Have you ever really listened to “Good King Wenceslas”

Good King Wenceslas is one of those Christmas Carols that we have all heard but few of us have ever listened to.  The song is actually a story told by a narrator with dialog from King Wenceslas and his Page.  The story includes need, compassion, action, a miracle and a couple of lessons.

• Need – King Wenceslas sees a poor man out on a cold snowy night gathering fuel

• Compassion – The King ask his Page who the poor man is.  Learning that the poor man lives a long ways off the King moved by compassion prepares food, wine and logs for the poor man

• Action – The King and the Page walk through the cold and snowy night to carry the gift to the poor man’s house

• Miracle – The winter is so cold that the Page is unable to keep going.  The King instructs the Page to walk in his footsteps.  In doing so the Page finds that there is heat in the foot prints of the king.

• Lesson 1 – When we care for the poor in the name of Christ we find a blessing for ourselves

• Lesson 2 – When we walk in the steps of the King we find strength to complete the tasks.

Here are the lyrics.

Verse 1

Narrator:

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
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel

Verse 2

King:

"Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"

Page:

"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."

Verse 3

King:

"Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither."

Narrator:

Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather

Verse 4

Page:

"Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer."

King:

"Mark my footsteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly."

Verse 5

Narrator

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

Here is a link to Bing Crosby’s version of the song