by Robert Seymour Bridges (1844 - 1930)
A frosty Christmas eve
Language: English
Pax hominibus bonae voluntatis A frosty Christmas eve When the stars were shining Fared I forth alone, Where westward falls the hill And from many a village In the water'd valley, Distant music reached me Peals of bells aringing The constellated sounds, Ran sprinkling on earth's floor As the dark vault above, With stars was spangled o'er. Then sped my thoughts to keep, That first Christmas of all When the shepherds watching By their folds ere the dawn Heard music in the fields And marveling could not tell Whether it were angels Or the bright stars singing. Now blessed be the tow'rs, That crown England so fair, That stand up strong in prayer, Unto God for our souls: Blessed be their founders, (said I) an' our country folk Who are ringing for Christ In the belfries to-night With arms lifted to clutch The rattling ropes that race Into the dark above And the mad romping din. But to me heard afar It was starry music. Angels' song, comforting As the comfort of Christ When He spake tenderly, To His sorrowful flock: The old words came to me, By the riches of time Mellow'd and transfigured, As I stood on the hill Heark'ning in the aspect Of th' eternal silence.
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotesText Authorship:
- by Robert Seymour Bridges (1844 - 1930), "Noël: Christmas Eve 1913", from The Times, first published 1913 [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 Robin Humphrey Milford (1903 - 1959), "A frosty Christmas Eve", published <<1958. [unison chorus and piano] [text not verified]
This text (or a part of it) is used in a work
- by Gerald Finzi (1901 - 1956), "In terra pax", alternate title: "A Christmas poem", op. 39 (1951-4), published 1958 [soprano, baritone, satb chorus, strings, harp or piano, and cymbals], note: the excerpt from the Bible is actually interpolated into the Bridges text, replacing the third stanza.
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2008-07-04
Line count: 45
Word count: 205