(usually know as)1
We Three Kings of Orient Are
John Henry Hopkins, Jr.
(1820-1891)
We wise men of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.
Chorus:
O star of wonder, star of light,
Star with royal beauty bright,
westward leading, still proceeding,
guide us to thy perfect light.
Born a King on Bethlehem's plain,
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.
Frankincense to offer have I;
Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising, voices raising,
Worshiping God on high.
Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.2
Glorious now behold Him arise;
King and God and sacrifice:
“Alleluia! Alleluia!”
Earth to Heaven replies.
- For the scriptural reason behind this title change, see Jim Kerwin's note in The Original Aromas of Christmas. ↩
- The third stanza is quoted by Jim Kerwin in The Original Aromas of Christmas along with the fourth stanza. ↩
