A Christmas Carol

Source: crosswalk.com
In the bleak mid-winter
   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 mid-winter
   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 mid-winter
   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 mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him whom angels
  Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
  Which adore.

Angel and archangels
  May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
  Throng’d 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 a lamb,
If I were a wise man
  I would do my part, - 
Yet what can I give Him,
  Give Him my heart.

++++++++++++++++
The poet may very well have had some kind of Ignatian insight. 
By mentioning the shepherds and the wise men, she is painting 
the picture of the Nativity scene. And with the last two lines
she is inviting us right in. What could be more Ignatian than that?
(Maria Kelsey) 
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Gustave Holst wrote a musical version of this poem 
- In the Bleak Midwinter

Christina Georgina Rossetti (5 December 1830 – 29 December 1894) was an English poet who wrote a variety of romantic, devotional, and children's poems. She is famous for "Goblin Market" and "Remember".

Print
1Comment
  • Peter Bisson SJ
    Posted at 09:48h, 30 December Reply

    Thank you Maria!

Post A Comment

Subscribe to igNation

Subscribe to receive our latest articles delivered right to your inbox!