It is midnight and, wakeful shepherds see a bright star.

A strange star, too; they had never seen its like before.

It sparkled so brightly that the shepherds' shadows on the plain were long.

And it is said that they saw other stars approach it, and at length surround it.
And then the new star threw off white sparks, which flew down earthwards and stopped in mid-air; and there were children with white wings and golden hair.

And they sang beautiful words to the honour of God and the good-will of men.
In that selfsame hour a boy brought tidings that a tall, white-robed youth stood in front of the shepherd Ishmael's cave, and that within lay a young woman on the bed of leaves, an infant at her breast.