THE HILLS ARE BARE AT BETHLEHEM

The hills are bare at Bethlehem,
No future for the world they show;
Yet here new life begins to grow,
From earth's old dust a greenwood stem.

The stars are cold at Bethlehem,
No warmth for those beneath the sky;
Yet here the radiant angels fly,
and joy burns new, a fi'ry gem.

The heart is tired at Bethlehem,
No human dream unbroken stands;
Yet here God comes to mortal hands,
And hope renewed cries out: "Amen!"

--Royce J. Scherf (1929); tune: PROSPECT (Southern Harmony)

~Masato