Song of the Day - 29th December

Today's Song of the Day is the second of the two songs I have written to celebrate the Feast Day of the Holy Innocents, the babies who were slaughtered by order of King Herod in his attempt to find and kill the baby Jesus.

This day is celebrated on both the 28th and 29th of December, the 28th in the Western Church and the 29th in the Eastern Church.

This second song is called "The Holy Innocents" (not to be confused with the first one I shared yesterday which lacks the "The") and is a setting of a poem/hymn by English writer and poet Laurence Housman (1865 – 1959).

Housman was a prolific writer with around a hundred published works to his name. Some of his plays were scandalous for depicting biblical characters and living members of the Royal House on stage, which at the time was illegal, and many of them were performed only privately until the subsequent relaxation of theatrical censorship.

This poem was published in The English Hymnal in 1906. My setting is a gently flowing easy melody in 6/8, suitable for church choirs.

The Holy Innocents

By Laurence Housman

When Christ was born in Bethlehem,

Fair peace on earth to bring,

In lowly state of love He came

To be the children’s King.

And round Him, then, a holy band

Of children blest was born,

Fair guardians of His throne to stand

Attendant night and morn.

And unto them this grace was giv’n

A Saviour’s name to own,

And die for Him Who out of Heav’n

Had found on earth a throne.

O blessèd babes of Bethlehem,

Who died to save our King,

Ye share the martyrs’ diadem,

And in their anthem sing!

Your lips, on earth that never spake,

Now sound th’eternal word;

And in the courts of love ye make

Your children’s voices heard.

Lord Jesus Christ, eternal Child,

Make Thou our childhood Thine;

That we with Thee the meek and mild

May share the love divine.