The Irish Presbyterian Hymnbook ‎#323

323. In the bleak mid-winter

1 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 Heaven cannot hold Him,
nor the earth sustain;
heaven and earth shall flee away
when He comes to reign:
in the bleak mid-winter
a stable-place sufficed
God the Lord Almighty,
Jesus Christ.

3 Enough for Him whom cherubim
worship night and day —
a breastful of milk
and a manger full of hay;
enough for Him whom angels
fall down before —
the wise men and the shepherds
who adore!

4 What can I give Him,
poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would give a lamb,
if I were a wise man,
I would do my part;
yet what I can I give Him —
give my heart.

Text Information

• First Line: In the bleak mid-winter
• Author: Christina Georgina Rossetti, 1830-1894
• Meter: Irregular
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 2004
• Topic: Jesus Christ: His Birth
• Source: Adapt.: Compilers of Hymns of Today's Church, 1982

Tune Information

• Name: CRANHAM
• Composer: Gustav Theodore von Holst, 1874-1934
• Meter: Irregular
• Key: F Major