Sing We Now of Christmas is the English version of the traditional French carol Noël Nouvelet, which means New Christmas. I first became acquainted with this song back in my college days in French class. I'm ashamed to admit how bad I am at French, and thanks to earning a BA, I had to take it for two years. But one of the things I enjoyed about the class was singing hymns, and during the Christmas season this was my favorite song to sing. It was only last year, when I decided to do an English version, that I realized this song was translated over a century ago into Sing We Now of Christmas. Though what surprised me was how different the meaning of the song in French was to the English version.
It was then that I decided to keep the original translation for verse one and the chorus, but would rewrite verses 2-5 to more closely match the original. But there was a liberty I did take, and that was with the final verse. Noël Nouvelet talks about the three Wise Men bringing gifts, and the stable seeming like heaven. It always bothered me with the nativity and with songs when they placed the Wise Men in this location at this time. It took awhile for the Wise Men to find Jesus after spotting the star, and even if they had flight technology back then, they still wouldn't have made it the night of the birth. According to Matthew the Wise Men first saw Herod, and then in Matt. 2: 10-11, KJV, it states:
" 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11 ¶And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."
There's debate on exactly how old Jesus was, so I tried to make the translation as literal as possible. I wasn't able to state "young child," because there wasn't enough syllables to fit properly, and instead said he was a "little child," which was the closest I could be and still have it work. Here are the lyrics, and the changes I made are in verses 2-5.
“Sing We Now of Christmas”
Sing we now of Christmas,
Noel sing we here.
Hear our grateful praises
To the Babe so dear.
Chorus:
"Sing We Noel, the King is Born, Noel!
Sing we now of Christmas, sing we now Noel!
"Shepherds saw an Angel
'fear ye not,' he said.
'Born this day a Savior.
Go to Bethlehem.'
"In a little manger
Shepherds came to see
Mary’s little baby
Wrapped so tenderly.
"From the East came Wise Men
Treasures they would bring
Guided by a new star
Looking for the King.
"When the Wise Men found him,
Christ was a little child.
Gifts and gold they gave him,
Worshiping all the while."
Have a great Christmas,
Sarah
(For Sing We Now of Christmas I did all that was stated above, plus the arrangement and singing both parts. My brother, Steven, mixed and mastered the song, and then put the video together.)
