Common Praise (1998) ‎#122

122. In the Bleak Midwinter

1 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.

2 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.

3 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.

4 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.

Text Information

• First Line: In the bleak midwinter
• Title: In the Bleak Midwinter
• Author: Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830-1894)
• Meter: Irregular
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1998
• Scripture:
  Luke 2:1-20
  ;
  Hebrews 2:10-18
• Topic: Christmas; Epiphany

Tune Information

• Name: CRANHAM
• Composer: Gustav Theodore Holst (1874-1934)
• Meter: Irregular
• Copyright: ©n Oxford University Press