Every Year As Round Comes Christmas

For Christmas

Words: Tô les an quan Noei s'eprôche, Traditional Burgundian Noël
Translation from La Monnoye by the Rev. J. O'Connor

Music: Traditional Burgundian Noël

Source: Richard Runciman Terry, Two Hundred Folk Carols (London: Burns Oates & Washbourne Limited, 1933), Carol #71, pp. 8-9.

1. Every year as round comes Christmas,
Lord, I must think how good are you. :|| [hereinafter “bis.”]
But as in me remembrance wakes,
Lord, I feel bound to tell Thee true;
On t'other side, on t'other side
I feel no little bit upsettled
Wi' my own wickedness and pride.

2. Man you contrived in Your own image,
Placing Him in a Paradise, } bis.
Where, if he had but known his business,
He could have prospered at his ease.
But giddy pride, but giddy pride
Put sudden end to all his prospects;
Fed him too high, grew sick and died.

3. To well he trusted, good men Adam,
That fair companion of his night, } bis.
Poisoning with a rosy apple
All his descendents in a bite.
The sorry knave, the sorry knave!
How well he shows him in his doings
No better than a woman's slave!

4. Were it not for Thy Son, could ever
We raise us out of rut so deep? } bis.
What can we pay Thee of thanksgiving
That to our reserve Thou didst leap?
Oh 'twas too much, Oh 'twas too much.
For the trespass was a portent,
Remedy evermore is such.

5. Yet, in despite of all Thy labor
World is on top as ever 'twas: } bis.
In every deal man wrongs his neighbor,
Poor men be all in big man's claws.
Foemen of ill, foemen of ill
With malice cram their holy waistcoats
Mortar is wreaking garlic still.

6. What with the taxers and the lenders,
We are ate alive, we're in their bag, } bis.
Read they us, winnow us and grind us.
What use, when we're not left a rag
To cringe to them, to cringe to them!
No not a drop of all these sponges
Will make our pining pocket brag.

7. The shamelessness of double dealing
Leaves honest men nor home nor hearth; } bis.
No recollection Lent or Advent,
Well-doing counts as nothing worth
' So long in Church! So long in Church '
Spend we whole days on sport and pleasure
But leave religion in the lurch.

8. Great God! If one day as I pray You
Come I at last to Paradise, } bis.
I know 'twill all be gold and azure
And shining floors and tapestries.
Everything fair! Everything fair!
But let me tell you quite respectful
You'll have too many footstools there.

Sheet Music from Richard Runciman Terry, Two Hundred Folk Carols (London: Burns Oates & Washbourne Limited, 1933), Carol #71, pp. 8-9.

Note from Rev. Terry:

There are 10 stanzas in the original. The English words keep to the spirit of the original, – simple pity, homely expressions of easy familiarity between creature and Creator.

Editor's Note:

To be clear, the first two lines in each verse are repeated.

A Google search for “Tô les an quan Noei s'eprôche” resulted in no hits. The first two lines in each verse are repeated.

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