There never was a birth like this:giotto_nat_det1
Hodie Christus natus est
A maid, a manger and a kiss.
Salvator apparuit.

Never would death so seal birth’s joy
Hodie Christus natus est
As when it crowned the Virgin’s boy.
Salvator apparuit.

O sweetest fruit—of womb, of tree—
Hodie Christus natus est
To eat thy flesh is to be free.
Salvator apparuit.

Of banquets and of babes the best:
Et Verbum caro factum est.