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Lowly Shepherds of Judea

Representative Text

1. Lowly shepherds of Judea,
On a winter’s night,
Heard a sound of angel voices,
Saw a wondrous light.

Refrain
O, merry, merry, merry, Koo-ree-soo-mah-soo!
Let us all be very merry, Koo-ree-soo-mah-soo!

2. Eastern wise men seeking Jesus,
Traveling from afar,
Just like us were filled with gladness,
When they saw His star. [Refrain]

3. Friends today are keeping Christmas,
In America,
Brothers, sisters, singing with us,
Down in Africa. [Refrain]

Transliteration of the Japanese:

1. Yoodahyah no hetsoo jee woe,
Kohoh hetoe moh,
Nohdohkahnee eewahee nok,
Kohe woe ta te.

2. Nan daka oohrashee
Kooreesoomahsoo,
Wahrarah moureshee,
Kooreesoomahsoo.

Translator (from Japanese): Kate I. Hansen

Born: July 5, 1879, Logan, Kansas. Died: January 4, 1968, Logan, Kansas. Buried: Pleasant View Cemetery, Logan, Kansas. Daughter of Peter and Alpha Ama Gray Hansen, Kate graduated from high school in Beloit, Kansas, in 1896. After earning a teaching license, her first position was at a rural school just east of Marvin, Kansas, in 1896. From 1896-97, she taught and served as assistant principal of the grade school in Logan. In 1899, she moved to Lawrence, Kansas, to attend the University of Kansas (KU). After earning a music teacher’s certificate in 1901, she took a teaching job in the Denver, Colorado, public schools, where she taught both music and German. Hansen returned to KU in 1902, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Lowly shepherds of Judea
Title: Lowly Shepherds of Judea
Original Language: Japanese
Translator (from Japanese): Kate I. Hansen
Language: English
Refrain First Line: O, merry, merry, merry, Koo-ree-soo-mah-soo!
Notes: In the refrain, "Kooreesoomahsoo" is Japanese for Christmas.
Copyright: Public Domain

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #4003
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)

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The Cyber Hymnal #4003

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