Good King Wenceslas
Bing Crosby; Frank Sinatra Lyrics
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On the Feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gathering winter fuel
Hither, page, and stand by me,
If thou knowst it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?
Sire, he lives a good league hence,
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes fountain.
Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I shall see him dine
When we bear them thither.
Page and monarch, forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude winds wild lament
And the bitter weather
Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how
I can go no longer.
Mark my footsteps, good my page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shall find the winters rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly.
In his masters step he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye, who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing.
"Good King Wenceslas" tells the story of King Wenceslas, who looks out on St. Stephen's Day (the day after Christmas) and sees a poor man gathering wood to keep his family warm. King Wenceslas tells his page to accompany him, and they gather provisions to take to the man. They brave the harsh winter elements to reach the man's home, and the king reminds his page to follow in his footsteps so that his feet stay warm. The song concludes by stating that those who give to the poor will be blessed.
Line by Line Meaning
Good King Wenceslas looked out
The king, Wenceslas, peered outside
On the Feast of Stephen
It was the day of celebration in honor of Saint Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Snow covered the land in every direction
Deep and crisp and even
The snow was thick, uniform and level
Brightly shone the moon that night
Despite the cruelness of the frost, the moon was shining brightly
Though the frost was cruel
It was a harsh winter with bitter cold
When a poor man came in sight
A destitute man could be seen approaching at a distance
Gathering winter fuel
He was collecting wood to burn during the winter
Hither, page, and stand by me
Come here, page, stand next to me
If thou knowst it, telling
If you know anything about the man, tell me
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Who is that working-class man in the distance?
Where and what his dwelling?
Where does he live and what is his living condition?
Sire, he lives a good league hence
Sir, he lives at least three miles away
Underneath the mountain
He has his dwelling at the foot of the mountain
Right against the forest fence
He has his home on the edge of the forest
By Saint Agnes fountain.
His house is near the fountain dedicated to Saint Agnes
Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me meat and wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Bring the logs of pine wood here
Thou and I shall see him dine
The two of us will see him eat
When we bear them thither.
When we bring them there
Page and monarch, forth they went
The page and the king left together
Forth they went together
They set out side by side
Through the rude winds wild lament
They pushed through the harsh howling winds
And the bitter weather
Despite the cold and bitter climate
Sire, the night is darker now
Sir, the darkness of night has deepened
And the wind blows stronger
The wind is gusting more heavily
Fails my heart, I know not how
My heart is failing me and I don't know why
I can go no longer.
I can't go any further
Mark my footsteps, good my page
Take careful note of my footsteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly
Walk confidently in them
Thou shall find the winters rage
You will experience the fury of winter's cold
Freeze thy blood less coldly.
But it will be less cold than if you tried to walk alone
In his masters step he trod
The page followed in his master's footsteps
Where the snow lay dinted
Where the snow was compacted from walking
Heat was in the very sod
The ground was warm from the footsteps of a saint
Which the Saint had printed
Who was none other than Saint Wenceslas himself
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Therefore, followers of Christ, be certain
Wealth or rank possessing
Regardless of whether you are rich or poor
Ye, who now will bless the poor
Those of you who give to the less fortunate
Shall yourselves find blessing.
Will find blessings for yourselves.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JAMES MORGAN, JULIETTE POCHIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DariusOfPersia
Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the Feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gathering winter fuel
"Hither page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain"
"Then bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear them thither!"
Page and monarch, forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather
"Sire, the night is darker now
And the winds blow stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how
I can go no longer!"
"Mark my footsteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shall find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly!"
In his master's steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who will now bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing
@eksot1237
český král zabitý svým bratrem - text a český překlad:
Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel
"Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."
"Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither."
Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather
"Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly."
In his master's steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing
---------------------------------------------
DOBRÝ KRÁL VÁCLAV
Dobrý král Václav se díval
Na svátek Štěpána
Jak se sníh snáší kolem
Hluboký a křupavý a hladký
Tu noc jasně zářil měsíc
Ačkoliv byl krutý mráz
Když chudý muž přišel na dohled
Sbíral dříví na topení
"Sem, páže, stoupni si ke mně
Jestli znáš, řekni,
Onen venkovan, kdo je to?
Kde je a jaké je jeho obydlí?"
"Pane, bydlí dobrou míli odtud
Pod horami
Právě naproti hradbě pralesa
U studánky Svaté Anežky."
"Přines maso a přines víno
Přines sem borová polena
Ty a já ho dnes uvidíme večeřet
Až mu to tam odneseme"
Páže a monarcha šli dál
Šli dál společně
Navzdory divoce skučícímu větru
A krutému počasí
"Pane, noc je stále tmavší
A vítr duje silněji
Mé srdce slábne, ani nevím jak
Nemůžu jít dál."
"Šlapej do mých stop, mé dobré páže
Kráčej v nich pevně
Tak překonáš zlobu zimy
Mráz, ve kterém stydne krev
Kráčel ve stopách svého pána
Tam, kde byl sníh ušlápnutý
Bylo vřelé horko
Kam Svatý vstoupil
Proto, křesťané, dejte pozor
Bohatí nebo vysoce postavení
Teď žehnejte chudým
Sami najdete požehnání
@davidmccann9811
This carol defines the spirit of Christmas. The combination of a bitter snowy winter, a Christian Saint, a special feast, and charitable kindness towards a stranger. These things can be understood in any language.
@SummerM.R.-df8tu
Fr
@virgospirit9933
Still can't believe that old Czech christmas carols about one of our most famous kings (that lot of people probably didn't ever heard of) is so popular in foreign countries 😂
@RageKroc888
Today I learnt something :O
@Mirinovic
Poděkujte za to císaři Karlovy 4 že svou dceru Annu provdal za Anglického krále
@davidmccann9811
Because the tune, words and story are so perfect.
@amberjoy533
He was actually a Duke, right? He ruled Bohemia and helped people in need. He was killed by his own brother in AD 935 for his faith in Jesus.
@Giingger
This carol doesn’t even exist in Czechia. It’s an English twist on the story of king Wenceslas (who is a real historical figure).
@helljumper82nd83
My great grand pa when he was with the 82nd airborne during the battle of the bulge he told me when he was in his fox hole on Christmas Day he started sing this song and 3 seconds later his squad was singing along and every time her hears this he it takes him back to that Christmas
@IsaPodrasky
Hell Jumper 82nd Wow, that was very beautiful. Very touching story.