John Mason Neale (January 24, 1818-August 6, 1866) was an English poet and language scholar, knowing over 20 languages. In 1842, he was ordained a clergyman and translated many hymns from their original Greek and Latin tongues. Many Christmas hymns were written or translated by him, including: Jerusalem the Golden; The Day is Past and Over; Come, Ye Faithful; and the favorite Good King Wenceslas:
<Good King Wenceslas looked out On the feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about,
Deep and crisp and even.> 1818JN001
In 1861, John Mason Neale translated the twelfth century Latin hymn, Veni, Veni, Emmanuel into English:
<O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel.> 1818JN002
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American Quotations by William J. Federer, 2024, All Rights Reserved, Permission granted to use with acknowledgement.
Endnotes:
1818JN001. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). John Mason Neale, in Good King Wenceslas. John Bartlett, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1855, 1980), p. 563.
1818JN002. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). John Mason Neale, 1861, the twelfth century Latin hymn Veni, Veni, Emmanuel, which he translated into English. John Bartlett, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1855, 1980), p. 563.