Christ's Nativity



1       Awake, glad heart! get up and sing!
2     It is the birth-day of thy King.
3           Awake! awake!
4           The Sun doth shake
5     Light from his locks, and all the way
6     Breathing perfumes, doth spice the day.

7       Awake, awake! hark how th' wood rings;
8     Winds whisper, and the busy springs
9           A concert make;
10         Awake! awake!
11   Man is their high-priest, and should rise
12   To offer up the sacrifice.

13     I would I were some bird, or star,
14   Flutt'ring in woods, or lifted far
15         Above this inn
16         And road of sin!
17   Then either star or bird should be
18   Shining or singing still to thee.

19     I would I had in my best part
20   Fit rooms for thee! or that my heart
21         Were so clean as
22         Thy manger was!
23   But I am all filth, and obscene;
24   Yet, if thou wilt, thou canst make clean.

25     Sweet Jesu! will then. Let no more
26   This leper haunt and soil thy door!
27         Cure him, ease him,
28         O release him!
29   And let once more, by mystic birth,
30   The Lord of life be born in earth.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:01 min read
155

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBCC DDBBXX EEFFGG HHXXII JJKKLL
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,084
Words 204
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 6

Henry Vaughan

Henry Vaughan was a Welsh author, physician and metaphysical poet. Vaughan and his twin brother, the hermetic philosopher and alchemist Thomas Vaughan, were the sons of Thomas Vaughan and his wife Denise of 'Trenewydd', Newton, in Brecknockshire, Wales. Their grandfather, William, was the owner of Tretower Court. Vaughan spent most of his life in the village of Llansantffraed, near Brecon, where he is also buried. more…

All Henry Vaughan poems | Henry Vaughan Books

1 fan

Discuss the poem Christ's Nativity with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Christ's Nativity" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Nov. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/18419/christ's-nativity>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    November 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    8
    days
    0
    hours
    25
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    The Baltimore Ravens’ team name was inspired by which American poet?
    A Edgar Allan Poe
    B Walt Whitman
    C Langston Hughes
    D Emily Dickinson