Good King Wenceslas

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"Good King Wenceslas" is a popular Christmas carol about a king who goes out to give alms to a poor peasant on St. Stephen's Day (December 26), the day after Christmas. In the journey, his page gives up the struggle against the cold weather and is aided by the king who provides a miracle of providing needed warmth in his footprints in the snow to use as he is followed. The subject of the carol is the historical Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia (907-935).

The tune is to "Tempus Adest Floridum" ("Spring has unwrapped her flowers"), a 13th-century spring carol, first published in the Swedish/Finnish Piae Cantiones, 1582. The carol is also found in Carmina Burana as CB 142.

In 1853, G.J.R. Gordon, Her Majesty's Envoy and Minister at Stockholm, gave a rare copy of the 1582 edition of Piae Cantiones to Rev. John Mason Neale (Warden of Sackville College, East Grinstead, Sussex) and Rev. Thomas Helmore (Vice-Principal of St. Mark's College, Chelsea). The book was entirely unknown in England at that time.

Neale translated some of the carols and hymns, and in 1853, he and Helmore published 12 carols in Carols for Christmas-tide (with music from Piae Cantiones). In 1854, they published 12 more in Carols for Easter-tide. The inspirational copy of Piae Cantiones is now said to be in the British Museum.

The lyrics are by Neale (1818–1866). He may have written the hymn some time earlier; he related the story on which it is based in Deeds of Faith (1849).

The lyrics are in the public domain and are as follows:

Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephen,

When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even;

Brightly shone the moon that night, tho' the frost was cruel,

When a poor man came in sight gath'ring winter fuel.

"Hither, page, and stand by me, if thou know'st, 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 steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted;

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 blessing.

Parody

"Good King Wenceslas" was parodied by Peter Schickele, who published the choral work "Good King Kong" as a P.D.Q. Bach composition. "Good King Kong" contains both lyric and melodic similarities to its inspiration.

In an episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast, "Good King Wenceslas" was dubbed over Jack Black's performance of one of his more ribald songs. The carol was poorly performed, and was accompanied by a montage of strange Space Ghost clips (i.e., more bizarre than usual).

External links

[Good King Wenceslas] A public domain educational school play by Jan Křesadlo

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