by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830 - 1894)
In the bleak mid‑winter
Language: English
In the bleak mid-winter Frosty wind made moan; Earth [stood]1 hard as iron, Water like a stone; Snow had fallen, snow on snow, [Snow on snow]2, In the bleak mid-winter [Long]3 ago. [Our God,]2 heaven cannot hold Him, Nor earth sustain, [Heaven and earth shall flee away]2 When He comes to reign: [In the bleak mid-winter A stable place sufficed The Lord God Almighty -- Jesus Christ.]2 Enough for Him whom Cherubim Worship night and day, A breastful of milk, And a mangerful of hay; Enough for Him whom Angels Fall down before, The ox and ass and camel Which adore. Angels and Archangels May have gathered there, Cherubim and Seraphim Thronged the air; But only His Mother In her maiden bliss Worshiped the Beloved With a kiss. What can I give [Him]4 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]2 what I can I give Him, -- Give my heart.
M. Trotta sets stanzas 1-2, 5
S. Wilkinson sets stanza 1
B. Britten sets stanza 1
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)First published in Scribner's Monthly, January 1872
1 Trotta: "grew"
2 omitted by Trotta.
3 Trotta: "Long, long"
4 omitted by Walton?
Text Authorship:
- by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830 - 1894), "A Christmas Carol" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Harold Edwin Darke (1888 - 1977), "In the bleak midwinter" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934), "In the bleak midwinter" [ chorus a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Leonard J[ordan] Lehrman (b. 1949), "What can I give?", op. 145, first performed 2000 [ 2-part chorus with accompaniment ], canon [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Robert) Bruce Montgomery (1921 - 1978), "In the bleak midwinter", published 1948 [ SATB chorus, strings, and piano obbligato ], from Christ's Birthday [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "In The Bleak Mid-Winter", op. 667 (1965) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mick Swithinbank (b. 1953), "In the bleak midwinter " [ SSATBB chorus a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Michael John Trotta (b. 1978), "In the bleak midwinter", published 2010, stanzas 1-2,5 [ SATB chorus, piano, and oboe ], Colla Voce [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Stephen Wilkinson (b. 1919), "Winter snow", stanza 1 [ voice and piano ], from Eternal Summer, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Variation V: In the bleak mid-winter / Corpus Christi Carol", op. 3 no. 6, rev. 1955, first performed 1934 [ men's chorus, women's chorus, boys' chorus a cappella (organ ad libitum) ], from cantata A Boy was Born, no. 6, Chester Music
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRI Frisian (Geart van der Meer) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 40
Word count: 167