Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882). Complete Poetical Works. 1893.
AppendixII. Unacknowledged and Uncollected Translations. Christmas Carol
One of the Neapolitan Pastorali de’ Zampognari.
W
’T was night, but seemed the noon of day;
The stars, whose light
Was pure and bright,
Shone with unwavering ray;
But one, one glorious star
Guided the Eastern Magi from afar.
The lion fed beside the tender lamb;
And with the kid,
To pasture led,
The spotted leopard fed;
In peace, the calf and bear,
The wolf and lamb reposed together there.
An angel, brighter than the sun’s own light,
Appeared in air,
And gently said,
Fear not,—be not afraid,
For lo! beneath your eyes,
Earth has become a smiling paradise.