My, how Advent has flown past—Christmas is almost upon
us. So let’s have another carol about the baby, another lullaby.
There are plenty of songs about Mary, about the shepherds,
the king-magi, etc. Even one about some freaking drummer boy, which I never
understood, because what the hell is some kid doing out in the middle of Judea
in the middle of the night in the middle of winter (or early spring, if you’re
some kind of killjoy purist) with a damn drum? Like any parents would have put
up with that nonsense for a New York minute.
I like today’s because it’s from the perspective of the
animals in the stable. They respond to the notion of a newborn in their midst
by offering their warmth, literally. I can see their breath as they snuffle and
snort around the manger in that cold night. I confess that I don’t know that much
about the large animals, but having a cat next to you pushing out the KTUs
(Kitty Thermal Units) at a rate of knots can make all the difference in nippy
weather.
I also don’t know that much about the history of this one.
“Hajej, Nynej, Jezisku” is Czech, possibly from somewhere between the 14th
and 16th Centuries. We know it in English as “The Rocking Carol”,
and it does indeed give you that quiet sense of being gently rocked. It’s very
comforting musically as well as metaphorically.
I’m giving you Chanticleer’s version of it. I had the
great good fortune to attend one of their Christmas concerts this week, held in
the perfect venue for their voices (including their kickass countertenors)—Mission
Santa Clara. I have many of their CDs, and I love how they put together a
Christmas carol. Especially this one.
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