302 - Carol for the Animals

Carol for the Animals
By Alice Carver Cramer

When they told of Jesus' birth
Joy of heaven come to earth
There were radiant angels singing
There were kings their treasure bringing
And the star
Shone afar-
All the glorious word to tell:
God-with-us Emmanuel!

There were simple shepherds too
Come this blessed child to view,
Patient ox and ass and sheep
Joined the Christmas watch to keep
Where he lay
On the hay-
All the glorious word to tell:
God-with-us Emmanuel!

When God made the creatures all
Striped and spotted, large and small
Came the word-that word has stood-
These my creatures all are good
Creeping slug
Ladybug-
All the glorious word to tell:
God-with-us Emmanuel!

Come then creatures! One and all
Come for blessing to the stall
Hear the heavenly music ring
Cats-dogs-monkeys-everything
From the whale
To the snail -
All the glorious word to tell:
God-with-us Emmanuel!

Alice Carver Cramer attended Mount Holyoke and Radcliffe. She taught English literature and composition at Pennsylvania State University and has published poetry and articles in The Yale Review, Harvard Magazine, Nature, Speculum, and the Christian Science Monitor. Her poem, "Mother Teresa" appeared in the July 1981 issue of THEOLOGY TODAY. The First Sunday in Advent comes this year on November 28, and we publish "Carol for the Animals" in joyful anticipation of the Christmas season.