Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, 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.
Enough for him whom cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk
And a manger of hay;
Enough for him whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.
Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air
But only his mother
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 him a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what can I give him,
Give my heart.
Christina Rosetti, 1872
Painting courtesy cyberhymnal.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment