"" (Come, ye shepherds) is a German Christmas carol from Bohemia which was derived from a Czech carol, "". It reflects elements from the nativity story, the annunciation to the shepherds, their walk to the manger and their Adoration, inviting to follow their example. The first line, "", addresses shepherds, men, and women.
The text of "" was derived from a Czech carol, "". The German text was written as a free translation from the Czech original by Carl Riedel in Leipzig. It was first published under the title ' (The Angels and the Shepherds) in 1870 in his collection (Old-Bohemian chants for mixed choir). The song is in the tradition of shepherd songs, derived from the Annunciation to the shepherds and the Adoration of the Shepherds from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:8-20). Riedel's version is suited for a broad public.
The song is still popular. It is included in the Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch as EG 48, and in some regional sections of the Catholic hymnal Gotteslob of 1975 and its second edition, the Gotteslob of 2013.
In English, the song became known as "Come, All Ye Shepherds", translated by Mari Ruef Hofer in 1912.
The Czech song "" (Bringing the news) has five stanzas. Riedel wrote a version in three stanzas of five lines each, rhyming in pairs with a concluding short last line. The beginning is "" (Come, you shepherds, men and women).
In 1847, the melody was first published in the collection in Olomouc. Manuscripts are not dated but seem to stem from the first half of the 19th century. It is a bordun melody similar to folk music melodies.
The carol is included in the album Sinfonia di Natale by Rondò Veneziano (1995).