What are we talking about today?

I'll get back to theme days once I find a groove of posting regularly. In the meantime, most of my posts are about some variation of books, bikes, buses, or Broadway. Plus bits about writing, nonprofits, and grief from time to time.

This blog is mostly lighthearted and pretty silly. It's not about the terrible things happening in the world, but please know that I'm not ignoring those things. I just generally don't write about them here.

25 December 2016

On the First Day of Christmas

For the 12 Days of Christmas, I'm sharing second, third, or otherwise not-first verses of popular Christmas carols.

What does this have to do with the
song? Not a thing. Image source:
alfonso diaz on freeimages.com.
"O Come O Come Emmanuel"

By: We don't know.

Written in: We don't know that, either. Oldest surviving publication is from 1710 in Cologne, Germany.

I have thoughts: I chose this one for the first day because it's usually associated with Advent, and today is obviously as close as we're going to get to Advent. I only learned this song about ten-ish years ago and loved it from the first time I heard it. (To say I "learned" it is to stretch a point. Without the words in front of me, I still kind of mumble along until we get to a line I know.) Also, this is not a song that was written for altos. Huff.

Verse: This song has verses without number, it seems, with potential alternates for most of them. This is what happens when you translate, and when a bunch of people really like a song and just keep adding to it. This is, according to the Lutheran hymnal, verse seven:
Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Watch:



Sources:
Wikipedia
Hymns and Carols of Christmas
Lutheran Hymnal

2 comments:

Courtney said...

This is beautiful.

Su said...

It's such a great song, but I seem to only choose churches that don't really know it. Alas!