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Behold, a silly tender babe in freezing winter night, In homely manger trembling lies; alas, a piteous sight! The inns are full, no man will yield this little pilgrim bed. But forced he is with silly beasts, in crib to shroud his head. This stable is a Prince's court, this crib his chair of State; The beasts are parcel of his pomp, this wooden dish his plate. The persons in that poor attire his royal liveries wear; The Prince himself is come from Heav'n; this pomp is prizèd there. With joy approach o Christian wight, do homage to thy King; And highly praise his humble pomp, which he from Heav'n doth bring.
Authorship
- by Robert Southwell (1561? - 1595) [author's text not yet checked 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 Ronald A. Beckett , "In freezing winter night
", 1989, published 2008 [voice and piano], in Songs and Arias, Volume 1 [text not verified]
- by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "In freezing winter night", op. 28 no. 8 (1942) [treble chorus, solo voices, and harp], from A Ceremony of Carols, no. 8. [text verified 1 time]
- by Mick Swithinbank (b. 1953), "In freezing winter night" [SSATB chorus a cappella] [text verified 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , title 1: "In frost’ger Winternacht", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , title unknown, copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Tom White
This text was added to the website: 2007-10-01
Line count: 10
Word count: 112
Regardez, un bébé tendre et frêle dans une nuit glaciale d'hiver, Dans une mangeoire ordinaire est étendu tremblant : hélas, quel triste spectacle ! Les auberges sont pleines, personne ne veut abandonner son lit à ce petit pèlerin. Ainsi il est forcé de rester avec les humbles bêtes, dans une mangeoire d'ensevelir sa tête. Cette étable est une cour de prince, cette crèche son trône ; Les bêtes font partie de sa pompe, ce plat en bois est sa vaisselle. Les personnes dans ces pauvres habits portent sa livrée royale ; Le prince lui-même est venu du ciel ; cette pompe est appréciée ici. Avec joie, approche, ô être chrétien , rends hommage à ton Roi ; Et loue hautement son humble pompe qu'il apporte du ciel.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translation of title "In freezing winter night" = "Dans une nuit glaciale d'hiver"Authorship
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2015 by Guy Laffaille, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact:
- a text in English by Robert Southwell (1561? - 1595)
This text was added to the website: 2015-08-16
Line count: 10
Word count: 127