In the bleak Midwinter

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
 Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
 Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
 In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

 Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
 Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
 In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
 The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

 Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,
 Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
 Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
 The ox and [bad word] and camel which adore.

 Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
 Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
 But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
 Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

 What can I give Him, poor as I am?
 If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
 If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
 Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.