O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

"O come, O come, Emmanuel" (Latin: "Veni, veni, Emmanuel") is a Christian hymn for Advent, which is also often published in books of Christmas carols. The text, originally written in Latin, is a metrical paraphrase of the O Antiphons, a series of plainchant antiphons attached to the Magnificat at Vespers over the final days before Christmas. The Latin metrical hymn "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel" first appears in print in 1710, despite claims that the text dates to the 11th or 12th century. The early medieval origins of the O Antiphons have led to a common myth that "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel" itself dates to the Early Middle Ages.

The 1851 translation by John Mason Neale from Hymns Ancient and Modern is the most prominent by far in the English-speaking world, but other English translations also exist. Translations into other modern languages (particularly German) are also in widespread use. While the text may be used with many metrical hymn tunes, it was first combined with its most famous tune, often itself called Veni Emmanuel, in the English-language Hymnal Noted in 1851. Later, the same tune was used with versions of "O come, O come, Emmanuel" in other languages, including Latin.