Dec 23 What Child is This?

Dec 23 What Child is This
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Child_Is_This
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Chatterton_Dix
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greensleeves

What Child is this, who laid to rest,
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
While shepherds watch are keeping?

Refrain: This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing.
Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Why lies He in such mean estate
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear for sinners here,
The silent Word is pleading.

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh;
Come, peasant king, to own Him.
The King of Kings salvation brings;
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.

"What Child Is This?" is a popular Christmas carol that was written in 1865 by William Chatterton Dix. At the age of twenty-nine, he was sickened by a sudden near-fatal illness and confined to bed for several months. He went into a deep depression during this time, but it was also a time when he wrote many hymns, including ‘What Child is This?” which was later set to the traditional English melody of "Greensleeves". Other hymns that Dix wrote include “As with Gladness Men of Old,” “To you, O Lord, Our Hearts We Raise,” and “Alleluia! Sing to Jesus.”

“Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk tune which appears in references as far back as 1580 but cannot be definitively dated. The tune is found in several late 16th century and early 17th century sources, as well as various manuscripts preserved in the Cambridge University libraries. In Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor, written around 1602, the character Mistress Ford refers twice without any explanation to the tune of "Greensleeves," and Falstaff later exclaims: “Let the sky rain potatoes! Let it thunder to the tune of 'Greensleeves'! “ These allusions suggest that the song was already well known at that time. During this time period, green was a color associated with love and romance. In Chaucer’s writing, green was the color of lightness in love. This is echoed in “Greensleeves is my delight” and elsewhere in the song lyrics.

Craft: Mary, manger, baby
Origami Manger (Christmas origami book)