The Kings of the East Are Riding

The kings of the east are riding

Author: Katharine Lee Bates
Tune: WALLACE (Hamilton)
Published in 8 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, MusicXML
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1. The kings of the east are riding
Tonight to Bethlehem;
The sunset glows dividing,
The kings of the east are riding,
A star their journey guiding,
Gleaming with gold and gem.
The kings of the east are riding
Tonight to Bethlehem.

2. To a strange sweet harp of Zion
The starry host troops forth:
The golden-glaived Orion
To a strange sweet harp of Zion,
The Archer and the Lion,
The Watcher of the north:
To a strange sweet harp of Zion
The starry host sweeps forth.

3. There beams above a manger
The child-face of a star;
Amid the stars a stranger,
It beams above a manger,
What means this ether-ranger
To pause where poor folk are?
There beams above a manger
The child-face of a star.

Source: The Cyber Hymnal #3527

Author: Katharine Lee Bates

Katharine Lee Bates was born in Falmouth, Mass., August 12, 1859. Her father was a pastor in the Congregational Church; he died when she was an infant. Her mother moved the family to Wellesley. She received a B.A. (1880) and M.A. (1891) from Wellesley College. She taught high school from 1880-1885 and then was a professor of English literature at Wellesley. She wrote poetry, children's stories, textbooks and travel books. In the summer if 1893 when she was lecturing at Colorado College she went to the top of Pike's Peak. Inspired by the beauty of the view she wrote all four verses of "America the Beautiful" which was an instant hit when it was published. She had an intimate relationship with Katharine Coman, dean of Wellesley, who she live… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: The kings of the east are riding
Title: The Kings of the East Are Riding
Author: Katharine Lee Bates
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #3527
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)

Instances

Instances (1 - 2 of 2)

Scripture Song Database #3354

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #3527

Include 6 pre-1979 instances
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