A BOOK OFCHRISTMAS VERSE

SELECTED BY

H. C. BEECHING

SECOND EDITION REVISED

LONDON: HUMPHREY MILFORD OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS 1926

Oxford University Press London Edinburgh Glasgow Copenhagen New York Toronto Melbourne Cape Town Bombay Calcutta Madras Shanghai Humphrey Milford Publisher to the University

Printed in England At the Oxford University Press By John Johnson Printer to the University

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

The original edition of A Book of Christmas Verse was issued in 1895. At his death in 1919 Dean Beeching left a copy of the book marked with deletions and corrections, and an amount of new matter for insertion. This revision has been carried out, and both deletions and additions have been a little increased. But substantially the book remains the same; its editor’s divisions have been preserved, and the omission of his own preface to the first edition is in accord with his markings. A few poems by contemporary writers have been added.

Dean Beeching’s acknowledgements for permission to use copyright poems are here reprinted from his notes:

For No. 54 to the authorities of Christ Church, Oxford; for No. 71 to Messrs. Macmillan; for No. 112 to Mr. Robert Bridges; for No. 113 to Messrs. Kegan Paul and Trench; for No. 133 to the Chiswick Press; and for No. 114 to Mr. Davidson (with an omission specially sanctioned by him). Nos. 78 and 79 (by Gerard Hopkins and Selwyn Image) appeared for the first time in this book.

For poems now appearing for the first time acknowledgements are due as follows: for No. 77, by Coventry Patmore, to Messrs. George Bell; for No. 81, by R. L. Stevenson, to Messrs. Chatto & Windus; for No. 82, by Mrs. Meynell, to Messrs. Burns & Oates; for No. 83 to Mr. Robert Bridges; for No. 84., by Mr. Hilaire Belloc, to Messrs. Duckworth; for No. 85 (from The Wild Knight) to Mr. G. K. Chesterton and Messrs. Dent; for Nos. 86 and 87 to the Rev. R. L. Gales; for No. 88, by Miss Sayers, to Mr. Basil Blackwell; for No. 89 to Mr. J. D. C. Pellow; for No. 90 to Messrs. Macmillan; for No. 91 to Mrs. Chesterton; for No. 92 to Mr. Francis Keppel.

CONTENTS

[Pg 1]

[Pg 2] [Pg 3]

EARLY CAROLS

1. WELCOME YULE

[Pg 4]

2. I SING OF A MAIDEN

[1] Matchless.

[2] Chose.

[3] As.

3. AS JOSEPH WAS A-WALKING

4. NOW IS CHRISTËMAS YCOME

[4]Last.

[5]Young.

[6]Lay low.

[7]Law.

[8]Forthwith.

5. THIS ENDRIS NIGHT

[9] Last.

[10] Anon.

[11] Bird.

[12] Content.

[13] Faith.

[14] Cover.

[15] Reasonable.

6. LULLAY, MY LIKING, MY DEAR SON

7. SAINT STEPHEN WAS A CLERK

[16] Mad.

[17] Become (mad).

[18] Dress.

[19] As.

[20] Certainly.

8. THE SHEPHERDS’ OFFERINGS

[21] Courteous.

[22] Last.

9. CAN I NOT SING BUT HOY!

[23] Wondrous.

[24] Am called.

10. WHEN CHRIST WAS BORN OF MARY FREE

11. BE WE MERRY IN THIS FEAST

[25] Would go.

[26] Because.

[27] Maid.

12. MAN, BE MERRY AS BIRD ON BERRY

13. ALL THIS TIME THIS SONG IS BEST

14. MATER, ORA FILIUM

[28] Dwell.

15. EYA, JESUS HODIE

16. AVE MARIS STELLA

[29] May.

17. NOËL, NOËL, NOËL, NOËL

18. OF A ROSE, A LOVELY ROSE

[30] Tip.

[Pg 28] [Pg 29]

TRADITIONAL CAROLS

19. GOD REST YOU MERRY, GENTLEMEN

This version is from a broadside in the British Museum; another version is given in Sandy’s Christmas Carols (1833), of which the last verse is:

20. REMEMBER, O THOU MAN

21. I SAW THREE SHIPS

[Pg 36] [Pg 37]

LATER POEMS AND CAROLS

22. ON THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST

[31] Many.

23. THE BURNING BABE

24. NEW PRINCE, NEW POMP

25. NEW HEAVEN, NEW WAR

[32] Acknowledge.

[33] Hinders.

26. A CHILD MY CHOICE

27. NATIVITY

28. FOR CHRISTMAS DAY

29. A HYMN ON THE NATIVITY OF MY SAVIOUR

30. THE SHEPHERDS’ SONG

31. OF THE EPIPHANY

32. THE ANGELS

33. THE SHEPHERDS

34. A ROCKING HYMN

35. GLORIA IN EXCELSIS

36. WHO CAN FORGET?

37. A CHRISTMAS CAROL

[Sung to the King in the Presence at Whitehall.]

38. AN ODE ON THE BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOUR

39. CHRISTMAS

40. ON THE MORNING OF CHRIST’S NATIVITY

41. A HYMN OF THE NATIVITY

42. SATAN’S SIGHT OF THE NATIVITY

43. A HYMN FOR THE EPIPHANY

[Sung as by the three kings.]

