Wexford Carol
# Wexford Carol

La Wexford Carol, chiamata in irlandese Carúl Loch Garman e conosciuta anche come The Enniscorthy Carol (dalla cittadina di Enniscorthy, dove avrebbe avuto origine) o come Good people all this Christmas time (dalle parole del primo verso), è una tradizionale carola natalizia irlandese, popolare nella contea del Wexford (Irlanda sud-orientale) e le cui origini risalgono probabilmente al XII secolo.

## Ipotesi sulle origini

Il canto, il cui autore è rimasto anonimo, dovrebbe aver avuto origine nell'area attorno alla cittadina di Enniscorthy. Tuttavia, alcuni musicologi sostengono che il canto sarebbe di origine inglese e che, in particolare, sarebbe da ricondurre alla ballata All You That Are to Mirth Inclin'd .

## Testo

Il testo, che si compone di 5 strofe, di 8 versi ciascuna, si apre con un invito ai fedeli a riflettere su ciò che Gesù ha fatto per l'umanità e cita, quindi, gli eventi relativi alla Natività:

    Good people all, this Christmas time,
    Consider well and bear in mind
    What our good God for us has done
    In sending his beloved son
    With Mary holy we should pray,
    To God with love this Christmas Day
    In Bethlehem upon that morn,
    There was a blessed Messiah born
    The night before that happy tide
    The noble Virgin and her guide
    Were long time seeking up and down
    To find a lodging in the town
    But mark right well what came to pass
    From every door repelled, alas
    As was foretold, their refuge all
    Was but a humble ox's stall
    Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
    Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep
    To whom God's angel did appear
    Which put the shepherds in great fear
    Arise and go, the angels said
    To Bethlehem, be not afraid
    For there you'll find, this happy morn
    A princely babe, sweet Jesus, born
    With thankful heart and joyful mind
    The shepherds went the babe to find
    And as God's angel had foretold
    They did our Saviour Christ behold
    Within a manger he was laid
    And by his side a virgin maid
    Attending on the Lord of Life
    Who came on earth to end all strife
    There were three wise men from afar
    Directed by a glorious star
    And on they wandered night and day
    Until they came where Jesus lay
    And when they came unto that place
    Where our beloved Messiah lay
    They humbly cast them at his feet
    With gifts of gold and incense sweet.

## Versioni discografiche

Il brano è stato inciso, tra gli altri, da: Julie Andrews (1966), Anúna (2002), Moya Brennan, Cambridge Clare College Choir, Celtic Woman (nell'album Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration del 2006), The Chieftains, Michael McDonald, Loreena McKennitt (nell'album To Drive the Cold Winter Away del 1987), ecc.

