Lyrics & Knowledge Personal Pages Record Shop Auction Links Radio & Media Kids Membership Help
The Mudcat Cafesj



User Name Thread Name Subject Posted
Haruo Tune Req: songs about the magi (96* d) Lyr Add: THE KINGS OF THE EAST ARE RIDING 26 Nov 12


I have always been rather strangely affected by the astrological imagery of "The Kings of the East are riding", by Katharine Lee Bates (who wrote "America the Beautiful", inter alia). Here's a YouTube.

THE KINGS OF THE EAST ARE RIDING

  1. The kings of the east are riding
    Tonight to Bethlehem;
    The sunset glows dividing,
    The kings of the east are riding,
    A star their journey guiding,
    Gleaming with gold and gem.
    The kings of the east are riding
    Tonight to Bethlehem.

  2. To a strange sweet harp of Zion
    The starry host troops forth:
    The golden-glaived Orion
    To a strange sweet harp of Zion,
    The Archer and the Lion,
    The Watcher of the north:
    To a strange sweet harp of Zion
    The starry host sweeps forth.

  3. There beams above a manger
    The child-face of a star;
    Amid the stars a stranger,
    It beams above a manger,
    What means this ether-ranger
    To pause where poor folk are?
    There beams above a manger
    The child-face of a star.


The Cyber Hymnal™'s PDF of the tune (four-part setting) is available at the Hymnary.org page on the song.


Post to this Thread -

Back to the Main Forum Page

By clicking on the User Name, you will requery the forum for that user. You will see everything that he or she has posted with that Mudcat name.

By clicking on the Thread Name, you will be sent to the Forum on that thread as if you selected it from the main Mudcat Forum page.
   * Click on the linked number with * to view the thread split into pages (click "d" for chronologically descending).

By clicking on the Subject, you will also go to the thread as if you selected it from the original Forum page, but also go directly to that particular message.

By clicking on the Date (Posted), you will dig out every message posted that day.

Try it all, you will see.