O Viri, Este Hilares

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. "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" is a very well-known English carol, and I've found two different Latin translations online. You can find detailed information about the English carol at the Hymns and Carols of Christmas website.

This carol is famously featured in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol.

Version 1 (Translated by J.C. Robertson)

O viri, este hilares
et bono animo.
Salvator Christus natus est
hoc tempore festo,
ut nos errantes liberet
summo periculo.
O laetissimum nuntium, laetissimum,
O laetissimum nuntium.

De caelo Pater misit
in terram angelum,
qui quosdam ad pastores
afferret nuntium:
in Bethlehem natum esse
Ipsius filium.
O laetissimum nuntium, laetissimum,
O laetissimum nuntium.

Quo cognito pastores,
completi gaudio,
relictis statim gregibus
in imbre et in vento,
approperant in urbem
visendi studio.
O laetissimum nuntium, laetissimum,
O laetissimum nuntium.

Eo cum pervenissent,
viderunt parvulum
cubantem in praesaepio
in faeno pecorum,
dum mater nixa genibus
adorat Dominum.
O laetissimum nuntium, laetissimum,
O laetissimum nuntium.

Nunc collaudemus Dominum
omnes qui adsumus,
amore vero inter nos
dilecti penitus.
Nam omnium dierum
hic est faustissimus.
O laetissimum nuntium, laetissimum,
O laetissimum nuntium.

Version 2 (Translated by Lillian Lawler)

Salvete, laeti comites.
Nihil vos terreat.
Nam Iesus Christus natus est
ut omnes redimat,
et in Satanae semitas
errantes reducat.
O nuntium gratissimum, gratissimum!
O nuntium gratissimum!

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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

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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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