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by Sara Teasdale (1884 - 1933)

Christmas Carol
Language: English 
The kings they came from out the south,
      All dressed in ermine fine,
They bore Him gold and chrysoprase,
      And gifts of precious wine.

The shepherds came from out the north,
      Their coats were brown and old,
They brought Him little new-born lambs --
      They had not any gold.

The wise-men came from out the east,
      And they were wrapped in white;
The star that led them all the way
      Did glorify the night.

The angels came from heaven high,
      And they were clad with wings;
And lo, they brought a joyful song
      The host of heaven sings.

The kings they knocked upon the door,
      The wise-men entered in,
The shepherds followed after them
      To hear the song begin.

And Mary held the little child
      And sat upon the ground;
She looked up, she looked down,
      She looked all around.

The angels sang thro' all the night
      Until the rising sun,
But little Jesus fell asleep
      Before the song was done.

Text Authorship:

  • by Sara Teasdale (1884 - 1933), "Christmas Carol", appears in Helen of Troy and Other Poems, first published 1911 [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 Ulysses Simpson Kay (1917 - 1995), "Christmas Carol", published 1957 [ SSA chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Kirke Mechem (b. 1925), "Christmas Carol", op. 35 no. 1, published 1969 [ SATB chorus and guitar ] [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-06-04
Line count: 28
Word count: 160

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