TEXTS
Ambassadors & Chorale
Comfort and Joy by Charles Anthony Silvestri and Mari Esabel Valverde
In the little winter town, beneath the glass,
A child alone, in a pale blue coat,
Arms stretched out to greet the swirling snow,
Dances in comfort and joy, dances in comfort and joy.
The snow falls sure and steady here;
Ever new this bed of purest white.
All have fled inside, except the child
Dancing in comfort and joy, dancing in comfort and joy.
What songs fill her fragile sphere?
What long dreaming do they tell?
The many paths she could have taken,
The women she could have become,
This forever girl, gazing upward,
Frozen in this snowy moment,
All wrapped up in palest blue.
And dancing in comfort and joy, dancing in comfort and joy?
A Reading
The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper
So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive,
And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us—Listen!!
All the long echoes sing the same delight,
This shortest day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!
Community Chorale
Solstice Carole by Kim Baryluk
A fire is burning, the long night draws near.
All who need comfort are welcome by here.
We’ll dance ‘neath the stars and toast the past year for the spirit of solstice is still living here.
We’ll count all our blessings while the Mother lays down with snow as her blanket covering the ground.
Thanks to the Mother for the lids that she brings.
She’ll waken to warm us again in the spring.
The poor and the hungry, the sick and the lost;
These are our children, no matter the cost.
Come by the fire the Harvest to share for the spirit of solstice is still living here.
A fire is burning, the long night draws near.
All who need comfort are welcome by here.
We’ll dance ‘neath the stars and toast the past year for the spirit of solstice is still living here.
The spirit of solstice is still living here.
Solstice Song by Cherly B. Engelhardt
It’s Natalis Sol Invictus
In case you didn’t know,
The birth of the unconquered Sun,
Into the light we go.
But first we honor the Mother Earth
And souls healing in the dark,
Solstice means “sun standing still,”
No rushing this part!
There’s poison in the mistletoe
And magic in the oak.
The candle wicks are lit again,
The elements we invoke.
The crone is lurking ‘round the bend,
Holda has a light.
Skadi and Frigg embrace the dark
Halcyon rests at night.
Yuletide myth and legends told
rituals of yore.
Let us sit inside the night
To see the light of our core.
The trickster raven brings the fire
The holly brings the luck
the cloves bring rebirth, wealth, and love.
The snowfall brings the hush.
Un día de solsticio by Oswaldo Aquique
Permaneces en el campanario mientras
la plaza abarca nuestras esquinas.
El dolor es pasajero en la nieve que se desliza.
Jamás será inmediata una respuesta,
pero reconocerás su aparición callada en los días de solsticio invernal.
Translation
You stay at the bell tower while the square spans our corners.
The pain is temporary in the sliding snow.
An answer will never be immediate, but you will recognize its quiet appearance on the days of the winter solstice.
Patake! by Shivani Rattan
Diwali, Diwali diyajalao.
Mitakao, mitakao, muhtiyi banao.
Patake, patake! Ta! Ta! Ta!
Khushiya, khushiya, khushiya.
The Gift by Russell Wallace
Way hey hee yo yo, Way hey hee yo yo
Auass by Alex Vollant
Weho io io wehe eia
Auass Astemute tshe uitemuin katutakuin
Auass Eka shetshe
Apu tsheku akuitan
Auass uapel tshe ka mele tshishekau
Translation
Child Come here and tell me what they did to you
Child don’t be scared I will never hurt you.
Child tomorrow will be brighter.
A Reading
White-Eyes by Mary Oliver
In winter
all the singing is in
the tops of the trees
where the wind-bird
with its white eyes
shoves and pushes
among the branches.
Like any of us
he wants to go to sleep,
but he’s restless—
he has an idea,
and slowly it unfolds
from under his beating wings
as long as he stays awake.
But his big, round music, after all,
is too breathy to last.
So, it’s over.
In the pine-crown
he makes his nest,
he’s done all he can.
I don’t know the name of this bird,
I only imagine his glittering beak
tucked in a white wing
while the clouds—
which he has summoned
from the north—
which he has taught
to be mild, and silent—
thicken, and begin to fall
into the world below
like stars, or the feathers
of some unimaginable bird
that loves us,
that is asleep now, and silent—
that has turned itself
into snow.
Community Chorale, with Ambassadors
Snow by Hannah Cai Sobel
Snow is an amalgamation of sounds, a blurry and messy cluster of pitches, and the repeated word of “snow.”
A Reading
Miracles, Walt Whitman
Why, who makes much of a miracle?
As to me I know of nothing else but miracles,
Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,
Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky,
Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of the water,
Or stand under trees in the woods,
Or talk by day with any one I love, or sleep in the bed at night with any one I love,
Or sit at table at dinner with the rest,
Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car,
Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive of a summer forenoon,
Or animals feeding in the fields,
Or birds, or the wonderfulness of insects in the air,
Or the wonderfulness of the sundown, or of stars shining so quiet and bright,
Or the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring;
These with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles,
The whole referring, yet each distinct and in its place.
