BPW 144, a five verse contraction of J M Neale's translation of the 12th century latin hymn of the "O" (or "oh" antiphons...
O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel!
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
in ancient times didst give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
from depths of hell Thy people save,
and give them victory o'er the grave.
O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
our spirits by Thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death's dark shadows put to flight.
O come, Thou Key of David, come,
and open wide our heavenly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery.
Occasionally I annoy people by playing around with words... such as the 'O' in this great hymn. For it is not just "Come, Immanuel" but "O Come, Immanuel"
O (or oh) can be an expression of surprise - this is something unexpected... O! wow! Emmanuel is coming! Amazing.
O (or oh) can be a question - can it be so? O? really? Emmanuel is coming? Amazing.
O (or oh) or maybe ooo(h) can be an expression of wonder, delight, pleasure... Ooooh... golly gosh... Emmanuel is coming. A-may-zing.
O (or oh) can be an expression of longing, yearning, a wistful word... O... I so hope it might be... Emmauel is coming. How amazing that would be.
O (or oh) can express doubt or disbelief, questioning the very possibility... O? Really? Emmanuel is coming? We'll see!
And I have a hunch that in this mischievous playing with words we find new or forgotten insights into the mystery expressed here. Wonder mixed with questioning mixed with longing mixed with surprise... we can never quite grasp what it's all about, but it happens that in some way God is with us, entering our world in ways that defy explanantion and cause us to gasp "Oh!"
I rather like this version of the hymn, sung by Enya: