Dum Servant Pecus Pastores

Here is today's Latin Christmas carol; you can read one carol per day for the month of December, or see the complete collection all at once. Today's carol is an English song entitled "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night" first published in a collection of traditional English carols by Davies Gilbert in 1822. Like any popular song it has been set to many different musical arrangements. You can find English lyrics along with MIDI files and sheet music at the Hymns and Carols of Christmas website.

On the Internet, I've found two different Latin translations, one being much more complete than the other.

Version 1. Latin translation by Robert J.M. Lindsay (this is the Latin version commonly found online).

Dum servant pecus pastores
per noctem quieti,
summo nitore descendit
angelus Domini.

"Metum," inquit, "deponite!"
(pavebant subito);
"Laetitiam terricolis
cunctis pronuntio:

"In urbe David natus est
Davidicae gentis Salvator
qui est Christus Rex.
Signum erit vobis:

"Invenietis puerum
vestitu misero;
monstratus is hominibus
iacet in stabulo."

Haec simul fatus est, turba
fulgens apparuit,
chorus Deum laudantium,
sic laeta cecinit:

"Deo sit tota gloria;
pax fiat in terris;
mortalibusque gratiae
ne umquam sit finis."

Version 2. Translator unknown (I have corrected several typos in the one example of this version which I found online).

Dum nocte humi praesident
pastores gregibus,
lux circumfulsit de caelo:
descendit angelus.

Tum "Ne timete!" monuit
trementis animo.
"Nam vobis atque omnibus
pergrata nuntio.

"In urbe vestra Bethlehem
Davidis de stirpe
Salvator Christus Dominus
est natus hodie."

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Here are the carols I have completed so far:
December 1: Rudolphus
December 2: Angelus ad Virginem
December 3: Aquifolia Ornate
December 4: A Solis Ortus Cardine
December 5: O Viri, Este Hilares
December 6: Conditor Alme Siderum
December 7: Angeli Canunt Praecones
December 8: Regis Olim Urbe David
December 9: Gaudium Mundo
December 10: Resonet in Laudibus
December 11: Adeste Fideles
December 12: Christe, Redemptor Omnium

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Bolchazy-Carducci has a Latin Christmas Carol music CD! With 12 songs in Latin, O Abies: O Christmas Tree is available at amazon.com for $17.00

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