The Holly Water Ensemble - Burgundian Carol (Traditional) - Santa Is Real - Louisville - 12/16/2023

The Holly Water Ensemble
(Joan Shelley, Julia Purcell, Isaac Fosl-Van Wyke, & Will Oldham)
Santa Is Real Fundraiser for the Louisville Folk School
louisvillefolkschool.org/
The Whirling Tiger
Louisville, Kentucky
Saturday, December 16, 2023
BURGUNDIAN CAROL
"The winter season of the year,
When to this world our Lord was born,
The ox and donkey, so they say,
Did keep his holy presence warm.
How many oxen and donkeys now
If they were there when first he came,
How many oxen and donkeys you know
At such a time would do the same?
And on that night it has been told
These humble beasts so rough and rude,
Throughout the noght of holy birth
Drank no water, ate no food.
How many oxen and donkeys now
If they were there when first he came,
How many oxen and donkeys you know
At such a time would do the same?
As soon as to these humble beasts
Appeared our Lord, so mild and sweet,
With joy they knelt before his Grace
And gently kissed His tiny feet.
How many oxen and donkeys now
Dressed in ermine, silk and such,
How many oxen and donkeys you know
At such a time would do as much?"
Written by Bernard LaMonnoye, ca 1700. Translated by Oscar Brand