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.
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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
Peter Bisson SJ
Posted at 09:48h, 30 DecemberThank you Maria!