A Christmas Eve Choral
Halleluja!What sound is this across the darkWhile all the earth is sleeping? Hark!Halleluja! Halleluja! Halleluja!
Why are thy tender eyes so bright,Mary, Mary?On the prophetic deep of nightJoseph, Joseph,I see the borders of the light,And in the day that is to beAn aureoled man-child I see,Great love's son, Joseph.
Halleluja!He hears not, but she hears afar,The Minstrel Angel of the star.Halleluja! Halleluja! Halleluja!
Why is thy gentle smile so deep,Mary, Mary?It is the secret I must keep,Joseph, Joseph,--The joy that will not let me sleep,The glory of the coming days,When all the world shall turn to praiseGod's goodness, Joseph.
Halleluja!Clear as the bird that brings the mornShe hears the heavenly music borne.Halleluja! Halleluja! Halleluja!
Why is thy radiant face so calm,Mary, Mary?His strength is like a royal palm,Joseph, Joseph;His beauty like the victor's psalm.He moves like morning o'er the landsAnd there is healing in his handsFor sorrow, Joseph.
Halleluja!Tender as dew-fall on the earthShe hears the choral of love's birth.Halleluja! Halleluja! Halleluja!
What is the message come to thee,Mary, Mary?I hear like wind within the tree,Joseph, Joseph,Or like a far-off melodyHis deathless voice proclaiming peace,And bidding ruthless wrong to cease,For love's sake, Joseph.
Halleluja!Moving as rain-wind in the springShe hears the angel chorus ring.Halleluja! Halleluja! Halleluja!
Why are thy patient hands so still,Mary, Mary?I see the shadow on the hill,Joseph, Joseph,And wonder if it is God's willThat courage, service, and glad youthShall perish in the cause of truthForever, Joseph.
Halleluja!Her heart in that celestial chimeHas heard the harmony of time.Halleluja! Halleluja! Halleluja!
Why is thy voice so strange and far,Mary, Mary?I see the glory of the star,Joseph, Joseph;And in its light all things that are,Made glad and wise beyond the swayOf death and darkness and dismay,In God's time Joseph.
Halleluja!To every heart in love 'tis givenTo hear the ecstasy of heaven.Halleluja! Halleluja! Halleluja.
Words in this poem
- afar adv.
- At, to, or from a great distance; far away; -- often used with from preceding, or off following; as, he was seen from afar; I saw him afar off. [Pref. a-.(for on or of) + far.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- morn n.
- The first part of the day; the morning; -- used chiefly in poetry. [OE. morwen, morgen, AS. morgen; akin to D. morgen, OS. morgan, G. morgen, Icel. morginn, morgunn, Sw. morgon, Dan. morgen, Goth. maúrgins. Cf. Morrow, Morning.]
- choral a.
- Of or pertaining to a choir or chorus; singing, sung, or adapted to be sung, in chorus or harmony. Choral service, a service of song. [LL. choralis, fr. L. chorus. See Chorus.]
- deathless a.
- Not subject to death, destruction, or extinction; immortal; undying; imperishable; as, deathless beings; deathless fame.
- ruthless a.
- Having no ruth; cruel; pitiless.
- chime n.
- The harmonious sound of bells, or of musical instruments. [OE. chimbe, prop., cymbal, OF. cymbe, cymble, in a dialectic form, chymble, F. cymbale, L. cymbalum, fr. Gr. Cymbal.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
A Christmas Eve Choral is in the public domain. This text is taken from Later Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #33417; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Bliss Carman, A Christmas Eve Choral, in Later Poems (1921), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #33417, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/carman-later-poems/a-christmas-eve-choral.html, id L11073.
