Identity Carol: What Child is This?

[browngirl]

Yes, the one to "Greensleeves".

What Child Is This?

words by William C. Dix, 1865

What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.


Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.


So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.





I've mentioned not being much for nailing-bleeding-dying carols. That said, I far prefer these lyrics to the ones that repeat the last four of the first verse as a refrain. When I was a young girl, I really liked (and even wrote one specimen thereof) carols which acknowledged the pain and grit upcoming in the story, that there was a reason beyond being a cute baby for Christ to be born as a human. I always felt that if I were going to celebrate I had to celebrate the entire story, not just the comfortable bits; if one's going to sing of nailing and bleeding and dying one ought to do it right, and I think this carol does.

I wrote a Christmas Pageant once as a tiny child. (No, I was a teenager. My father was the Sunday School Superintendant until my parents fought with the pastor over his remarriage and left to join another church. I didn't actually get to see the pageant performed, because I was away at boarding school and the pageant was before my Christmas Break began--- and at that school it *was* a Christmas Break --- and my parents didn't get it videotaped. And, as I relate that story, I realize I'm actually bitter about it, which is hilarious. But I digres.) I used carols for all the music, and this was, IIRC, the one where the shepherds and wise men showed up; the wise men had just got done prophesying the second half of the second verse as sonorously as a bunch of ten year olds wearing towels and strap-on beards possibly could. IIRC, on the last verse I arranged it this way:

Kings: So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
Shepherds: The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Angels, loudly: Raise, raise a song on high,
Mary and Joseph, softly: The virgin sings her lullaby.
Everyone [and probably most of the audience]: Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

I was told it was a pretty nice effect.

Comments

[kyttn.livejournal.com]

I don't think I have ever heard all the verses of this carol before, just the first one. I've always loved the tune, and it is one of the carols I always sing along with.

I'd be bitter about the pageant too, not that I could ever have written anything like that!

[pagawne.livejournal.com]

Always one of my very favorites.

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

"Anger not the filkers, for your name scans to 'Greensleeves.'"

[tibicina.livejournal.com]

I absolutely agree with you about the last lines. It's just... I don't know, I can't even adequately explain why it offends me. I think it's because it seems like it's an attempt to bowdlerize the carol. To make it fluffier and cuter, when that was never, ever the point of that carol... but it really does sort of deeply offend me when people just repeat those last lines. It's one of my few huge problems with the current Presbyterian Hymnal.

[cellio]

I've never heard the nails/spear/etc part before. Thanks.

[jerusha.livejournal.com]

Speaking of carols that allude to the whole story... I broke my husband, anach (raised Jewish) when I sang him the myrrh verse of "We Three Kings". I've always loved the structure of that one.
And I like that "What Child is This" doesn't try to pretty it up. For some reason I always enjoyed the "Nails, Spears" line - maybe just by reason of the contrast to the rest of the "cute ickle baby Jesu" carols. My Catholic hymnals had all the verses - I never knew that it was bowdlerized elsewhere. Ptui!