Good King Wenceslas
The Cathedral Choirs Lyrics
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On the feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about,
Deep and crisp and even.
Brightly shown 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 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 the 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.
Ark 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 step he trod,
Where the snow lay dented.
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
The lyrics to "Good King Wenceslas" tell the story of King Wenceslas, who is looking out on the feast of Stephen, which is the day after Christmas. It is a bitterly cold night, and the snow is thick and even, but the moon is shining brightly. As he looks out, he sees a poor man gathering winter fuel, and asks his page to come stand by him and identify the man. The page tells him that the poor man lives a league away, near a fountain, and the king asks for some food and logs to be brought to the man so that he can have a warm meal.
The king and the page set out into the bitter wind and snow to bring the poor man the food and logs. As they walk, the page becomes afraid and asks the king to turn back, but the king encourages him to follow in his footsteps and he will be protected from the cold. When they arrive at the poor man's home, they share the food and have a warm meal. The song concludes with the message that blessing the poor brings blessings to oneself, regardless of one's wealth or rank.
Line by Line Meaning
Good King Wenceslas looked out
The king named Wenceslas was observing the sight
On the feast of Stephen,
When the occasion of St. Stephen's Day was being celebrated
When the snow lay round about,
The ground was covered with snow everywhere, as far as his eyes could see
Deep and crisp and even.
The snowy surface was thick, crunchy, and uniformly leveled
Brightly shown the moon that night,
The moon was shining luminously on that night
Though the frost was cruel,
Despite the severe cold weather
When a poor man came in sight,
The king spotted a destitute man from afar
Gathering winter fuel.
The poor man was gathering firewood to warm himself due to the coldness of winter
Hither, page, and stand by me.
Come here, my assistant, and stand beside me
If thou know it telling:
If you know the name of the man I am pointing at
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Who is that farmer over there?
Where and what his dwelling?
What is his place of residence and livelihood?
Sire, he lives a good league hence,
My lord, he lives at least three miles away from here
Underneath the mountain,
He resides at a location adjacent to a mountain
Right against the forest fence
His house is located next to the fence of the forest
By Saint Agnes fountain.
His residence is near the fountain of St Agnes
Bring me flesh, and bring me wine.
Get me meat and wine
Bring me pine logs hither.
Bring the pine logs to me
Thou and I will see him dine
You and I will watch him feast
When we bear the thither.
We take it to him in his place
Page and monarch, forth they went,
The page and the King set out,
Forth they went together
They went together for the same purpose
Through the rude wind's wild lament
Despite the harsh, rough wind's wild cries
And the bitter weather.
And the cold, merciless weather
Sire, the night is darker now,
My Lord, the night is becoming darker
And the wind blows stronger.
The wind is getting stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how.
My heart is filled with dread, and I can't explain it
I can go no longer.
I am not able to go any further
Ark my footsteps my good page,
Pay attention to my steps, my loyal assistant
Tread thou in them boldly:
Step firmly where I step
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
You will find that the winter's fury
Freeze thy blood less coldly.
Will not chill your blood as intensely
In his master's step he trod,
He walked in his master's steps
Where the snow lay dented.
Where the snow was compressed by the king's footsteps
Heat was in the very sod
There was some warmth coming from the ground
Which the saint had printed.
The warmth that had persisted in the snow was left by the saint who passed by previously.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure,
So, Christian people, be certain
Wealth or rank possessing,
Whether you are rich or poor, successful or not,
Ye who now will bless the poor
Those of you who will offer kindness to those in need now
Shall yourselves find blessing
Will also be blessed
Lyrics © Starshine Music, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: TONY ALLEN, DONIE CASSIDY, MICK FOSTER, JOHN MASON NEALE, UNKNOWN COMPOSER AUTHOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind