Back to: The Twelve Days of Christmas Carols
1 We three kings of Orient are;
bearing gifts we traverse afar,
field and fountain, moor and mountain,
following yonder star.
Refrain:
O star of wonder, star of light,
star with royal beauty bright,
westward leading, still proceeding,
guide us to thy perfect light.
2 Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain,
gold I bring to crown him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
over us all to reign. [Refrain]
3 Frankincense to offer have I;
incense owns a Deity nigh;
prayer and praising, voices raising,
worshiping God on high. [Refrain]
4 Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume
breathes a life of gathering gloom;
sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
sealed in the stone-cold tomb. [Refrain]
5 Glorious now behold him arise;
King and God and sacrifice:
Alleluia, Alleluia,
sounds through the earth and skies. [Refrain]
The carol tells the story of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection – and the melody alternates between regal, minor-sounding verses, in which the Three Wise Men announce what gifts they’re presenting to the son of God, and a major chorus joyfully proclaiming the beauty of the star guiding their way to the manger.
Hopkins organized the carol in such a way that three male voices would each sing a single verse by himself to correspond with the three kings. The first and last verses of the carol are sung together by all three as “verses of praise”, while the intermediate verses are sung individually with each king describing the gift he was bringing. The refrain proceeds to praise the beauty of the star of Bethlehem
The opening stanza is about the journey of the Magi to Bethlehem. The middle three stanzas explain a meaning for each of the three gifts. Gold signified royalty, and frankincense, deity. Myrrh foretold that the Christ child was born to die. The last stanza summarizes the song, calling Jesus the “King and God and Sacrifice,” and ending in a peal of alleluias.
Though the first verse contains only four short lines, they speak of a trip that was long and difficult: “bearing gifts we traverse afar.” The chorus, with its powerful view of a “star of wonder, star of light” guiding the wise men onward, provided the inspiration the men needed to not give up during the arduous and perilous journey.
The second verse begins the tale of a “king forever ceasing never” born in Bethlehem. Hopkins’s wise men realized that his king has not been born to rule a short time but for eternity. The composer, therefore, reveals that the three men were as wise as they were strong and courageous.
In the last part of the second verse and the following two stanzas, the gifts presented by the wise men are fully covered. Each gift is identified and the meaning of the gift is told with almost biblical eloquence. The gold is the crown that the king would forever wear. The frankincense is there to help worship the Son of God. The myrrh is the bitter perfume that would mask death but then blossom forth in a life unending.
In the song’s final verse, Hopkins assures the youngest members of his family that the three wise kings knew that the Christ child would die for our sins and then be born again. In the last stanza, the writer reveals that to these three kings the journey was truly divine, worth every effort, and the most glorious moment of their lives. It not only defined their lives and purpose, but it also made them an important part of the most amazing story ever told.