×
Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830 - 1894)
Translation © by Geart van der Meer
In the bleak mid‑winter
Language: English
In the bleak mid-winter Frosty wind made moan; Earth [stood]1 hard as iron, Water like a stone; Snow had fallen, snow on snow, [Snow on snow]2, In the bleak mid-winter [Long]3 ago. [Our God,]2 heaven cannot hold Him, Nor earth sustain, [Heaven and earth shall flee away]2 When He comes to reign: [In the bleak mid-winter A stable place sufficed The Lord God Almighty -- Jesus Christ.]2 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 Worshiped the Beloved With a kiss. What can I give [Him]4 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]2 what I can I give Him, -- Give my heart.
M. Trotta sets stanzas 1-2, 5
S. Wilkinson sets stanza 1
B. Britten sets stanza 1
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)First published in Scribner's Monthly, January 1872
1 Trotta: "grew"
2 omitted by Trotta.
3 Trotta: "Long, long"
4 omitted by Walton?
Text Authorship:
- by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830 - 1894), "A Christmas Carol" [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 Harold Edwin Darke (1888 - 1977), "In the bleak midwinter" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934), "In the bleak midwinter" [ chorus a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Leonard J[ordan] Lehrman (b. 1949), "What can I give?", op. 145, first performed 2000 [ 2-part chorus with accompaniment ], canon [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Robert) Bruce Montgomery (1921 - 1978), "In the bleak midwinter", published 1948 [ SATB chorus, strings, and piano obbligato ], from Christ's Birthday [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "In The Bleak Mid-Winter", op. 667 (1965) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mick Swithinbank (b. 1953), "In the bleak midwinter " [ SSATBB chorus a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Michael John Trotta (b. 1978), "In the bleak midwinter", published 2010, stanzas 1-2,5 [ SATB chorus, piano, and oboe ], Colla Voce [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Stephen Wilkinson (b. 1919), "Winter snow", stanza 1 [ voice and piano ], from Eternal Summer, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Variation V: In the bleak mid-winter / Corpus Christi Carol", op. 3 no. 6, rev. 1955, first performed 1934 [ men's chorus, women's chorus, boys' chorus a cappella (organ ad libitum) ], from cantata A Boy was Born, no. 6, Chester Music
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Geart van der Meer) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRI Frisian (Geart van der Meer) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 40
Word count: 177
In de felle winter
Language: Dutch (Nederlands) after the English
In de felle winter Vroren om ons heen Paden hard als ijzer, Water hard als steen. Sneeuwbui volgde sneeuwbui Op velden wijd en zijd - In de felle winter, In lang vervlogen tijd. Voor God zijn de hemel En aarde veel te klein; Aarde’ en hemel vluchten Als begint Zijn rijk. In die felle winter Was ruim genoeg een stal; Voor de God Almachtig, Heer van ’t groot heelal. Hem, die cherubijnen Aanbidden dag en nacht, Volstaat een borstvol melk, En voelt wat hooi zo zacht; Genoeg voor Hem waar Eng’len Zich buigen diep terneer, Os, kameel, en ezel Aanbidden vroom hun Heer. Engels en aartsengels Zijn tezaamgestroomd, Cherubijn en serafijn Hebben hun lof betoond - Maar alleen zijn moeder, Als jonge moeders doen, Aanbidt haar inlief Zoontje Met een zoen. Wat kan ik Hem geven, Arm zoals ik kwam? – Was ik maar een herder, Dan bracht ik een lam; Had ik maar wat wijsheid, Maar wijsheid heb ik geen - Wat ik Hem kan geven Is mijn hart alleen.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Dutch (Nederlands) copyright © 2024 by Geart van der Meer, (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: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in English by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830 - 1894), "A Christmas Carol"
This text was added to the website: 2024-12-28
Line count: 40
Word count: 168