In the Bleak Midwinter

“In the Bleak Midwinter'' was a poem written by Christina Rossetti.  She was the daughter of Gabriel and William Rosetti.  Her sister was Dante Gabriel Rosetti.  She was born in London, England in 1830 and received her education at home.  

“In the Bleak Midwinter'' is probably Christina Rossetti’s most famous poem.  She first published it under the title “A Christmas Carol”.  It was published in the January 1872 edition of the Scribner’s Monthly. The poem was commissioned by the editor of the magazine and Miss Rossetti reportedly earned £10 for the poem.

In “In the Bleak Midwinter” Miss Rossetti describes the birth of the Christ child on a bleak midwinter day.  The poem begins with the speaker describing the weather of a specific evening.  

A Christmas Carol (1872)

In the bleak mid-winter, 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 mid-winter, 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 mid-winter, a stable-place sufficed

The Lord God Almighty - Jesus Christ.

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

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 can I give Him, give Him my heart.

Though we do not know the time of year when Jesus was actually born, we do know that in Israel, at any time of the year, it was not the windy, frozen scene the first verse of this poem depicts.  Even so, the world was not a friendly place for Jesus even though the temperature was above freezing.  The middle stanzas describe the contrast between the glory of heaven from which Jesus came and the poor reality of the world he came to save.  The last verse is a commitment to devote ourselves to God in recognition of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf.

The poem has a songlike quality to it. It is better-known as a song or carol today.  The text of this Christmas poem has been set to music a number of times.  Two of the most famous musical scores were composed by two English composers,  Gustav Holst in 1906 and Harold Darke in 1909.

I first heard this carol 30 years ago when I lived with my sister in Dublin, Ireland for a year.  This carol was played on the radio and television many times leading up to the Christmas season. Lethbridge First B Bells played this carol for the worship service the second Sunday of Advent on Dec. 11, 2023.  

Have a great day everyone.  Enjoy listening to the sounds of Christmas.

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