Best Loved Christmas Carols, Readings and Poetry. Martin ManserЧитать онлайн книгу.
Shall we still dread God’s displeasure,
Who, to save,
Freely gave
His most cherished Treasure?
To redeem us, he hath given
His own Son
From the throne
Of his might in heaven.
He becomes the Lamb that taketh
Sin away
And for aye
Full atonement maketh.
For our like his own he tenders;
And our race,
By his grace,
Meet for glory renders.
Hark! A voice from yonder manger,
Soft and sweet,
Doth entreat: ‘Flee from woe and danger.
Brethren, from all ills that grieve you,
You are freed;
All you need
I will surely give you.’
Come, then, let us hasten yonder;
Here let all,
Great and small,
Kneel in awe and wonder.
Love him who with love is yearning;
Hail the star
That from far,
Bright with hope is burning.
Dearest Lord, thee will I cherish.
Though my breath
Fail in death,
Yet I shall not perish,
But with thee abide forever
There on high,
In that joy
Which can vanish never.
Paul Gerhardt (1607–76), translated by
Catherine Winkworth (1827–78)
This poem by Phyllis McGinley, an American poet and writer for the New Yorker, takes some of the features of the perennially-popular ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ and weaves them into a meditation on family and love against the backdrop of the modern festive season.
Have from me
To pleasure his Christmas
Wealthily?
The partridge has flown
From our pear tree.
Flown with our summers,
Are the swans, the geese.
Milkmaids and drummers
Would leave him little peace.
I’ve no gold ring
And no turtle dove.
So what can I bring
To my true love?
A coat for the drizzle,
Chosen at the store;
A saw and a chisel
For mending the door;
A pair of red slippers
To slip on his feet;
Three striped neckties;
Something sweet.
He shall have all
I can best afford –
No pipers, piping,
No leaping lord,
But a fine fat hen
For his Christmas board;
Two pretty daughters
(Versed in the role)
To be worn like pinks
In his buttonhole;
And the tree of my heart
With its calling linnet,
My evergreen heart
And the bright bird in it.
Phyllis McGinley (1905–78)
All the Days of Christmas © 1958 by Phyllis McGinley. First appeared in MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY NEW YEAR, published by Viking Press. Reprinted by permission of Curtis Brown, Ltd.
Angels, from the realms of glory
James Montgomery was born into a peasant family in Ayrshire and, having abandoned his studies for the ministry, pursued a career as a poet. He became the author of over 400 hymns and carols. These lines first appeared in The Sheffield Iris, a journal for which Montgomery was editor, on Christmas Eve 1816. They are usually sung to the tune of the French ‘Les anges dans nos campagnes’, which is also used for another familiar carol, ‘Angels we have heard on high’.
Angels, from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o’er all the earth;
Ye who sang Creation’s story
Now proclaim Messiah’s birth!
Come and worship Christ the new-born King!
Come and worship, worship Christ the new-born King!
Shepherds, in the field abiding,
Watching o’er your flocks by night:
God with man is now residing,
Yonder shines the Infant Light.
Come and worship Christ the new-born King!
Come and worship, worship Christ the new-born King!
Sages, leave your contemplations:
Brighter visions beam afar.
Seek the Great Desire of Nations:
Ye have seen his natal star.
Come and worship Christ the new-born King!
Come and worship, worship Christ the new-born King!
Saints, before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear:
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In his temple shall appear.
Come and worship Christ the new-born King!
Come and worship, worship Christ the new-born King!
Though an infant now we view him,
He shall fill his Father’s throne,
Gather all the nations to him;
Every knee shall then bow down.
Come and worship Christ the new-born King!
Come and worship, worship Christ the new-born King!
James Montgomery (1771–1854)
This carol is French in origin, having been