The Gospel According to Matthew
Chapter 2, verses 16 - 18
"Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all the region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
"A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled,
because they were no more."
Dating from the 16th Century, Coventry Carol provides the perfect counterpoint to the happy, frivolous music that saturates this season.
It also allows us to see a oft-overlooked picture of what happened while baby Jesus was asleep at peace in his manger:
Herod, the king, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day
His men of might, in his own sight,
All children young to slay.
And, more than just recounting a past horror, this song gently nudges us to consider the holy innocents lost to senseless tragedy even today, among our parties and merrymaking and hallow calls for Peace On Earth.
This is a haunting, complex and very, very cool holiday song. And those are very, very few indeed.
