A STAR SHINES TONIGHT

Tore w. Aas

1.  Nå er den hellige time [Now is the holy hour.]
Vi står i stjerne skinn [We are in starlight]
Og hører klokkene kime [And hear the bells chime.]
Nå ringes julen inn. [Now Christmas is being rung in.]

Refrain:
      Englene synger høyt i kor  [The angels sing loudly in chorus]
Synger om fred på vår jord  [Sing about peace on our earth]
Verden var aldri helt forlatt  [The world was never completely abandoned]
En stjerne skinner i natt.  [A star shines tonight.]

2.  En nyfødt kjærlighet sover  [A newborn love sleeps]
Nå er Guds himmel nær [Now God’s heaven is near.]
Vår lange vanding er over  [Our long walk is over;]
Stjernen har stanset her.  [The star has stopped here.]

Refrain:

3.  Se himmlen ligger og hviler  [Watch the sky rest]
På jordens gule strå  [On the yellow straw of the earth.]
Vi står rundt krybben og smiler  [We stand around the crib and smile]
For vi er fremme nå  [For we are guests now.]
Her kan vi drømme om den fred,  [Here we can dream of peace]
som vi skal eie en gang  [That we should own once,]
for dette barn har himmlen med  [For this child has filled heaven]
og jorden fylles med sang.  [And earth with song.]

(Translation thanks to Roger Buhr and Don Berg)

The princess looked forth from her maiden bower.
The Lur of a herd-boy rang up from below.
“Oh, cease from thy playing and haunt me no more,
nor fetter my fancy that freely would soar,
when the sun goes down.”

The princess looked forth from her maiden bower
but mute was the Lur that had called from below.
“Oh, why art thou silent? Beguile me once more.
Give wings to my fancy that freely would soar,
when the sun goes down.”

The princess looked forth from her maiden bower.
The call of the Lur rose again from below.
She wept in the twilight and bitterly sighed,
“What is it I long for? God help me!” she cried
and the sun went down.