Today's carol is as un-religious as you can get, and its origins are even further removed from what we normally associate with the holiday season. The lyrics for Deck the Halls derive from the Welsh verse Nos Galan (New Year's Eve) by John Jones (1810-69), poet and architect, who went by the bardic name Talhaiarn. Talhaiarn's verse was rendered (not really translated) into English by Thomas Oliphant around 1866. Here is the original Welsh verse, and a literal English translation:
Deck the Hall (original Welsh verse)
Goreu pleser ar nos galan / The best pleasure on new year's eve
Tŷ a thân a theulu diddan / Is house and fire and a pleasant family
Calon lân a chwrw melyn / A pure heart and blonde ale
Pennill mwyn a llais y delyn/ A gentle song and the voice of the
harp
And Thomas Oliphant's original English rendering:
Deck the hall with boughs of holly, Fa, la, la, la ...
'Tis the season to be jolly, Fa, la, la, la ...
* Fill the meadcup, drain the barrel , Fa, la, la, la ...
Troll the ancient Christmas carol, Fa, la, la, la ...
* See the flowing bowl before us, Fa, la, la, la ...
Strike the harp, and join in chorus, Fa, la, la, la ...
Follow me in merry measure, Fa, la, la, la ...
While I sing of beauty's treasure, Fa, la, la, la ...
Fast away the old year passes, Fa, la, la, la ...
Hail the new, ye lads and lasses, Fa, la, la, la ...
* Laughing quaffing all together, Fa, la, la, la ...
Heedless of the wind and weather, Fa, la, la, la ...
* when the carol was published in the Pennsylvania School Journal (Dec 1877) these lines were changed so that there was no reference to drinking!
As can be seen, the English lyrics bear almost no relation to the Welsh, but are evocative of pagan traditions, such as "Yule logs" and homes decorated with holly - the tradition of decorating the home on the first day of winter goes back to the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Druids.
Turning to the tune of Deck the Halls, it is also of Welsh origin, dating back to at least the sixteenth century. One of the earliest appearances of the tune in print is from two editions (1784 & 1794) of harpist Edward Jones' Musical and Poetical Relicks of the Welsh Bards. The lyrics in Jones' edition - though also called Nos Galan (New Year's Night) - had nothing to do with Christmas or any New Years celebrations, but of love:
Oh! How soft my Fair one's bosom! Fa, la, la, la . . .
Oh! How sweet the grove in blossom! Fa, la, la, la . . .
Oh! How blessed are the blisses Fa, la, la, la . . .
Words of love and mutual Kisses Fa, la, la, la . . .
The tune belongs to the Welsh canu penillion tradition, and harkens back to the earliest meaning of the word carol: a dance. Here, the dancers would dance in a ring around the harpist. The verses would be extemporized, and a participant would drop out when he or she would fail to sing a new verse (thus a kind of "forfeits" game). Originally, the harpist would play the "answering bars" (Fa la la la la la, etc.), but these nonsense syllables were substituted when harpers began to disappear. And the line "Troul the ancient Yuletide carol" may refer to repeatedly singing verses to this tune, or to sing loudly or boldly.
And according to one source, the tune's popularity by the 18th century was so widespread that it was incorporated by Mozart and Haydn into one of their works.
Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa, la, la, la ...
’Tis the season to be jolly, Fa, la, la, la ...
Don we now our gay apparel, Fa, la, la, la ...
Troll the ancient Yule-tide carol, Fa, la, la, la ...
See the blazing Yule before us, Fa, la, la, la ...
Strike the harp and join the chorus, Fa, la, la, la ...
Follow me in merry measure, Fa, la, la, la ...
While I tell of Yuletide treasure, Fa, la, la, la ...
Fast away the old year passes, Fa, la, la, la ...
Hail the new, ye lads and lasses, Fa, la, la, la ...
Sing we joyous all together, Fa, la, la, la ...
Heedless of the wind and weather, Fa, la, la, la ...
Deck the Halls - The Saltzburg Childrens Choir
Deck the Halls - Bing Crosby
Deck the Halls - Carlson School of Management Flash Mob
No comments:
Post a Comment