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A poem by Christina Rossetti about the birth of Jesus in a bleak winter landscape. Learn about its analysis, theology, and musical settings by Holst and Darke.
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Read the full text of the classic poem "In the bleak midwinter", also known as "A Christmas Carol", by Christina Rossetti. The poem describes the nativity scene and the humble gifts of the shepherds and wise men.
- Summary
- Analysis of in The Bleak Midwinter
- About Christina Rossetti
The poem begins with the speakerdescribing the state of a specific evening. It is a “bleak midwinter” day, the air is frosty, and it seems as if the Earth is frozen solid. The snow has been falling ceaselessly for hours. It becomes clear in the next stanzas that this is the day of Christ’s birth. As the speaker continues she describes the manger in...
Stanza One
In the first stanza of this piece, the speaker begins by describing the scene in which she is surrounded. It is clear from the title and the first line that the place the speaker is viewing and experiencing is deeply cold and “bleak.” There is not light to speak of, or warmth on the horizon. The wind is “moan[ing]” around her and the Earth seems to be completely frozen like “iron” or “stone.” Snow has been falling for hours and just keeps piling up on top of the previous layer. It seems unend...
Stanza Two
In the next line, the speaker introduces the religious backbone that holds this piece together. The power and glory of God, the reason that this piece was commissioned, is the greatest theme throughout the poem. She speaks of God as being a force that is not solely contained in Heaven or on Earth. He is more than the sum of both and all will “flee away when He comes” again to Earth “to reign. “ Even though all of these things about God are true, his power is great, “a stable place” was enough...
Stanza Three
In the third quatrain of ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’, the speaker continues the thought that she had begun at the end of the second. She carries on telling her listeners how the “stable” was “Enough for Him” who is worshiped “night and day” by “cherubim.” He was not born into luxury or brilliance, but into a stark and humble world. When he was born he had “milk” and a “mangerful of hay” in which he was able to find comfort. This, she states, was enough for him. She is implying in these lines tha...
Christina Rossetti was born in London in 1830. As a young girl, she enjoyed studying classics, as well as novels and fairy tales. Her writing career began when she was twelve years old,and she published her first poems in 1848l when she was 18. Her most famous collection, Goblin Market and Other Poems, was published in 1862 and was widely praised. ...
- Female
- October 9, 1995
- Poetry Analyst And Editor
By Christina Rossetti. 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
A famous Christmas carol and poem by Christina Rossetti, describing the birth of Jesus in a cold and harsh winter. Read the full text, comments and analysis of this classic work.
A Christmas carol that depicts the nativity scene in a winter landscape. The poem expresses the wonder and humility of the shepherds, the angels, and the mother of Jesus, and asks what the poet can give to the newborn king.
May 13, 2011 · A classic Christmas carol in verse, describing the humble birth of Jesus in a stable. Read the full text, analysis, and translation of this poem on Poetry.com.
