Of the Father's love begotten,
Ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega,
He the source, the ending he,
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see,
Evermore and evermore!
O ye heights of heaven adore him;
Angel hosts, his praises sing;
Pow'rs, dominions, bow before him,
And extol our God and King;
Let no tongue on earth be silent,
Every voice in concert ring,
Evermore and evermore!
O that birth for ever blessed,
When the Virgin, full of grace,
By the Holy Ghost conceiving,
Bare the Saviour of our race;
And the Babe, the world's Redeemer,
First revealed his sacred face,
Evermore and evermore!
Thee let old men, thee let young
men,
Thee let boys in chorus sing;
Matrons, virgins, little maidens,
With glad voices answering:
Let their guileless songs re-echo,
And the heart its music bring,
Evermore and evermore!
Christ, to thee with God the Father,
And, O Holy Ghost, to thee,
Hymn and chant and high thanksgiving,
And unwearied praises be:
Honor, glory, and dominion,
And eternal victory,
Evermore and evermore!
The hymn Corde natus ex Parentis first appeared in the
Leofric Collectar of the 11th Century and was used in the rites of
York and Hereford at Compline during Christmastide. It appears in
the 1940 Hymnal in a translation by John Mason Neale adapted by
Henry W. Baker.
The Plainsong melody is not associated with the text in the ancient
English rites, but is a Sanctus trope found with the
Divinum Mysterium text in 12th-15th century Italian and
German manuscripts.
