CHRISTMAS
Christina G. Rossetti, 1830—94.
IN the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter,
Long ago.
2 Our God, heaven cannot hold him
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When he comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty
Jesus Christ.
3 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.
4 Angels and Archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and Seraphim
Thronged the air—
But only his mother
In her maiden bliss
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.
5. What can I give him
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 what I can I give him—
Give my heart.
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