Bethlehem! of noblest cities
Bethlehem! of noblest cities. Edward Caswall* (1814-1878).
This is a translation of ‘O sola magnarum urbium’* by Prudentius*. The translation was published in Caswall’s Lyra Catholica (1849), where it is set for Lauds at the Feast of the Epiphany. There have been many variants of the text, some unfortunate, because Caswall’s original is so beautiful. The First Edition of A&M (1861) printed a version beginning ‘Earth has many a noble city’, and making substantial alterations, notably to verse 3:
CaswallA&M
By its lambent beauty guided See, the Eastern kings appear; See them bend, their gifts to offer — Gifts of incense, gold, and myrrh.
Eastern sages at his cradle Make oblations...
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Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "Bethlehem! of noblest cities."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed April 11, 2026,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/b/bethlehem!-of-noblest-cities.