Song of the Day - 12th October 2024

Today's Song of the Day is a setting of a poem entitled "The Christening" by Walter de la Mare, an award-winning English poet, short story writer and novelist.

I have chosen to share my setting of this poem with you today to honour National Baptism Day, which, like Michaelmas, was actually on 29th September, which was before I set up this site.

Get the music for this song for free - find out how here.

The Christening

By Walter De La Mare

The bells chime clear,

Soon will the sun behind the hills sink down;

Come, little Ann, your baby brother dear

Lies in his christening-gown.

His godparents

Are all across the fields stepped on before,

And wait beneath the crumbling monuments,

This side the old church door.

Your mammie dear

Leans frail and lovely on your daddie's arm;

Watching her chick, 'twixt happiness and fear,

Lest he should come to harm.

All to be blest

Full soon in the clear heavenly water, he

Sleeps on unwitting of't, his little breast

Heaving so tenderly.

I carried you,

My little Ann, long since on this same quest,

And from the painted windows a pale hue

Lit golden on your breast;

And then you woke,

Chill as the holy water trickled down,

And, weeping, cast the window a strange look,

Half smile, half infant frown.

I scarce could hear

The larks a-singing in the green meadows,

'Twas summertide, and budding far and near

The hedges thick with rose.

And now you're grown

A little girl, and this same helpless mite

Is come like such another bud half-blown,

Out of the wintry night.

Time flies, time flies!

And yet, bless me! 'tis little changed am I;

May Jesu keep from tears those infant eyes,

Be love their lullaby!