Good King Wenceslas — Byz version
-
I thought I was done. But then, s-p suggested something in Tone 5 and I chanced to think of one of the carols that you can rightly sing on “the feast of Stephen,” (12/27), and so there you are.Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
- More about the real St. Wenceslaus HERE.
- A link to the mp3 HERE
- HERE’s a link to the “Joy to the World” mp3
- My other post about the two post-Christmas carols HERE.
Lyrics for the singalong-inclined below. Tried to stick to a real regular melody, so it should lend itself to joining in:
Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath’ring winter fuel“Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know’st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?”
“Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes’ fountain.”“Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither.”
Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind’s wild lament
And the bitter weather“Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer.”
“Mark my footsteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter’s rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly.”In his master’s steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing.Related posts:
- Christmas carols to listen to after Christmas
- O Come, All Ye Faithful — the Byzantine remix version
- Washington Post: Where are we? What happened? How’d this ‘Obama is my king’ tattoo get on my arm?
- “He shall send His Word”
- Cold as a bat’s underpants
- More about the real St. Wenceslaus HERE.
Leave a Reply
3 Responses and Counting...
Interesting, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The Orthodox simply haven’t got anything as singable as these carols. If they did, some gung-ho convert would “translate” it into something in ultra-King James English that no one could understand. Luckily these escaped the treatment and can still be sung.
I agree — of my trio, this was the weakest.
If you include Western Rite Orthodox, you can find hymns that are quite melodic. It’s not everyone’s taste, but I’ve heard some quite nice ones.
I just like Tone 5, but Bob is right, it doesn’t make for a “Western sing along”. There’s only a handful of Orthodox hymns that are singable that I’ve heard, even though they are beautiful.