People, Look East
Hymn composed by
Traditional French carolContextual information
Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965) was an award-winning English author of primarily children's literature. Born into a literary family (her parents and siblings were all writers, except for one brother who was a composer), "Nellie," as she was called, started writing when she was a child. She was friends with many leading authors of her time, including D.H. Lawrence and Robert Frost. Though Eleanor produced a tremendous amount of work—more than eighty books of children's stories and poems, adult novels, and other work, plus numerous school plays—her best known creations are the poem, "Morning Has Broken," made popular in the song by Cat Stevens, and this poem, "People Look East," which someone paired up with an old French melody to create a Christmas carol that first appeared in 1928.
This hymn appears as #226 in Singing the Living Tradition.
Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965) was an award-winning English author of primarily children's literature. Born into a literary family (her parents and siblings were all writers, except for one brother who was a composer), "Nellie," as she was called, started writing when she was a child. She was friends with many leading authors of her time, including D.H. Lawrence and Robert Frost. Though Eleanor produced a tremendous amount of work—more than eighty books of children's stories and poems, adult novels, and other work, plus numerous school plays—her best known creations are the poem, "Morning Has Broken," made popular in the song by Cat Stevens, and this poem, "People Look East," which someone paired up with an old French melody to create a Christmas carol that first appeared in 1928.
This hymn appears as #226 in Singing the Living Tradition.
Tune Name
BESANÇON
Tune Name
Text Meter
8.7.9.8.8.7.
10.9.10.9
Song Composer
Traditional French carolHymn Arranger
Composer Background information
Spiritual tags
Other tags
Lyricist Background information
Arranger Background information
Lyrics
People, look east. The time is near
of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able,
trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look east and sing today:
Love the Guest, is on the way.
Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare,
one more seed is planted there.
Give up your strength the seed to nourish,
that in course and flower may flourish.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the Rose, is on the way.
Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim,
one more light the bowl shall brim,
shining beyond the frosty weather,
bright as sun and moon together.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the Star, is on the way.
Resources
Music XML and MEI and MIDI and Musescore files