Christum wir sollen loben schon,der reinen Magd Marien Sohn,so weit die liebe Sonne leucht,und an aller Welt Ende reicht.Der selig Schöpfer aller Dingzog an eins Knechtes Leib gering,daß er das Fleisch durchs Fleisch erwürbund sein Geschöpf nicht alls verdürb.Die göttlich Gnad vom Himmel großsich in die keusche Mutter goß;ein Mägdlein trug ein heimlich Pfard,das der Natur war unbekannt.Das züchtig Haus des Herzens zartgar bald ein Temepl Gottes ward;die kein Mann rühret noch erkannt,von Gottes Wort man schwanger fand.Die edle Mutter hat geborn,den Gabriel verließ zuvorn,den Sanct Johanns mit Springen zeigt,da er noch im Mutterlieb.Er lag im Hheu mit Armuth groß,die Krippen hart ihn nicht verdroß;es ward ein kleine Milch sein Speis,der nie kein Vöglein hungern ließ.Des Himmels Chör sich freuen drobund die Engel singen Gott Lob,den armen Hirten wird vermeldtder Hirt und Schöpfer aller Welt.Lob, Her und Dank seidir gesagtChrist, geborn von der reinen Magd,mit Vater und dem Heilgen Geist,von nun an bis in Ewigkeit.Dr. Martin Luther, 1524(Verdeutschung des lat. Hymnus Sedulii: A solis ortus cardine)
My prose translation:
Ever should we praise Christ,Son of the pure virgin Mary,As far as the good sun shines,And reaches to the end of all the world.The blessed Creator of all thingsPut on the low body of a servantThat He through the flesh would purchase fleshAnd all of His creation would not be corrupted.The divine grace from heaven greatlyPoured itself into the chaste mother;A virgin carried a secret pledgeThat was unknown to nature.The virtuous house of the tender heartVery soon will become a temple of God;Which no man moves nor has recognizedOne found pregnant with God's Word.The noble mother has given birth,Whom Gabriel foretold,Whom Saint John with springing showsWhen he [was] still in the womb.He lay in the hay in great poverty,The hard manger does not annoy Him;A little milk became His food,[He] Who never let a little bird go hungry.The choirs of Heaven rejoice aboveAnd the angels sing praise to God,To the poor shepherds is announcedThe Shepherd and Creator of all the world.Praise, honor, and thanks be said to YouChrist, born of the pure virgin,With the Father and the Holy Ghost,From now on until eternity.Dr. Martin Luther, 1524(German translation of the Latin Hymn of Sedulius: A solis ortus cardine)
The line "Who never let a little bird go hungry" in the sixth verse seems to refer to Psalm 147:9 and/or Matthew 6:26. Obviously, the seventh verse describes the events in Luke 2.
This hymn appears as "Now Praise We Christ, the Holy One" in The Lutheran Hymnal (#104) and (in an abbreviated form) as "From East to East" in Lutheran Worship (#43) and in The Lutheran Service Book (#385).
I'll admit that my translation of the fourth stanza ("The virtuous house of the tender heart") is muddled. Perhaps significantly, this verse is omitted from TLH, LW, and LSB. In fact, it's the only verse left out of the TLH version.
The TLH translation really brings out the reference to Psalm 147:9. The line "der nie kein Vöglein hungern ließ" is rendered as "Who feeds the ravens when they call."
Above the text in the Gesangbuch, there's a note that it's sung to "its own melody." The Lutheran Hymnal and Lutheran Worship follow this, but The Lutheran Service Book pairs the text with the tune "Vom Himmel hoch."
Here's the TLH arrangement of "Christum wir sollen loben schon":