I.
Waes-hael for knight and dame!
O! merry be their dole;
Drink-hael! in Jesu’s name
We fill the tawny bowl;
But cover down the curving crest,
Mould of the orient lady’s breast.
II.
Waes-hael! yet lift no lid:
Drain ye the reeds for wine!
Drink-hael! the milk was hid
That soothed that Babe divine;
Hushed, as this hollow channel flows,
He drew the balsam from the rose.
III.
Waes-hael! thus glowed the breast
Where a God yearned to cling;
Drink-hael! so Jesu pressed
Life from its mystic spring;
Then hush, and bend in reverent sign,
And breathe the thrilling reeds for wine.
IV.
Waes-hael! in shadowy scene,
Lo! Christmas children we;
Drink-hael! behold we lean
At a far Mother’s knee;
To dream, that thus her bosom smiled,
And learn the lip of Bethlehem’s Child.