Form and metre
A Christmas Eve Choral is 76 lines in 13 stanzas. The commonest rhyme scheme is ABBA, in 6 of the 13 stanzas; the rest vary or could not be confirmed. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 84%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.2 syllables. 21 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 21% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 ABBA hallelujaA · darkB · harkB · hallelujaA
- 2 A-ABACCB brightA · mary · nightA · josephB · lightA · beC · seeC · josephB
- 3 ABBA hallelujaA · afarB · starB · hallelujaA
- 4 A-ABACCB deepA · mary · keepA · josephB · sleepA · daysC · praiseC · josephB
- 5 ABBA hallelujaA · mornB · borneB · hallelujaA
- 6 A-ABACCB calmA · mary · palmA · josephB · psalmA · landsC · handsC · josephB
- 7 ABBA hallelujaA · earthB · birthB · hallelujaA
- 8 A-AB-CCB theeA · mary · treeA · josephB · melody · peaceC · ceaseC · josephB
- 9 ABBA hallelujaA · springB · ringB · hallelujaA
- 10 A-ABACCB stillA · mary · hillA · josephB · willA · youthC · truthC · josephB
- 11 ABBA hallelujaA · chimeB · timeB · hallelujaA
- 12 A-ABACCB farA · mary · starA · josephB · areA · swayC · dismayC · josephB
- 13 A--A hallelujaA · given · heaven · hallelujaA
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Halleluja! | 4 | ···· |
| What sound is this across the dark | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| While all the earth is sleeping? Hark! | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Halleluja! Halleluja! Halleluja! | 12 | ············ |
| Why are thy tender eyes so bright, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Mary, Mary? | 4 | /˘/˘ |
| On the prophetic deep of night | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| Joseph, Joseph, | 4 | /˘/˘ |
| I see the borders of the light, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And in the day that is to be | 8 | ········ |
| An aureoled man-child I see, | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| Great love's son, Joseph. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Halleluja! | 4 | ···· |
| He hears not, but she hears afar, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| The Minstrel Angel of the star. | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Halleluja! Halleluja! Halleluja! | 12 | ············ |
| Why is thy gentle smile so deep, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Mary, Mary? | 4 | /˘/˘ |
| It is the secret I must keep, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Joseph, Joseph,-- | 4 | /˘/˘ |
| The joy that will not let me sleep, | 8 | ········ |
| The glory of the coming days, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| When all the world shall turn to praise | 8 | ········ |
| God's goodness, Joseph. | 5 | ·/˘/˘ |
| Halleluja! | 4 | ···· |
| Clear as the bird that brings the morn | 8 | ········ |
| She hears the heavenly music borne. | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Halleluja! Halleluja! Halleluja! | 12 | ············ |
| Why is thy radiant face so calm, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Mary, Mary? | 4 | /˘/˘ |
| His strength is like a royal palm, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Joseph, Joseph; | 4 | /˘/˘ |
| His beauty like the victor's psalm. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| He moves like morning o'er the lands | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And there is healing in his hands | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| For sorrow, Joseph. | 5 | ·/˘/˘ |
| Halleluja! | 4 | ···· |
| Tender as dew-fall on the earth | 8 | /˘······ |
| She hears the choral of love's birth. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Halleluja! Halleluja! Halleluja! | 12 | ············ |
| What is the message come to thee, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Mary, Mary? | 4 | /˘/˘ |
| I hear like wind within the tree, | 8 | ········ |
| Joseph, Joseph, | 4 | /˘/˘ |
| Or like a far-off melody | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| His deathless voice proclaiming peace, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| And bidding ruthless wrong to cease, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| For love's sake, Joseph. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Halleluja! | 4 | ···· |
| Moving as rain-wind in the spring | 8 | /˘······ |
| She hears the angel chorus ring. | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Halleluja! Halleluja! Halleluja! | 12 | ············ |
| Why are thy patient hands so still, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Mary, Mary? | 4 | /˘/˘ |
| I see the shadow on the hill, | 8 | ···/···· |
| Joseph, Joseph, | 4 | /˘/˘ |
| And wonder if it is God's will | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| That courage, service, and glad youth | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Shall perish in the cause of truth | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Forever, Joseph. | 5 | ˘/˘/˘ |
| Halleluja! | 4 | ···· |
| Her heart in that celestial chime | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Has heard the harmony of time. | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| Halleluja! Halleluja! Halleluja! | 12 | ············ |
| Why is thy voice so strange and far, | 8 | ········ |
| Mary, Mary? | 4 | /˘/˘ |
| I see the glory of the star, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Joseph, Joseph; | 4 | /˘/˘ |
| And in its light all things that are, | 8 | ········ |
| Made glad and wise beyond the sway | 8 | ········ |
| Of death and darkness and dismay, | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| In God's time Joseph. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Halleluja! | 4 | ···· |
| To every heart in love 'tis given | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| To hear the ecstasy of heaven. | 9 | ···/˘˘·/˘ |
| Halleluja! Halleluja! Halleluja. | 12 | ············ |
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