Love came down at Christmas

Love came down at Christmas,
love all lovely, love divine;
love was born at Christmas:
star and angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,
love incarnate, love divine;
worship we our Jesus,
but wherewith the sacred sign?

Love shall be our token;
love be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and to all men,
love for plea and gift and sign.

note: first appeared without a title in Time Flies: A Reading Diary, 1885
Authorship

by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830-1894) , "Christmastide", from Verses, published 1893

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Laurence Mitchell Ager (1904-) , "Love came down at Christmas", published 1958 [satb chorus a cappella], anthem
by Ruth Bampton (1902-) , "Love came down at Christmas", published 1961. [medium voice, organ or piano]
by Seth Daniels Bingham (1882-1972) , "Love came down at Christmas", published 1960 [satb chorus with descant, organ], carol

Text added to the website: 2006-01-27.

Notes about green, red, and white dots

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