The Holy Well by L. Edna Walter (28)
Sweet Jesus asks His mother if He may go play, and she sends Him off, warning against complaints by night. At the Holy Well He greets a group of fine children, offering to play if they will play with Him. They refuse, calling themselves lords' and ladies' sons and mocking His birth in an ox's stall, and He weeps. He returns home and repeats the encounter to His mother. She tells Him He is the Christ, King of them all, and urges Him to go back and dip those sinful souls deep in hell. He refuses, saying too many sinful souls still cry out for His help. The angel Gabriel then declares Him, though a maiden's Child, the King of them all.
By L. Edna Walter · First published 28 · Genre: Religious Poetry, Ballad, Christian Literature · 605 words
First lines
1. As it fell out one May morning, / On a bright holiday, / Sweet Jesus ask'd His mother dear, / If He might go to play. / "To play, to play, sweet Jesus go. / And to play now get you gone, / And let me hear of no complaints, / At night when you come home."
2. Sweet Jesus went down to yonder town, / As far as the Holy Well, / And there did see as fine children / As any tongue can tell. / He said, "God bless you ev'ry one, / May Christ your portion be: / Little children, shall I play with you? / And you shall play with Me."
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Genres
- Religious Poetry — The work is fundamentally a narrative poem centered on Jesus Christ, biblical narrative, and explicit Christian theology exploring themes of divinity, rejection, and spiritual truth.
- Ballad — The work employs traditional ballad form with consistent rhyming stanzas, narrative progression, folk-song structure, and the characteristic voice of medieval English verse narrative.
- Christian Literature — The content explicitly features Jesus, Mary, and Angel Gabriel in a narrative designed to illustrate Christian spiritual principles, divine nature, and theological doctrine.
- Narrative Poetry — The work presents a complete story arc told in verse with character development, conflict, emotional climax, and resolution through poetic language and structure.
Tags
Christmas carol · Jesus · Virgin Mary · Children's literature · Religious poetry · Narrative verse · Folk tradition · Mercy · Compassion · Rejection · Social class · Humility
What this Textopian page supports
The Holy Well is listed on Textopian as a poem by L. Edna Walter, dated 28 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: L. Edna Walter
- Date: 28 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Religious Poetry, Ballad, Christian Literature, Narrative Poetry, Folk Poetry
- Length: 605 words
- Structure: 1 section, 7 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Holy Well by L. Edna Walter
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
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