Lyr. Add: CANZONE D'L ZAMPOGNARI
Bagpipers' Carol, Sicily

1.
Quanno nascette Ninno a Betelem me,
E rannotee pa rea miezo journo
Maje le stelle, lusteree belle,
Seve dettero accusi!
La chiu lucen to
Jet tea chiamma li
Magi, in Oriente.
2.
No n'cerano nemice ppe le terra,
La pecora pascia co lo lione,
Co le crappet
Se vedette
Lo liopardo pazzia:
L'urzo e o vitiello,
E co lu lupo 'npace u pecoriello.
3.
Guardavano le pecore lu pasture;
E l'angelo sbrennente chiu de lu sule,
Comparette
E le dicette:
'No ve spaventate, no!
Contento e riso;
La terra e arrenventata paradise!'

"Traditional Sicilian Carol, also known by the first line. Midi and Noteworthy Composer.

Discussed above by weepiper and MMario. From Hymns and Carols of Christmas: http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/NonEnglish/canzone_dl_zampognari.htm
Canzone

"The carol originated in Sicily in approximately the seventeenth century, and is traditionally played on the zampogna (a type of large, sweet-toned bagpipe with two drones and two chanters) by shepherds who would come to the villages throughout Italy. The shepherds would serenade private homes and statues of the Virgin Mary in the nine days before Christmas."

I am confused by the references; the version given above may be Neapolitan.
Folkinfo says that "The Shorter New Oxford Book of Carols has this under the name 'Quando nascette Ninno,' identifying it as a Neapolitan traditional and gives the Italian...."

Folkinfo provides music and English lyrics for the following carol, referring to Discussion/The Bagpipers' Carol/Canzone D'l Zampognari/Quando nascette Ninno/
It is not a translation of "Canzone D'l Zampognari" (above).

Lyr. Add: THE BAGPIPERS' CAROL
Lyricist?
1.
The night the babe was born,
A star lit up the sky,
The darkness vanished from the earth
And songs came from on high,
Bringing gifts of myrrh and gold
And frankincense from lands a-far.
Came wise men of the East,
Who journeyed on to Bethlehem
Led by the shining star.
2.
And on that starry night,
A calm fell on the earth.
The world at last was filled with love
Because Mary gave birth.
All the creatures shared the joy
And gathered round the oxen stall,
Where Jesus laid in peace:
A tender, helpless Babe,
Yet born a King to save us all.
3.
To shepherds in the fields
Appeared a glorious light,
An angel came and stood before them
All glorious in white.
Then the angel told the shepherds
Of the truth, the Life, the Way
With praise they danced and sang
And played upon their pipes,
New tunes to celebrate that day.

Source: Singing Together, Autumn 1984, BBC Publications.
Notes: This is identified as an Italian carol and is taken from "The Lindsay Carol Book."
http://www.folkinfo.org/songs/displaysong.php?songid=640
The Bagpipers Carol