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Literary Advent Calendar: Earth Stood Hard as Iron

By December 15, 2016Poetry, Reading Excerpts

We’re doing a bit of a “Nobel Prize” with today’s advent calendar as I have chosen my favourite Christmas Carol as today’s literary advent. In my defence, the words were originally a poem by Christina Rosetti, but put to music they become one of the best known carols of all time.

The language in this poem is beautiful, it definitely has great literary merit and as we edge closer to Christmas Day, we hope this gets you in the festive mood.

Just ten days left now, enjoy!

In the Bleak Midwinter

In the bleak midwinter, 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 midwinter, 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 midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, 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 I can I give Him: give my heart.



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