In the bleak midwinter,
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 Almighty, Jesus Christ.
Angels and archangels
may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
thronged the air;
But His mother only,
in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.
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 give Him: give my heart.
Words by Christina Rosetti
I chose this carol today because today is the shortest day of the year, truly a "bleak midwinter" sort of day. I don't pay much attention to the astronomical calendar which asserts that winter began only yesterday. In a favorite version of this song, on the CD Noel, the words are a bit different. At the end of the third verse, it is "worshipped the beloved with a seemly kiss." I love that word, seemly. It is a seemly choice there–nothing else is so appropriate. I love the melody of this song, and the sense of quiet that surrounds it. Don't you love the metaphors in this carol? Water like a stone. And the immensity of the situation, wrapped up in a single verse, the second one: In the bleak midwinter, a stable place sufficed. Snow had fallen, snow on snow. That line reminds me of Wallace Stevens Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird: It was snowing and it was going to snow.
The last verse: have you ever had this happen, when you're at a party, and suddenly you realize that you were supposed to bring a gift, and you didn't? So you're looking through your pockets and purse, mentally tallying up the contents of your car, toying with the idea of a "promise" kind of gift, like "I'll take you out to lunch this week," –and nothing is working? That is the feeling I get from the last verse. What on EARTH can I give him? Oh wait. I know. I'll give him my heart.
Edited to add: This year, I have two new favorites for this song. Sarah McLachlan's song is gorgeous, and I love hearing James Taylor sing this song as well. Snow had fallen, snow on snow on snow.
Doing a series is a wearying challenge. I think you are doing a marvelous job of it.
I do too! And I never knew Christina Rosetti wrote the words to this song… she is a favorite of mine, along with her brother Dante.
You have chosen all my favorites (so far!). These posts have been a gift to me this season.
I am a hymn and carol lover and I’m realizing that although my kids will know only the most common hymns, the carols (and their great theology and music) are familiar to them. It’s so cool to have such a large variety of carols to pull from. Your posts make me realize we are all richer than I thought.