
A quiet chamber kept for Thee.
–Martin Luther, Translated by A.T.Russell and C. Winkworth
