Once in Royal David's City
Christmas at Downton Abbey*
Once in Royal David's City basiert auf dem Weihnachtsgedicht (Christmas Poem) von Cecil Frances Alexander (siehe Once in Royal David's City), das 1848 in dem Buch 'Hymns for little Children' von Cecil Humphreys veröffentlicht wurde. Die Melodie stammt von Henry John Gauntlett.
Das Weihnachtslied bildet seit 1919 den Auftakt des berühmten Weihnachtsgottesdienstes A Festival of nine Lessons and Carols am King's College in Cambridge. Dabei wird das Arrangement von Arthur Henry Mann genutzt, nach dem die erste Strophe von einem Solisten aus dem Chor, die zweite Strophe vom Chor und ab der dritten Strophe von Chor und den Besuchern des Gottesdienstes gesungen werden.
Liedtext: Once in Royal David's City
Once in Royal David's City
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In a Manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little child.
He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior Holy.
And through all His wondrous childhood
He would honor and obey,
Love and watch the lowly Maiden,
In whose gentle arms He lay:
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He.
For He is our childhood's pattern;
Day by day, like us He grew;
He was little, weak and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us He knew;
And He feeleth for our sadness,
And He shareth in our gladness.
And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love;
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above,
And He leads His children on
To the place where He is gone.
Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him; but in heaven,
Set at God's right hand on high;
Where like stars His children crowned
All in white shall wait around.
Once in Royal David's City anhören
- An English Folk Christmas
- Christmas at Downton Abbey
- Christmas at King's
- Richard & Adam: The Christmas Album
Tags: Weihnachtslieder | Weihnachtsbräuche | Weihnachtswörter