The Miraculous Harvest

Words and Music: Traditional English
MIDI / Noteworthy Composer / PDF

Also known as King Pharaoh - Part 2

Compare: King Pharaoh - Part 1 (The Miracle of the Cock)
For the full carol, see King Pharaoh

1. Oh, Joseph, Jesus and Mary
Were traveling for the west,
When Mary grew a-tired
(When Mary grew a-weary)
She might sit down and rest.

2. They traveled further and further,
The weather being so warm,
Till they came unto some husbandman
A-sowing of his corn.

3. "Come husbandman!" cried Jesus,
"From over speed and pride,
   (cast all your seed away)
And carry home your ripened corn
   (And carry home as ripened corn)
That you've been sowing this day.
   (What you have sowed this day.)"

4. For to keep your wife and family
From sorrow, grief and pain,
And keep Christ in your remembrance
Till the time comes round again!'

5. "To keep your wife and family
From sorrow, grief, and pain,
And keep Christ in remembrance
Till seed-time comes again."

Editor's Note:

This carol has its roots in one of the Apocryphal Gospels,  The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, Chapter 20:

And it came to pass on the third day of their journey, while they were walking, that the blessed Mary was fatigued by the excessive heat of the sun in the desert; and seeing a palm tree, she said to Joseph: Let me rest a little under the shade of this tree. Joseph therefore made haste, and led her to the palm, and made her come down from her beast. And as the blessed Mary was sitting there, she looked up to the foliage of the palm, and saw it full of fruit, and said to Joseph: I wish it were possible to get some of the fruit of this palm. And Joseph said to her: I wonder that thou sayest this, when thou seest how high the palm tree is; and that thou thinkest of eating of its fruit. I am thinking more of the want of water, because the skins are now empty, and we have none wherewith to refresh ourselves and our cattle. Then the child Jesus, with a joyful countenance, reposing in the bosom of His mother, said to the palm: O tree, bend thy branches, and refresh my mother with thy fruit. And immediately at these words the palm bent its top down to the very feet of the blessed Mary; and they gathered from it fruit, with which they were all refreshed. And after they had gathered all its fruit, it remained bent down, waiting the order to rise from Him who bad commanded it to stoop. Then Jesus said to it: Raise thyself, O palm tree, and be strong, and be the companion of my trees, which are in the paradise of my Father; and open from thy roots a vein of water which has been hid in the earth, and let the waters flow, so that we may be satisfied from thee. And it rose up immediately, and at its root there began to come forth a spring of water exceedingly clear and cool and sparkling. And when they saw the spring of water, they rejoiced with great joy, and were satisfied, themselves and all their cattle and their beasts. Wherefore they gave thanks to God.

Compare: The Cherry-Tree Carol - Husk

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