To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,
Every cubic inch of space is a miracle,
Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same,
Every foot of the interior swarms with the same.
To me the sea is a continual miracle,
The fishes that swim—the rocks—the motion of the waves—the
ships with men in them,
What stranger miracles are there?
AmbassadorS
Shir Lama’aloth (Psalm 121) by Salamone Rossi
Shir Lama’aloth; ese einai el heharim me’ayin yavo ezri?
Ezri mei’im adonai o seh shamayim va’aretz.
Al yitein lamot ragleicha al yanum shomerecha.
Hinei, lo yanum velo yashan shomer Yisrael.
Adonai shomer recha adonai tzilecha al yad yeminecha.
Yo mam hashemesh lo yakeka veyareyach balailah,
Adonai yishmorcha mikol ra yish mor et nafshe cha.
Adonai yishmor tseitecha uvo’echa me’ata ve’ad olam.
Translation
A song of ascents:
I shall lift up my eyes unto the mountains:
From whence shall come my help?
My help comes from the Lord
Who made heaven and earth.
The Lord will not let your food give way;
Your guardian will not slumber.
See, the guardian of Israel
Neither slumbers nor sleeps!
The Lord is your guardian,
The Lord is your protection at your right hand.
The sun will not afflict you by day,
Not the moon by night.
The Lord will guard you from all evil,
The Lord will keep your soul.
The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in,
From this time forth and forever!
Haneross Hallelu by L. Lewandowski
Haneross hallolu anachnu madlikin,
al hannissim w’al hat’schuoss,
w’al hannifloss scheossisso lawossenu,
al j’de kohanecho hak’doschim.
w’chol sch’monass j’me cha nukko hanneross halolu
ko desch w’en lonu r’schusch l’hischtammesch bohem,
elo lirosoom bil’wad,
k’de l’hodoss l’schimcho,
al nissecho w’al j’schuoseecho,
w’al nif l’o seecho.
Translation
We kindle these lights [to commemorate] the saving acts, miracles and wonders which You have performed for our forefathers, in those days at this time, through Your holy priests. Throughout the eight days of Chanukah, these lights are sacred, and we are not permitted to make use of them, but only to look at them, in order to offer thanks and praise to Your great Name for Your miracles, for Your wonders and for Your salvations.
Hallelujah, Amen from Judas Maccabeaus by G.F. Handel
Hallelujah, Amen,
O Judah, rejoice, rejoice, rejoice!
Rejoice, O Judah, in songs divine,
With cherubim and seraphim harmonious join,
Hallelujah, Amen.
Magnificat by Leonardo Leo
Magnificat anima mea Dominum;
Et exultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo,
Quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae; ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes.
Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est, et sanctum nomen ejus, Et misericordia ejus a progenie in progenies timentibus eum.
Fecit potentiam brachio suo;
Dispersit superbos mente cordis sui.
Deposuit potentes de sede, et exaltavit humiles.
Esurientes implevit bonis, et divites dimisit inanes.
Suscepit Israel, puerum suum, recordatus misericordiae suae, Sicut locutus est ad patres nostros, Abraham et semini ejus in saecula.
Translation
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.
Holy Night Blessed Night by Shengye Jing, Qigui Shi Arranged by Chris de Silva
Holy night, blessed night,
stars of heaven fill the sky,
holding earth in light.
Ev’ry valley, ev’ry woodland sings in joy the Bethlehem song:
Glory! Glory! Christ the Lord is born.
Holy night, blessed night,
humble shepherds seek the light,
angels sing Love’s song.
All creation, ev’ry nation, earth and heaven sing good news:
Glory! Glory! Christ the Lord is born this holy night, blessed night.
Love has come to dwell with us, gently lead the way.
Peace and mercy, grace and goodness shine in us this Christmas day:
Glory! Glory! Christ the Lord is born.
Guijarro de luz by César Alejandro Carrillo
De un paisaje antiguo
de una estrella en flor
va cantando el Niño
poemas de amor
¡Cuenta de su oveja
mientras sale el sol!
Viene, apurdito
murmullo de oración
Niñito precioso
guijarro de luz
Ojitos de lluvia
piecitos de tul
Ven hasta mi alma
Mi sueño y mi voz,
Tu alforja de luces
Será mi canción
Niñito neblina
milagro de bien
Manitas de polen
nacido en Belén
Ven hasta mi casa,
tesoro de pan,
tus versos de oro
vamos a cantar.
Translation
Of an ancient landscape
of a blooming star
the Child is singing
love poems
Tell me about his sheep
as the sun rises!
