Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter,
Long ago.
Our God, heaven cannot hold him,
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When he comes to reign;
In the bleak midwinter
A stable place sufficed
The Lord God incarnate,
Jesus Christ.
Enough for him, whom Cherubim
Worship night and day
A breast full of milk
And a manger full of hay.
Enough for him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
which adore.
What can I give him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him —
Give my heart.
---Christina Rossetti, circa 1872
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3 comments:
This has become one of my favourite Christmas songs since I first heard it last year on Moya Brennan's "An Irish Christmas" CD. I love the words, especially the last stanza.
It IS a lovely hymn. We Lutherans still don't use it, but I've been a guest organist for Anglicans, who DO use it. I like that last stanza, also; I'd heard it used as a poem separate from the rest of the poem/hymn. God bless your Christmas!
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