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Thursday, December 17, 2020

Covid Journal, Day 273: In the Bleak Mid-Winter, and Holly Bears a Berry

An update of a post I wrote 10 years ago.

In the Bleak Mid-Winter
by Christina Rossetti  (1830-1894)

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 time ago.

Rossetti wrote this poem in 1872 in response to a request from Scribner's magazine for a Christmas poem. It was published after her death and set to music as a Christmas hymn by Gustav Holst in 1906. It has since been recorded by many artists, including James Taylor, Sarah MacLachlan and this year Annie Lennox, among many others. I love this first verse because it speaks so well to this time of year and our recent weather, but the rest of the poem is lovely too and includes verses about the birth of Christ. The last verse is especially poignant: 

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. 

You can hear the beautiful Jennifer Cutting singing it here, from her album Song of Solsticewith her Ocean Orchestra:



This is not a carol we hear often, but it is a favorite of mine, along with one sometimes called The Holly Bears a Berry,  but is actually the Sans Day Carol, or Saint Day Carol, which was first noted as being sung at Saint Day Church, Cornwall in the 19th century and was collected from the singing of a man named Thomas Beard. It is listed as hymn #35 in the Oxford Book of Carols.  Ralph Dunstan published a collection of Cornish carols in The Cornish Song Book in 1929 and included this song under the title The Holly and the Ivy--a totally different carol. Confusing? You bet! But the song is lovely, whatever version or title you use:

Oh, the holly she bears a berry as white as the milk,
And Mary she bore Jesus all wrapped up in silk.
And Mary she bore Jesus our Savior for to be
And the first tree that's in the greenwood it was the holly.

Holly, holly--
And the first tree that's in the greenwood it was the holly.

The holly bears a prickle as sharp as any thorn, 
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ on Christmas Day in the morn. 
and Mary she bore Jesus our Savior for to be
and the first tree that's in the greenwood it was the holly.

Holly, holly--
And the first tree that's in the greenwood it was the holly.

Oh , the holly she bears a berry as green as the grass,
And we trust in our savior who died on the cross.
And Mary she bore Jesus our Savior for to be
And the first tree that's in the greenwood it was the holly.

Holly, holly--
And the first tree that's in the greenwood it was the holly.

Oh, the holly she bears a berry as blood it is red,
And we trust in our savior who rose from the dead.
And Mary she bore Jesus our Savior for to be
And the first tree that's in the greenwood it was the holly.

Holly, holly--
And the first tree that's in the greenwood it was the holly.

Oh, the holly she bears a berry as black as the coal,
And Mary she bore Jesus who died for us all
And Mary she bore Jesus, our savior for to be
And the first tree in the green wood it was the holly.

Holly, holly--
And the first tree that's in the greenwood it was the holly.

Some versions, like the Chieftains, do not include the last verse, and there are other variations, of course, with some cross-over lines with the carol The Holly and the Ivy.

A youtube of this ballad by the wonderful Watersons:



What are your favorite holiday or Christmas songs (recognizing that there are many other holidays also being celebrated at this time of year)? Are there some albums you listen to over and over and never get tired of? Ones that drive your family crazy? 'Tis the season for singing, so please do share.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

5 comments:

  1. "In the Bleak Midwinter" was Mum's favourite carol and she could sing it rather well herself. Glad that you know the Watersons' music; I used to have several of their LPs and was listening to one in my bedroom once when there came a gentle knock at the door. It was Granny who rarely climbed our stairs if she could help it, but she'd heard the wonderful singing and come to investigate. Although the Watersons always said they'd found their own way to sing the old songs, Granny maintained that it was just the way that people sang when she was a girl.
    You might be interested in searching out "Dungworth carols" or "Sheffield carols" on YouTube; they have a tradition of singing carols in the pubs in that part of Yorkshire, a practise that began when the Church of England tried to insist that only certain carols were sung in church, and their favourite local versions were not amongst them, so they walked out of church and into the pubs to sing there, as they still do to this day.

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    Replies
    1. I wish I could have heard her sing it, John. I stumbled on the Waterson's when I was looking for a version of a ballad I was learning, and instantly bought 3 CDs. They're amazing singers, especially Norma. I will definitely look up the Dungworth and Sheffield carols as you suggest. Thank you.

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    2. And that story about Granny--it's wonderful to know she enjoyed the old ballad-singing. My mother didn't, really, and didn't understand my fascination with them, or desire to sing "those old songs," as she called them.

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  2. Thinking of you and hoping your Christmas is merry and bright. Sharon

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  3. In the Bleak Midwinter was introduced to me by my dear friend Hope Shaw. I had never heard it before she sang one Christmas. It brings back good memories of a dear friend. Hugs

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