Wednesday, December 18, 2013

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

I didn't know that this carol had five verses.  I've only been familiar with three: 1, 2, and 5 here.  Verses 3 and 4 are not as cheerful, but I think we can all relate to feeling "life's crushing load."

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold;
“Peace on the earth, good will to men,
From Heaven’s all gracious King.”
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O’er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains,
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever over its Babel sounds
The blessèd angels sing.

Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife
And hear the angels sing.

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!

For lo! the days are hastening on,
By prophet-bards foretold,
When with the ever circling years
Comes round the age of gold;
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.

The references to "angels bending near the earth" remind me of my mom.  I'm sure she is "bending near" us as much as she can, and that thought is certainly comforting to me.  And she'd be playing a "harp of gold" too - she always wanted to learn the harp!  Harp or no, I hope that we can one day "send back the song" that we hear from Heaven.

You can get this wall art here.

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