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The Dunster Carol / I Hear Along Our Street

[ Roud 23688 ; Folkinfo 808 ; trad.]

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem A Christmas Carol is a translation of J’antan Po No Ruë from Bernard de La Monnoye’s book Noei Bourguignon De Gui Barozal (1738). It is printed in William Sandys’ book Christmas-Tide, Its History, Festivities and Carols, With Their Music (London: John Russell Smith, 1852), pp. 290-1.

Jim Causley sang the Exmoor carol The Dunster Carol, whose words are adapted from Longfellow’s poem, on his 2018 album A Causley Christmas and on his 2022 album Yule.

Lyrics

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem A Christmas Carol

I hear along our street
Pass the minstrel throngs;
Hark! they play so sweet,
On their hautboys, Christmas Songs!
Let us by the fire
Ever higher
Sing them till the night expire!

In December ring
Every day the chimes;
Loud the gleemen sing
In the streets their merry rhymes.
Let us by the fire
Ever higher
Sing them till the night expire!

Shepherds at the grange,
Where the Babe was born,
Sang, with many a change,
Carols until morn.
Let us by the fire
Ever higher
Sing them till the night expire!

These good people sang
Songs devout and sweet;
While the rafters rang,
There they stood with freezing feet.
Let us by the fire
Ever higher
Sing them till the night expire!

Nuns in frigid cells
At this holy tide,
For want of something else,
Christmas songs at times have tried.
Let us by the fire
Ever higher
Sing them till the night expire!

Washerwomen old,
To the sound they beat,
Sing by rivers cold,
With uncovered heads and feet.
Let us by the fire
Ever higher
Sing them till the night expire!

Who by the fireside stands
Stamps his feet and sings;
But he who blows his hands
Not so gay a carol brings,
Let us by the fire
Ever higher
Sing them till the night expire!

Jim Causley sing The Dunster Carol

I hear along our street
Pass the minstrel throngs.
Hark! They play so sweet
On their hautboys, Christmas songs.

Chorus (after each verse):
Let us by the fire
Ever higher, ever higher
Sing until the night expire
Sing until the night expire.

In December ring,
Every day the chimes.
Loud the gleemen sing,
In the street their merry rhymes.

Who by the fireside stands,
Stamps his feet and sings.
But he who blows his hands,
Not so gay a carol rings.

Shepherds at the grange,
Where the Babe was born,
Sing with many a change,
Christmas carols until morn

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Tim McElwaine for Jim Causley’s lyrics.