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 Solstice, with 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.