I have been a sucker for Christmas music since I was a kid. I listen to it all year long—not constantly, but consistently. My parents had a record player and we’d stack the albums so high the spindle would wobble. After the umpteen albums had finished side one, we’d flip the entire stack and play all the side twos, clomp after vinyl clomp, as the records dropped one-by-one.
One song I do not remember from those days is Good King Wenceslas. My first memory of it is the instrumental version by Mannheim Steamroller on their enormously popular project, Christmas. Despite the first three lines being sung during the fade-out, I only remembered the first: “Good King Wenceslas looked down on the Feast of Stephen.” The setting of the hymn, The Feast of Stephen, will be recognized by some as a date on the Christian calendar, near the beginning of Christmastide, basically the second or third “day of Christmas.” Here is one version of the lyrics.
Good King Wenceslas looked out
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 them 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.”
“Mark 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 blessïng.
There are three truths taught in Good King Wenceslas. First is meeting the needs of others as taught in the Bible: “Blessed is he who considers the poor; The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble” (Psalm 41:1) and “He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor” (Prov. 22:9) among many others. The King had a singular purpose in the midst of the howling winter wind: to see the poor man fed. “Thou and I will see him dine” is a strong declaration.
The second is the metaphor of the servant following the master, an image of Christ’s followers following him as he ministers to the poor. The imagery of gaining strength of Christ by walking in his warming steps reminds me of taking his yoke because it is easy and his burden because it is light.
Finally, the last stanza forms a reminders and promise for those with means: to whom much is given (“wealth and rank”) much is required. But that obedience comes with a blessing.
There are plenty of instrumental versions, but, sadly, there are few really good recordings of Good King Wenceslas with vocals. There is a classic version by Mel Tormé, and another by Bing Crosby. A classic Irish version by Irish Rovers, a modern Irish version by Rend Collective, and an…odd version by Downhere. None of these do it for me.
I would love for someone to give this rich Christmas hymn a new recording—with vocals—perhaps introducing it to a new generation.
fides quaerens intellectum
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