44. HYMN FOR CHRISTMAS DAY

[Being a dialogue between three shepherds.]

45. HYMN FOR CHRISTMAS DAY

46. CHRISTMAS DAY

47. SONNET XXV

Incarnatio est maximum Dei donum.

48. ON THE NATIVITY OF OUR SAVIOUR

49. THE SHEPHERDS

50. CHRIST’S NATIVITY

51. AND THEY LAID HIM IN A MANGER

52. AT THE SIGN OF THE HEART

53. LODGED IN AN INN

54. YET IF HIS MAJESTY OUR SOVEREIGN LORD

55. AND ART THOU COME, BLEST BABE?

56. SONG OF THE ANGELS AT THE NATIVITY

57. SHEPHERDS, REJOICE

58. A CRADLE SONG

59. A HYMN FOR CHRISTMAS DAY

60. A HYMN FOR CHRISTMAS DAY

61. A HYMN FOR CHRISTMAS DAY

62. THE SHEPHERDS WENT THEIR HASTY WAY

63. FROM OTTFRIED’S PARAPHRASE OF THE GOSPEL

64. THE VIRGIN’S CRADLE HYMN

Copied from a print of the Virgin in a Catholic village in Germany.

65. BRIGHTEST AND BEST OF THE SONS OF THE MORNING!

66. THEY LEAVE THE LAND OF GEMS AND GOLD

67. CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR BELLS

68. THE FIRST CHRISTMAS EVE

69. CHRIST WAS BORN ON CHRISTMAS DAY

70. A CHRISTMAS CAROL

71. A CHRISTMAS CAROL

72. MASTERS, IN THIS HALL

73. OUTLANDERS, WHENCE COME YE LAST?

74. SIR GALAHAD, A CHRISTMAS MYSTERY

[Enter two angels in white, with scarlet wings; also, four ladies in gowns of red and green; also an angel, bearing in his hands a surcoat of white, with a red cross.]

75. AISHAH SCHECHINAH

76. KING ARTHUR’S WAES-HAEL

The Rubric

When the brown bowl is filled for yule, let the dome or upper half be set on; then let the waes-haelers kneel one by one and draw up the wine with their reeds through the two bosses at the rim. Let one breath only be drawn by each of the morice for his waes-hael.

77. REGINA COELI

78. MARY MOTHER OF DIVINE GRACE, COMPARED TO THE AIR WE BREATHE

79. A MEDITATION FOR CHRISTMAS DAY

80. A MORNING SONG FOR CHRISTMAS DAY

[For Music.]

81. CHRISTMAS AT SEA

82. UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN

83. NOEL: CHRISTMAS EVE, 1913

Pax hominibus bonae voluntatis

84. NOËL

85. A CHRISTMAS CAROL

86. THE CREATURES’ NOWEL

87. THE HEAVENLY NOEL

88. CAROL

89. CHRISTMAS CAROL

90. THE OXEN

91. HOW FAR IS IT TO BETHLEHEM?

92. EPIPHANY

[Pg 154] [Pg 155]

[Pg 156] [Pg 157]

POEMS ON CHRISTMAS MERRY-MAKING

93. NOWELL, NOWELL, NOWELL, NOWELL

[34] Young.

[35] At once.

94. MAN, BE JOYFUL.

95. MAKE WE MERRY

96. HOLLY AND IVY

97. ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA

[36] Basket.

98. IVY CHIEF OF TREES IT IS

99. NAY, IVY, NAY

[37] Certainly.

[38] Chilblain.

[39] Forester.

100. HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY

101. CAPUT APRI DEFERO

102. NOWEL, NOWEL, NOWEL, NOWEL

103. PROFACE, WELCOME, WELCOME

[40] i. e. proficiat, may it do you good.

104. CHRISTMAS MERRY-MAKING

[41] Fiddlers.

[42]? A see-saw.

[43] Cribbage.

105. CEREMONIES FOR CHRISTMAS

[44] Kindling.

106. THE WASSAIL

[45] White bread.

107. TWELFTH NIGHT

108. TO SIR SIMOND STEWARD

[46] An early club of Mohocks.

109. SONG

110. SONG

111. THE DAMSEL DONN’D HER KIRTLE SHEEN

112. WINTER WAS NOT UNKIND

113. BALLADE OF CHRISTMAS GHOSTS

114. CHRISTMAS EVE

Basil. Sandy. Brian. Menzies.

115. NOW HAVE GOOD DAY!

[47] Company.

[Pg 186] [Pg 187]

[Pg 188] [Pg 189]

LATIN HYMNS

116. PUER NATUS IN BETHLEHEM

117. HEU QUID JACES STABULO

118. ADESTE FIDELES

119. CORDE NATUS EX PARENTIS

120. AVE JESU, DEUS MAGNE

121. NOWELL, NOWELL, NOWELL

[Pg 197]

INDEX OF AUTHORS

[Pg 198]

INDEX OF FIRST LINES

Transcriber’s Notes:

Antiquated spellings or ancient words were preserved.

Typographical and punctuation errors have been silently corrected.