Christina Rossetti's 1871 poem 'In The Bleak Midwinter' was set to music by Gustav Holst in 1906 for the English Hymnal, and is commonly sung as a carol.
'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 ass 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.' A detail of the Adoration of the Angels window by Robert Anning Bell, 1911 at Hethersett, Norfolk. Hethersett: norfolkchurches.co.uk/hethersett/het…