He’s coming in a hurry
murmur of prayer
Precious little boy
pebble of light
Rainy eyes
tulle feet
Come to my soul
my dream and my voice,
your saddlebag of lights
it will be my song
Misty little boy
miracle of good
Talj, Talj by Rahbani Brothers
Talj talj 3am betshati eddini talj
W ennajmat 7ayraneen W zouhour etter2at berdanyeen
Talj talj 3am betshati eddini talj
W elghaymat ta3baneen 3attele khaymat moudouyeen
W imghayra sahrane fiha tifl izgheer
ba3younou el7alyani houbb ikteer ikteer
Talj talj 3am betshati eddini talj
Kill 2alb w kill marj zahar fih el7oubb mitl ettalj
W jay ra3yan min ba3eed
Wayn ettifl elmou3oud ?
Hawn ya ra3yan min ba3eed
Hawn ellayl elmanshoud
Talj talj shatti khayr w 7oubb w talj
3ala kill 2alb w 3ala kill marj
Ilfe w khayr w 7oubb mitl talj
Translation
Snow, snow is falling on the world,
And the stars are confused, and the flowers along the road are shivering.
Snow, snow is falling on the world,
The clouds are weary, and on the hill tents are lighted.
And there is a small child in the cave where everyone is awake,
And his sweet eyes are full of love.
Snow, snow is falling on the world,
Every heart, every meadow has blossomed with love, like snow.
And the shepherds are coming from afar -
Where is the baby we were promised?
Here, O shepherds from afar!
Tonight is the night we wished for.
The snow has brought prosperity and love
to every heart and every meadow.
Friendship, prosperity, and love are falling like snow.
Chant of the 6th Patriarch arranged by Reed Criddle
菩提本无树，
明镜亦非台，
本来无一物，
何处惹尘埃。
Translation
Neither the Sacred Fig tree, nor the shining mirror,
Nor the body or the heart of the disciple,
Are material in and of themselves;
And thus cannot be sullied.
Meditation text by Sangharakshita
Here perpetual incense burns;
The heart to meditation turns,
And all delights and passions spurns
A thousand brilliant hues arise,
More lovely than the evening skies,
And pictures paint before our eyes.
All the spirit's storm and stress
Is stilled into a nothingness,
And healing powers descend and bless.
Refreshed, we rise and turn again
To mingle with this world of pain,
As on roses falls the rain.
Unexpected Early Hour Reena Esmail
Praise be!
The dim, the dun, the dark withdraws
Our recluse morning’s found.
Praise, the river’s a live
The clearing provides
Lie down, night sky, lie down.
I feel the cold wind leaving gone
I feel the frost’s relief.
My tracks in the snow can still be erased.
In us, the sun believes.
Winter is, winter ends,
So the true bird calls.
The rocks cry out
My bones cry out
All the trees applaud.
Ev’ry hard thing lauds.
Lie down, lie down.
I know the seeding seasons comes,
I know the ground will spring.
My fate is not night
I don't need to try
Behold! The dawn, within.
Horizon lights across my thoughts,
Horizon lines redraw.
Inside of my throat a rise of the gold,
Inside my meat I thaw.
Winter is, winter ends,
Nothing stays the same.
The moon strikes high
The sun strikes high and
Now I hear your name:
Earth’s untired Change.
Praise be!
The unexpected early hour grows the good light long.
Our darkness ends,
O mercy sun,
Trust can warm us all.
Begin again, again, again, being again, again.
May our day begin!
A Reading
All the Hemispheres
Introduction: “All the Hemispheres,” written by Sufi poet, Hafez, whose works are traditionally read on the evening of yalda, the Persian festival for winter solstice.”
Leave the familiar for a while.
Let your senses and bodies stretch out
Like a welcomed season
Onto the meadows and shores and hills.
Open up to the Roof.
Make a new water-mark on your excitement
And love.
Like a blooming night flower,
Bestow your vital fragrance of happiness
And giving
Upon our intimate assembly.
Change rooms in your mind for a day.
All the hemispheres in existence
Lie beside an equator
In your heart.
Greet Yourself
In your thousand other forms
As you mount the hidden tide and travel
Back home.
All the hemispheres in heaven
Are sitting around a fire
Chatting
While stitching themselves together
Into the Great Circle inside of
You.
Community Chorale & Ambassadors
Welcome, Yule by William Brown
Welcome, Yule
Welcome be,Thou Heaven’s King.
Welcome Ye, born on this morning.
Welcome to Thee, now we will sing.
Welcome Yule, forever and aye!
Welcome be thou, Mary mild.
Welcome be, and thou thy Child.
From the fiend, thou us shield.
Welcome be thou, good New Year.
Welcome the twelve days before
Welcome be that all be here.
Welcome, Yule, forever and aye!
Welcome be, all the company.
For Yule love makes us merry.
Welcome, Yule, forever and aye!