“We three kings of Orient are; Bearing gifts we traverse afar” is the carol of the Magi, sung especially on the Epiphany. Each king sings a verse explaining his gift: gold for a King, frankincense for God, and myrrh for one who would suffer and die. Below are the lyrics, the history of the carol, what the gifts mean, the Gospel story, and a prayer.
We Three Kings lyrics
We three kings of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.
Refrain:
O star of wonder, star of light,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.
Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.
Frankincense to offer have I;
Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising, voices raising,
Worshipping God on high.
Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone cold tomb.
Glorious now behold Him arise;
King and God and sacrifice;
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Sounds through the earth and skies.
The story of the carol
John Henry Hopkins Jr. (1820–1891), an Episcopal deacon and music teacher at the General Theological Seminary in New York, wrote both the words and the music around 1857 for a Christmas pageant for his nieces and nephews. He published it in 1863 in his Carols, Hymns, and Songs. It is one of the few American carols of the nineteenth century still sung around the world.
What the three gifts mean
The interpretation of the gifts that the carol follows is very old. Around the year 180, St. Irenaeus of Lyons wrote:
Having been led by the star into the house of Jacob to Emmanuel, they showed, by these gifts which they offered, who it was that was worshipped; myrrh, because it was He who should die and be buried for the mortal human race; gold, because He was a King, “of whose kingdom is no end;” and frankincense, because He was God, who also “was made known in Judea.”
- Gold for Christ the King.
- Frankincense, burned in worship, for Christ who is God.
- Myrrh, used to anoint the dead, for Christ who would suffer, die and be buried for us.
The last verse rejoices in the Resurrection: “Glorious now behold him arise, King and God and Sacrifice.”
The Magi in the Gospel
St. Matthew tells how wise men from the East followed a star to Bethlehem:
Who having heard the king, went their way; and behold the star which they had seen in the east, went before them, until it came and stood over where the child was.
And seeing the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
And entering into the house, they found the child with Mary his mother, and falling down they adored him; and opening their treasures, they offered him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The Gospel does not say there were three or that they were kings. Tradition counted three because of the three gifts, and in the West gave them the names Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. They represent all the nations coming to Christ.
We Three Kings and the Epiphany
The Church celebrates the visit of the Magi on the Epiphany: January 6, or in the United States the Sunday between January 2 and 8 (Sunday, January 3, 2027). Many families bless their homes that day, writing C+M+B and the year over the door. See the Epiphany.
A prayer with the Magi
Written for this page:
Lord Jesus, the Magi followed your star and knelt before you.
I offer you the gold of my love, the incense of my prayer,
and the myrrh of my sufferings, united to your Cross.
Guide me always by your light, until I see you, King and God, in glory. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote We Three Kings?
John Henry Hopkins Jr., an Episcopal deacon, wrote the words and music around 1857.
What do gold, frankincense and myrrh mean?
Gold for a king, frankincense for God, and myrrh for a man who would die, as St. Irenaeus explained in the second century.
Were there really three kings?
The Gospel speaks of “wise men” without giving a number. Tradition settled on three because of the three gifts.
What are the names of the three kings?
In Western tradition, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar.
More for Christmas and Epiphany
- Psalm 72 (the Epiphany psalm)
- Christmas carols: lyrics and stories
- Epiphany
- What Child Is This?
- O Come, All Ye Faithful
- Joy to the World
- Catholic Christmas prayers
- Catholic blessings
Texts and sources
- Lyrics: John Henry Hopkins Jr. (1857), public domain (Wikisource).
- St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies III.9.2, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885), public domain.
- Scripture: Matthew 2:9–11, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.