The Wassail Song -- Part I by L. Edna Walter
Children go wassailing door to door, singing of rosemary wassail cups and barley beer, declaring themselves neighbours' children, not beggars, and asking the master and mistress by their fire to think of them wandering in the mire, wishing love, joy, and a happy New Year.
By L. Edna Walter · First published 1922 · Genre: Folk Song, Holiday/Christmas Music, Ballad · 218 words
First lines
[Music: PART I.]
1. Here we come a-wassailing / Among the leaves so green; / Here we come a-wand'ring, / So plainly to be seen. / CHORUS / Love and joy come to you, / And to you your wassail too! / And God bless you, and send you a happy New Year, / And God send you a happy New Year!
2. Our wassail cup is made / Of the rosemary tree, / And so is your beer / Of the best barley. / Love and joy, etc.
3. We are not daily beggars / That beg from door to door, / But we are neighbours' children / Whom you have seen before. / Love and joy, etc.
Similar titles
- Christmas Hymn by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- Christmas Song Of The Old Children by George Macdonald
- Christmas Day And Every Day by George Macdonald
- Music On Christmas Morning Acton Bell by Charlotte Bronte
- Christmas by Theophile Gautier
- Christmas 1880 by George Macdonald
Genres
- Folk Song — A traditional English folk song with established place in folk music heritage, featuring verse-chorus structure characteristic of folk music traditions
- Holiday/Christmas Music — Explicitly centered on the wassailing tradition performed during winter holidays and New Year, with direct references to New Year blessings
- Ballad — A narrative song in verse form telling the story of wassailers visiting homes, employing traditional ballad structure and form
- Poetry — Composed entirely in verse with consistent rhyming couplets and formal poetic structure throughout all stanzas
Tags
wassailing · Christmas carols · children's songs · New Year wishes · seasonal traditions · folk customs · poverty · charity · neighbors · blessings · wandering · winter
What this Textopian page supports
The Wassail Song -- Part I is listed on Textopian as a poem by L. Edna Walter, dated 1922 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: 1922 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Folk Song, Holiday/Christmas Music, Ballad, Poetry, Hymn
- Length: 218 words
- Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Wassail Song -- Part I by L. Edna Walter
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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