Lyrics

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,
A breastful of milk, and a manger full of hay:
Enough for him, whom angels fall down before,
The ox and as 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.

Score

Available from MobileHymns.org

Recordings

A recording of this hymn is available on Richard Irwin's album - "From Advent to Epiphany Volume 2" which can be found on Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Spotify.

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Video

Details

Album: From Advent to Epiphany Volume 2
Tune: Cranham
Meter: Irregular
Style: Victorian, Carol
Composer: Gustav Theodore Holst (1874 – 1934)
Lyricist: Christina Rossetti (1830 – 1894)
Church Year: Christmas
Music and Lyrics Public Domain.