When the Child was born at Bethlehem
It was night but it seemed noon.
The stars were brilliant,
wonderful as never before…
and the briightest went to call the Three Kings from East.

At once birds woke up
and chirped in a totally new way;
even crickets jumping here and there
with their chirps were saying:
He was born, he was born,
He, God who created us.

In a country called Engedi
vines blossomed and grapes sprouted up.
My Child, so tasteful, full of love,
You are a little sweet grape:
You make sweet our mouth and stir our heart.
 

Created and directed by Lucio Marzullo

Video editing by Enzo De Bernardo

Song performance by NCCP (Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare)

This famous song was performed also by well known artists such as Mina and others. 

St. Alfonso Maria de’ Liguori is the author of many famous songs, both in Italian ( like Tu scendi dalle stelle, You are desending from stars) and in Naples’ dialect, as the one we can listen from singers walking around Naples’ streets: Quanno nascette Ninno (When the little Child Jesus was born).

It is more a poem than a song, full of lively and bright descriptions, linguistic inventions, joy and respect for the extraordinary event of God becoming Man. As a consequence, world and history are changing. St Alfonso probably composed also the music of the song, as he was not only a cultivated man of letters but also a musician. This joyful music with a pastoral rhythm conveys to us emotions and the sense of mystery in the meantime.

The first six strophes draw the ideal atmosphere of that night, as the birth of God as a man makes nature come back to Paradise on earth before sin… Jesus is not a simple fruit of nature, he is the Creator, the Incarnate Word through which world was created.

According to St. Luke’s Gospel, the strophes from seven to twenty two tell us the history: the Angels’ announcement to shepherds, their joy when listening to the announcement, their run to the crib. The shepherds’ adoration is described as in the popular representation of the Christmas Crib – Naples is the most famous producer of Holy Cribs since the XVI century.

From strophe 16 the author himself tells us the lullaby that Mary and the shepherds sing in order to lull Jesus: this lullaby is a nice example of the traditional melody of popular lullabies in Naples in those days.

The 6 final strophes give a moral teaching: they invite people to follow shepherds’ example, going to the Holy Crib repenting of their own sins. Sin is defeated by the Love of God who becomes Man and Child to save each of us. Light and darkness are the final theme: the sinner is as black as pitch, but if he repents he will return to the original Light, thanks to the divine Mercy. As the Blessed Virgin accepted to be the Mother of God becoming Man, She is also the Mother of all sinners: the last prayer of the last strophe is a thanks given to Mary for Her role in salvation.