A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

What sweeter music can we bringThan a carol, for to singThe birth of this our heavenly King?Awake the voice! awake the string!Heart, ear, and eye, and everything!Dark and dull night, fly hence away,And give the honour to this day,That sees December turned to May.If we may ask the reason, say,The why and wherefore all things hereSeem like the spring-time of the year?Why does the chilling winter’s mornSmile, like a field beset with corn?Or smell, like to a mead new-shorn,Thus, on the sudden?Come and seeThe cause, why things thus fragrant be.’Tis He is born, whose quickening birthGives light and lustre, public mirth,To heaven, and the under-earth.We see Him come, and know Him ours,Who with His sunshine and His showersTurns all the patient ground to flowers.The darling of the world is come,And fit it is we find a roomTo welcome Him. The nobler partOf all the house here, is the heart,Which we will give Him; and bequeathThis holly, and this ivy wreath,To do Him honour; who’s our King,And Lord of all this revelling.

What sweeter music can we bringThan a carol, for to singThe birth of this our heavenly King?Awake the voice! awake the string!Heart, ear, and eye, and everything!Dark and dull night, fly hence away,And give the honour to this day,That sees December turned to May.If we may ask the reason, say,The why and wherefore all things hereSeem like the spring-time of the year?Why does the chilling winter’s mornSmile, like a field beset with corn?Or smell, like to a mead new-shorn,Thus, on the sudden?Come and seeThe cause, why things thus fragrant be.’Tis He is born, whose quickening birthGives light and lustre, public mirth,To heaven, and the under-earth.We see Him come, and know Him ours,Who with His sunshine and His showersTurns all the patient ground to flowers.The darling of the world is come,And fit it is we find a roomTo welcome Him. The nobler partOf all the house here, is the heart,Which we will give Him; and bequeathThis holly, and this ivy wreath,To do Him honour; who’s our King,And Lord of all this revelling.

What sweeter music can we bringThan a carol, for to singThe birth of this our heavenly King?Awake the voice! awake the string!Heart, ear, and eye, and everything!

What sweeter music can we bring

Than a carol, for to sing

The birth of this our heavenly King?

Awake the voice! awake the string!

Heart, ear, and eye, and everything!

Dark and dull night, fly hence away,And give the honour to this day,That sees December turned to May.

Dark and dull night, fly hence away,

And give the honour to this day,

That sees December turned to May.

If we may ask the reason, say,The why and wherefore all things hereSeem like the spring-time of the year?

If we may ask the reason, say,

The why and wherefore all things here

Seem like the spring-time of the year?

Why does the chilling winter’s mornSmile, like a field beset with corn?Or smell, like to a mead new-shorn,Thus, on the sudden?

Why does the chilling winter’s morn

Smile, like a field beset with corn?

Or smell, like to a mead new-shorn,

Thus, on the sudden?

Come and seeThe cause, why things thus fragrant be.’Tis He is born, whose quickening birthGives light and lustre, public mirth,To heaven, and the under-earth.

Come and see

The cause, why things thus fragrant be.

’Tis He is born, whose quickening birth

Gives light and lustre, public mirth,

To heaven, and the under-earth.

We see Him come, and know Him ours,Who with His sunshine and His showersTurns all the patient ground to flowers.

We see Him come, and know Him ours,

Who with His sunshine and His showers

Turns all the patient ground to flowers.

The darling of the world is come,And fit it is we find a roomTo welcome Him. The nobler partOf all the house here, is the heart,Which we will give Him; and bequeathThis holly, and this ivy wreath,To do Him honour; who’s our King,And Lord of all this revelling.

The darling of the world is come,

And fit it is we find a room

To welcome Him. The nobler part

Of all the house here, is the heart,

Which we will give Him; and bequeath

This holly, and this ivy wreath,

To do Him honour; who’s our King,

And Lord of all this revelling.

Robert Herrick.


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