~ ACCUSTOMED, CEREMONIOUS ~
 |
| We have owls, a wooden pig,
a shepherd girl, and a wise woman, who also appeared on last year's post. |
Last month, I enjoyed all the pre-Christmas commentary from various sources about the proper time to place the Holy Babe in the Holy Crib. My friend Natalia led one such lively discussion:
Baby Jesus should NOT be out right now. . .
He was born CHRISTMAS DAY.
Is it Christmas Day? Absolutely not.
Put the baby away!
Growing up, we had some neighbors who used to set up their manger scene early in the season but hide the Baby Jesus in the bread box until Christmas Day because he wasn't born yet. These days, I'm not so sure that anybody even has a bread box. Or how about a bread drawer -- that's what we had, although we did not keep the Christ Child in there!
Concerning Epiphany, my friend Megan asked if I was "slowly slowly building the manger scene and then ending on January 6th?" I had to confess that my Two Kings and One Queen were already in place, in fact, had been since the very first day. However, that's not to say that I don't thorougly admire those who have the discipline to put the Wise Travelers across the room at first, because they are still on their way, proceeding from afar.
non-conventional perhaps, but not as odd as some!
1. New to me this year,
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's
extensive re-telling of the Journey of the Magi:
The Three Kings
Three Kings came riding from far away,
Melchior and Gaspar and Baltasar;
Three Wise Men out of the East were they,
And they travelled by night and they slept by day,
For their guide was a beautiful, wonderful star.
The star was so beautiful, large and clear,
That all the other stars of the sky
Became a white mist in the atmosphere,
And by this they knew that the coming was near
Of the Prince foretold in the prophecy.
Three caskets they bore on their saddle-bows,
Three caskets of gold with golden keys;
Their robes were of crimson silk with rows
Of bells and pomegranates and furbelows,
Their turbans like blossoming almond-trees.
And so the Three Kings rode into the West,
Through the dusk of the night, over hill and dell,
And sometimes they nodded with beard on breast,
And sometimes talked, as they paused to rest,
With the people they met at some wayside well.
“Of the child that is born,” said Baltasar,
“Good people, I pray you, tell us the news;
For we in the East have seen his star,
And have ridden fast, and have ridden far,
To find and worship the King of the Jews.”
And the people answered, “You ask in vain;
We know of no King but Herod the Great!”
They thought the Wise Men were men insane,
As they spurred their horses across the plain,
Like riders in haste, who cannot wait.
And when they came to Jerusalem,
Herod the Great, who had heard this thing,
Sent for the Wise Men and questioned them;
And said, “Go down unto Bethlehem,
And bring me tidings of this new king.”
So they rode away; and the star stood still,
The only one in the grey of morn;
Yes, it stopped — it stood still of its own free will,
Right over Bethlehem on the hill,
The city of David, where Christ was born.
And the Three Kings rode through the gate and the guard,
Through the silent street, till their horses turned
And neighed as they entered the great inn-yard;
But the windows were closed, and the doors were barred,
And only a light in the stable burned.
And cradled there in the scented hay,
In the air made sweet by the breath of kine,
The little child in the manger lay,
The child, that would be king one day
Of a kingdom not human, but divine.
His mother Mary of Nazareth
Sat watching beside his place of rest,
Watching the even flow of his breath,
For the joy of life and the terror of death
Were mingled together in her breast.
They laid their offerings at his feet:
The gold was their tribute to a King,
The frankincense, with its odor sweet,
Was for the Priest, the Paraclete,
The myrrh for the body’s burying.
And the mother wondered and bowed her head,
And sat as still as a statue of stone,
Her heart was troubled yet comforted,
Remembering what the Angel had said
Of an endless reign and of David’s throne.
Then the Kings rode out of the city gate,
With a clatter of hoofs in proud array;
But they went not back to Herod the Great,
For they knew his malice and feared his hate,
And returned to their homes by another way.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882)
2. This lovely lilting hymn,
sung so beautifully by Chanticleer:
Beautiful Star Of Bethlehem
O beautiful star of Bethlehem
Shining afar through shadows dim
Giving the light for those who long have gone
Guiding the wise men on their way
Unto the place where Jesus lay
O beautiful star of Bethlehem Shine on
O beautiful star the hope of life
Guiding the pilgrims through the night
Over the mountains 'til the break of dawn
Into the land of perfect day
It will give out a lovely ray
O beautiful star of Bethlehem Shine on
O beautiful star of Bethlehem
Shine upon earth until the glory dawns
Give us a lamp to light the way
Unto the land of perfect day
O beautiful star of Bethlehem Shine on
O beautiful star the hope of rest
For the redeemed, the good and the blessed
Yonder in glory when the crown is won
Jesus is now the star divine
Brighter and brighter He will shine
O beautiful star of Bethlehem Shine on
Lyrics by Adger M. Pace (1882 - 1959)
Music by R. Fisher Boyce (1887 - 1968)
3. And this deeply stirring favorite:
Out of the East ~ sung by Charley Pride
[lyrics to follow]
Words & music by Harry Noble, Jr.
Next Fortnightly Post
Saturday, January 28th
Between now and then, read
THE QUOTIDIAN KIT
my shorter, almost daily blog posts
www.dailykitticarriker.blogspot.com
Looking for a good book? Try
KITTI'S LIST
my running list of recent reading
www.kittislist.blogsppot.com
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