Christ — First Advent

Hark! what mean those holy voices

No. 296
Words John Cawood.
Singing key B♭ major
5 stanzas

Sung to STOCKWELL (hymn 162)

Words

Hark! what mean those holy voices,Sweetly warbling in the skies?All the heavenly host rejoices,Loudest hallelujahs rise.

Listen to the wondrous story,Which they chant in hymns of joy,—"Glory in the highest, glory;Glory be to God most high!

"Peace on earth, good-will from heaven,Reaching far as man is found;Souls redeemed, and sins forgiven;Loud our golden harps shall sound.

"Christ is born, the great Anointed;Heaven and earth his glory sing;Glad receive whom God appointed,For your Prophet, Priest, and King.

"Hasten, mortals! to adore him;Learn his name and taste his joy;Till in heaven you stand before him,And his praise your tongues employ."

About this hymn

As printed Words only. As printed: hymn number «296» (large) in the left column of p. 97 below hymn 295 (REGENT SQUARE), with the reference line «162, 534, 277.» in bold italic figures on the same line (= sing to the tunes of hymns 162, 534 or 277); no tune of its own is printed (the index's «Regent Square» is the tune of 295 on the same page). Stanzas 1–4 stand in the left column, stanza 5 at the top of the right column; «John Cawood.» in italics after stanza 5. The first word «HARK» is set in capitals and small capitals. The song of the angels is quoted from stanza 2 line 3 to the end: each of stanzas 3, 4 and 5 opens with a quotation mark and the closing mark stands only after «employ.» — as printed. The print sets a thin space before «!», «?» and «;» («HARK !», «skies ?», «glory ;», «high !», «found ;», «forgiven ;», «Anointed ;», «sing ;», «mortals !», «him ;», «joy ;»); it is closed up here. Quotation marks are written straight. Spelling, punctuation and capitals are the print's. No meter is printed (the text is 8s & 7s, like REGENT SQUARE above it).