James’ Thought Spot

This carol… is just another carol. I really have no funny joke here. I need to work on that.

“Edmund [Hamilton] Sears composed the five-stanza poem in 1849. It first appeared on December 29, 1849 in the Christian Register in Boston.”

Once again Wikipedia… Yeah I don’t trust them much, But they are right often enough for me to start there. So sue me. However this is a case where I haven’t gotten a better story and most people agree. So… I guess I’ll stick with this. Really besides that that is all there is to the story… No really. Oh ok it was written at the request of W.P. Lunt, and it was (I think) first sung at a Sunday school celebration. I could be wrong and I don’t like that though. So here is the song. Enjoy. (I can’t find satisfactory audio so if you find some be my guest to listen.)

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold:
“Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,
From heaven’s all-gracious King.”
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come,
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O’er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains,
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever o’er its Babel sounds
The blessèd angels sing.

Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing.

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!

For lo!, the days are hastening on,
By prophet bards foretold,
When with the ever-circling years
Comes round the age of gold
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing.

Whew! barely escaped the Cliché police. I heard one guy say “All in a days work” and I turned his comrades against him.

Well as it is December 1st we’ll start with the appropriate The First Noel. The First Noel or just Noel is a traditional English Christmas carol most likely from the 18th century according to Wikipedia. However the Wiki isn’t always correct about song dates, and some sources say It’s from the 16th century. Edited by possibly uneducated masses or made buy guys who may actually know what they are talking about. You choose. The form we know comes from Cornwall and was first published in Carols Ancient and Modern (1823) and Gilbert and Sandys Christmas Carols (1833), both of which were edited by William B. Sandys and arranged, edited and with extra lyrics written by Davies Gilbert, once again according to the Wikipedia. Now before I get to the song I must point out that the song, even though you have always read it this way and I’ve used this spelling all throughout the post, The name is The First Nowell. But the name has been written, incorrectly, as The first noel for quite a while. It has become standard but the name is Nowell traditionally, and I don’t believe it has been officially changed. So keep writing Noel but keep the original in mind before sending it to a friend who is picky about these things.

The first noel
This is only the first two verses and last verse because no one had the full version. Here are the FULL lyrics.

The first Noel the angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay, keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep:

refrain

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.

They lookèd up and saw a star,
Shining in the east, beyond them far:
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night:

And by the light of that same star,
Three Wise Men came from country far;
To seek for a King was their intent,
And to follow the star wheresoever it went:

This star drew nigh to the north-west;
O’er Bethlehem it took its rest;
And there it did both stop and stay
Right over the place where Jesus lay:

Then entered in those Wise Men three,
Fell reverently upon their knee,
And offered there in his presence,
Their gold and myrrh and frankincense:

Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord
That hath made heaven and earth of nought,
And with his blood mankind hath bought:

And Puzzle from www.brownielocks.com
The primary carol
that means the first noel. stump your friends!