The Book of Praise ‎#145

145. In the bleak mid-winter

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 welcome him
when he comes to reign:
in the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
the Lord God incarnate, Jesus Christ.

3 Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
but his mother only, in her maiden bliss,
worshiped 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 mid-winter
• Title: In the bleak mid-winter
• Author: Christina G. Rossetti, 1830-1894
• Meter: Irregular
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1997
• Topic: Church Year: Christmas; Epiphany; Offering
• Copyright: Public Domain

Tune Information

• Name: CRANHAM
• Composer: Gustav T. Holst, 1874-1934
• Meter: Irregular
• Key: F Major
• Copyright: © Oxford University Press