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Christina Rossetti: 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.

Public Domain

William-Adolphe_Bouguereau_(1825-1905)_-_Song_of_the_Angels_(1881)

3 comments on “Christina Rossetti: In the bleak midwinter

  1. Carl Walters
    December 25, 2019

    I like it very much. I mixes well the holy and transcendent with the simple human…

    Like

  2. Sarah Gordon
    December 25, 2019

    One of my favorite poems and hymns. I may be a sentimental fool, but there it is. Thank you, Michael Simms.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Susan Aurinko
    December 25, 2019

    A tad bit too religious for me, but still, Christina Rossetti! Our friends’ son and daughter in law were married in the tiny chapel formerly occupied by the Bloomsbury group in the UK, and I’ve always had a fondness for the Bloomsbury’s solidarity in creativity, or for that matter, for the Romantics on the whole… Thank you SO much for the subscription to the Sun – I love the mag and have for years thought I should send them some of my B & W images.  Maybe this year I’ll do it! Have a beautiful day and hope to see you very soon! Holiday hugs, Susan

    SUSAN AURINKO Photographic Artist mobile:773.517.2401 susanaurinko@me.com http://www.aurinkophoto.com

    Liked by 1 person

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