1 Angels we have heard on high,
singing sweetly through the night,
and the mountains in reply,
echoing their brave delight.

Refrain:
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.

2 Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why these songs of happy cheer?
What great brightness did you see?
What glad tidings did you hear? Refrain

3 Come to Bethlehem and see
him whose birth the angels sing;
come, adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord, the newborn King. Refrain

1 Les anges dans nos campagnes,
ont entonn‚ l'hymne des cieux,
et l'‚cho de nos montagnes,
redit ce chant m‚lodieux. Refrain

2 Bergers, pour qui cette fˆte?
Quel est l'objet de tous ces chants?
Quel vainqueur, quelle conquˆte
m‚rite ces cris triomphants? Refrain

3 Cherchons tous l'heureux village
qui l'a vu naŒtre sous ses toits;
offronslui le tendre hommage
et de nos c urs et de nos voix! Refrain

Scripture References:
all st. = Luke 2:8-15

"Les anges" is a French noel (from the Languedoc region) believed to date from the eighteenth century. Its text and tune were first published in the Nouveau Recueil de Cantiques in 1855. The English translation originated as a free imitation from the French by James Chadwick, which was adapted by Henri Hemy in his Roman Catholic collection, Crown of Jesus Music (1862). Of the original eight-stanza French text, stanzas 1, 2, and 4 are included.

The Christmas gospel in Luke 2:8-15 is the basis for the text. The hymn's refrain, "Gloria in excelsis Deo" is the first part of the angels' chorus in Luke 2: 14; it is one of the few Latin phrases in common use in Protestant churches.

Liturgical Use:
Christmas season; in "carols from many lands" choral services.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook