I always sing "four calling birds," but according to Wikipedia a "colly bird" is a blackbird, and the singing of "calling birds" instead is a misunderstanding. A minor Lady Mondegreen. Once I saw a Peanuts comic strip where Snoopy was counting down to "A Woodstock in a Pear Tree," and when he said/thought "four colly birds," I thought Charles Schultz was punning on Snoopy being a dog and making him sing about "collie" birds.
Anyway, happy fourth day of Christmas.
A sad event is commemorated in the traditional church calendar today. December 28 is the Feast of the Holy Innocents. Here is Matthew 2: 16-18:
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
In Ramah was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
The poignant 15th Century "Coventry Carol" addresses this tragic event, sung by a mother of Bethlehem:
Lullay, thou little tiny child,
By, by, lully, lullay.
Lullay, thou little tiny child.
By, by, lully, lullay.
O sisters, too, how may we do,
For to preserve this day;
This poor youngling for whom we sing,
By, by, lully, lullay.
Herod the king, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day;
His men of might, in his own sight,
All children young, to slay.
Then woe is me, poor child, for thee,
And ever mourn and say;
For thy parting, nor say nor sing,
By, by, lully, lullay.
3 comments:
Lest we forget. thank you.
Kind of funny: All this time I thought it was "Lady Montegreen" - ever since Prof. Tiemersma talked about it in an interim class called "Words, Words, Words."
I always thought it was "Montegreen" too, until I looked it up on Wikipedia.
Re Feast Day: It is tempting to focus on the sweetness of the Babe in the manger, and forget the danger and tragedy that surrounded him. The slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem is one of the saddest, most terrible events in the Bible. Jesus escaped, but so many tiny children did not. This is the broken world he came to heal and redeem.
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