Preparations
The Oxford Book of English Verse
Anonymous, 16th century
Yet if His Majesty, our sovereign lord,
Should of his own accord,
Friendly himself invite
And say, “I’ll be your guest tomorrow night,”
How should we stir ourselves, call and command
All hands to work! “let no man idle stand!
Set me fine Spanish tables in the hall;
See they be fitted all;
Let there be room to eat
And order taken that there lack no meat.
See ev’ry sconce and candlestick made bright
That of themselves they may give a light.
Look to the Presence: are the carpets spread,
The dazie o’er the head,
The cushions on the chairs
And all the candles lighted on the stairs?
Perfume the chambers, and in any case
Let each man give attendance in his place!”
Thus, if the king were coming, we would do;
And ‘twere good reason too;
For ‘tis a duteous thing
To show all honour to an earthly king
And after all our travail and our cost,
So he be pleased, to think no labour lost.
But at the coming of the King of Heaven
All’s at six and seven;
We wallow in our sin,
Christ cannot find a chamber at the inn.
We entertain Him always as a stranger,
And, as at first, still lodge Him in the manger.
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