Good King Wenceslas...What does this strange carol mean? And what about the Feast of Stephen?
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, gathering winter fuel.
So this Good King is in his warm castle, and he looks out the window. So far, so good.
Feast of Stephen? This is a Feast Day celebrating the life and death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. It is also Boxing Day in England and Canada, and some other countries -- December 26.
[Traditionally Boxing Day was the day after Christmas because the servants had to work so hard, and work longer hours, during the Christmas festival, that the wealthy British designated Boxing Day as a holiday for the workers. They also received special gifts -- food, money, and other gifts of appreciation for their hard work. (Sort of an old fashioned Christmas bonus!)]
So it is December 26, the night of the Feast of Stephen. The description of the snowy landscape is really beautiful...deep, and crisp and even...isn't that the way we see it in our minds...still and quiet ...
It was very cold, and then the Good King sees a poor man gathering winter fuel. That had to have been a hard task that cold night. Probably his family desperately needed warmth in their meager cottage. Did they have food?
Most carols we just sing a verse or two, but this carol is a story, and every verse is important.
The King calls his page. "What's that man doing?" he asks.
"Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is He?
Where and what his dwelling?"
The page answers:
"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."
Now the King tells the page:
"Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear them thither."
(To us the "thithers" and "hithers" seem strange - but, after all, this story took place over 1000 years ago!)
Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather
Aren't these words fascinating...rude wind's wild lament...easier to read than sing, though!
Now the page is having trouble:
"Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how
I can go on longer."
But the Monarch has the answer:
"Mark my footsteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly."
And the end of the story:
In the master's steps 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 would bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing.
What a great song! We follow Christ's lead, and when the way gets rough, we just follow Him closely and step right in His footprints!
P.S. Yes, there was a Good King Wenceslas - He lived around 900 AD and he was the Duke of Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic). And apparently he was a good king. He was raised by his godly grandmother. He wanted to rule his kingdom on Christian principles. He was known for his gift-giving and he wanted his subjects to learn to be generous with all their goods.
His story ends sadly, though, because his ungodly twin brother, Boleslav, murdered him and restored Bohemia to its pagan days. It was written that
Wenceslas' last words were, "Brother, may God forgive you."
