Good King Wenceslas
A Christmas Carol


Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gathering winter fuel

Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?
Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain.

Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither."
Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather

Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer.
Mark my footsteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly.

In his master's steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing


Historical Fact


Good King Wenceslas is a carol that relates to the 'Feast of St Stephen' the day after Christmas Day, 26th December, more commonly known as 'Boxing Day'.

The legend is based on the life of Saint Wenceslaus, a 10th-century Catholic born in Czechoslovakia and known as the 'Duke of Bohemia' or 'Vaclav the Good' (907–935 AD) Wenceslas was assassinated by his evil brother, 'Boleslaw the Bad', and is interred in St Vitus' Cathedral in Prague. The name Wenceslas is Latin for 'Vaclav'. However Wenceslas was never a king and it was the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I who posthumously bestowed that title on him and that is why the folk-tale and carol refers to him as a 'king'.

The carol speaks of the old Boxing Day tradition of giving, as the saint journeys through harsh winter weather to give alms to a poor. Immediately after his untimely death he was considered by the public to be a martyr and a saint and a strong following developed in England. However it would be several centuries later before the story was claimed as fact by Pope Pius II - who also walked ten miles barefoot in the ice and snow as an act of pious thanksgiving in honour of the saint. Wenceslas' saint day is the 28th September.

The English hymn-writer John Mason Neale (1818-1866AD) wrote the lyrics in 1853 and the carol first appeared in 'Carols for Christmas-Tide' during the same year. John Mason Neale was an Anglican priest born in London and educated at Trinity College, Cambridge.