Angels We Have Heard On High (Gloria, in excelsis Deo!)

Traditional French carol (Les Anges dans Nos Campagnes); translated from French to English by James Chadwick in Crown of Jesus, 1862. Music: Gloria (Barnes), French carol melodyAngels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains.RefrainGloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heavenly song?RefrainCome to Bethlehem ...