Day 3 (a day late!) - Infant Holy, Infant Lowly (W Żłobie Leży in Polish) is a traditional Polish Christmas carol. The text is believed to have been written by Piotr Skarga (1536-1612), the famous Jesuit, preacher, hagiographer, polemicist, and leading figure of the Counter-Reformation in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The carol's tune is said to allude to the coronation polonaise written for King Władysław IV Vasa's coronation in 1633. The text was first translated into English by Edith Margaret Gellibrand Reed in 1920. Infant Holy, Infant Lowly (W Żłobie Leży) is one of the most popular Christmas carols that have become a permanent part of the Polish Christmas tradition, and its characteristic polonaise rhythm perfectly emphasizes the solemn nature of both festive liturgies and family gatherings.
Infant holy, Infant lowly,
Lying cradled in a stall.
Oxes lowing little knowing
That the Babe is Lord of All.
Swift are winging Angels singing
Nowels ringing, Tidings bringing
That the Babe is Lord of All.
Flocks were sleeping, shepherds keeping
In the fields their vigil true.
Saw the glory, heard the story
Which should bless the world anew.
Christians kneeling and appealing
For the healing truth, revealing
That the Babe is born for you.
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly - Choir of King's College, Cambridge
. . . and a much more Polish flavored interpretation
W Żlobie leży (Infant Holy, Infant Lowly) - Filharmonia Narodowa
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly - Danish National Vocal Ensemble
And a more contemporary take on the classic carol . . .
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly - Bringham Young University/Vocal Point
. . . and an 1886 set of variations on the tune by Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911) - Introduction and variations on an Ancient Polish Christmas polonaise, op. 60
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