The New-Year's Gift: Or, Circumcision's Song. Sung To The King In The Presence At Whitehall.

1. Prepare for songs; He's come, He's come;
        And be it sin here to be dumb,
        And not with lutes to fill the room.

2. Cast holy water all about,
        And have a care no fire goes out,
        But 'cense the porch and place throughout.

3. The altars all on fire be;
        The storax fries; and ye may see
        How heart and hand do all agree
To make things sweet. Chor. Yet all less sweet than He.

4. Bring Him along, most pious priest,
        And tell us then, whenas thou seest
        His gently-gliding, dove-like eyes,
        And hear'st His whimpering and His cries;
        How can'st thou this Babe circumcise?

5. Ye must not be more pitiful than wise;
        For, now unless ye see Him bleed,
        Which makes the bapti'm, 'tis decreed
The birth is fruitless. Chor. Then the work God speed.

1. Touch gently, gently touch; and here
        Spring tulips up through all the year;
        And from His sacred blood, here shed,
May roses grow to crown His own dear head.

Chor. Back, back again; each thing is done
        With zeal alike, as 'twas begun;
        Now singing, homeward let us carry
        The Babe unto His mother Mary;
        And when we have the Child commended
To her warm bosom, then our rites are ended.
            Composed by M. Henry Lawes.

Robert Herrick

Robert Herrick was a 17th-century English lyric poet and cleric. He is known for his book of poems, "Hesperides," which includes the carpe diem poem "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time." His works are noted for their clarity, simplicity, and musical quality. Herrick was also a vicar of Dean Prior in Devon, despite being ejected during the English Civil War and later reinstated.

Robert Herrick

Cunctation In Correction.

Robert Herrick, Simple Poetry

Fair After Foul.

Robert Herrick, Simple Poetry

Denial In Women No Disheartening To Men.

Robert Herrick, Simple Poetry

Upon Strut.

Robert Herrick, Simple Poetry

English

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Another New-Year's Gift: Or, Song For The Circumcision.

1. Hence, hence profane, and none appear
        With anything unhallowed here;
        No jot of leaven must be found
        Conceal'd in this most holy ground.

2. What is corrupt, or sour'd with sin,
        Leave that without, then enter in;

Chor. But let no Christmas mirth begin
        Before ye purge and circumcise
        Your hearts, and hands, lips, ears, and eyes.

3. Then, like a perfum'd altar, see
        That all things sweet and clean may be:
        For here's a Babe that, like a bride,
        Will blush to death if ought be spi'd
        Ill-scenting, or unpurifi'd.

Chor. The room is 'cens'd: help, help t' invoke
        Heaven to come down, the while we choke
        The temple with a cloud of smoke.

Robert Herrick

A Christmas Carol, Sung To The King In The Presence At White-Hall

Chorus.

What sweeter music can we bring,
Than a Carol, for to sing
The Birth of this our heavenly King?
Awake the Voice! Awake the String!
Heart, Ear, and Eye, and every thing
Awake! the while the active Finger
Runs division with the Singer.

[From the Flourish they came to the Song].

Voice 1:
Dark and dull night, fly hence away,
And give the honor to this Day,
That sees December turn'd to May.

Voice 2:
If we may ask the reason, say:
The why, and wherefore all things here
Seem like the Spring-time fo the year?

Voice 3:
Why does the chilling Winter's morn
Smile, like a field beset with corn?
Or smell, like to a mead new-shorn,
Thus, on the sudden?

Voice 4:
Come and see
The cause, why thi...

Robert Herrick

The Star-Song: A Carol To The King Sung At Whitehall.

The Flourish of Music; then followed the Song.

1. Tell us, thou clear and heavenly tongue,
        Where is the Babe but lately sprung?
        Lies he the lily-banks among?

2. Or say, if this new Birth of ours
        Sleeps, laid within some ark of flowers,
        Spangled with dew-light; thou canst clear
        All doubts, and manifest the where.

3. Declare to us, bright star, if we shall seek
        Him in the morning's blushing cheek,
        Or search the beds of spices through,
        To find him out.

        Star. No, this ye need not do;
        But only come and see Him rest
        A Princely Babe in's mother's breast.

Chor. He's seen, He's seen! why then a round,
        Let's kiss the sweet an...

Robert Herrick

An Ode Of The Birth Of Our Saviour

In numbers, and but these few,
I sing thy birth, oh JESU!
Thou pretty Baby, born here,
With sup'rabundant scorn here;
Who for thy princely port here,
Hadst for thy place
Of birth, a base
Out-stable for thy court here.

Instead of neat enclosures
Of interwoven osiers;
Instead of fragrant posies
Of daffodils and roses,
Thy cradle, kingly stranger,
As gospel tells,
Was nothing else,
But, here, a homely manger.

But we with silks, not cruels,
With sundry precious jewels,
And lily-work will dress thee;
And as we dispossess thee
Of cloths, we'll make a chamber,
Sweet babe, for thee,
Of ivory,
And plaster'd round with amber.

The Jews, they did disdain thee;
But we will entertain thee
With glories to aw...

Robert Herrick

An Ode Of The Birth Of Our Saviour.

In numbers, and but these few,
I sing Thy birth, O JESU!
Thou pretty baby, born here,
With sup'rabundant scorn here;
Who for Thy princely port here,
    Hadst for Thy place
    Of birth a base
Out-stable for Thy court here.

Instead of neat enclosures
Of interwoven osiers,
Instead of fragrant posies
Of daffodils and roses,
Thy cradle, Kingly Stranger,
    As Gospel tells,
    Was nothing else
But here a homely manger.

But we with silks, not crewels,
With sundry precious jewels,
And lily-work will dress Thee;
And as we dispossess Thee
Of clouts, we'll make a chamber,
    Sweet babe, for Thee
    Of ivory,
And plaister'd round with amber.

The Jews they did disdain Thee,
But we will entertain Thee

Robert Herrick

A Pastoral Upon The Birth Of Prince Charles: Presented To The King

AMIN. Good day, Mirtillo.MIRT. And to you no less;
And all fair signs lead on our shepherdess.
AMAR. With all white luck to you.MIRT. But say,
What news
Stirs in our sheep-walk?AMIN. None, save that my
ewes,
My wethers, lambs, and wanton kids are well,
Smooth, fair, and fat; none better I can tell:
Or that this day Menalchas keeps a feast
For his sheep-shearers.MIRT. True, these are the least.
But dear Amintas, and sweet Amarillis,
Rest but a while here by this bank of lilies;
And lend a gentle ear to one report
The country has.AMIN. From whence?    AMAR. From
whence?MIRT. The Court.
Three days before the shutting-in of May,
(With whitest wool be ever crown'd that day!)
To all our joy, a sweet-faced child was born,
More tender than the childhood of t...

Robert Herrick