St. Wenceslaus icon by Theophilia on DeviantArt
Good King Wenceslas
Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the Feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gathering winter fuel
Hither, page, and stand by me,
If thou knowst it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?
Sire, he lives a good league hence,
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes fountain.
Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I shall see him dine
When we bear them thither.
Page and monarch, forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude winds wild lament
And the bitter weather
Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how
I can go no longer.
Mark my footsteps, good my page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shall find the winter’s rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly.
In his master’s step he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye, who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing.
King Wenceslaus was a real person who had a reputation about caring for those in his charge. Wenceslas was a 10th-century Catholic Duke of Bohemia also known as Vaclav the Good and was martyred after being assassinated by his wicked brother, Boleslaw the Bad. Wenceslas’s remains are interred in St Vitus’s Cathedral in Prague, and he was recently made patron saint of the Czech Republic. His Saint’s Day is September 28, but notice that the hymn that lauds him is about St. Stephen’s Day. Also, notice that he was not actually a King, but a Duke. One year after his martyrdom, Emperor Otto I of the Holy Roman Empire declared him raised to regal status. So, he is remembered as a king, even though he never knew that status during his life.
It is not surprising that he is remembered in association with St. Stephen’s Day, if one but thinks about it. Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr, started his career as a table-server for the widows and the poor in the early Christian fellowship. Later on, that position of servant, or diakonos, becomes a formal church position. But, the original meaning of deacon in Greek is that of a servant. In the same way, King Wenceslaus, even though he is king, goes out to serve a poor peasant. His position does not matter, only his service to the true King. Thus, a few centuries later his tale became a tale told in song and fancy on Saint Stephen’s Day. The tale of the Bohemian servant-king was told on the day of the servant-deacon. Both were martyred; both are remembered.
Catch the last line of the carol, because this is a carol with a moral. “Ye, who now will bless the poor shall yourselves find blessing.” We are reminded in the carol that both Stephen and Wenceslaus served the poor and gained an eternal blessing. So should we do this Christmas Season that is about to arrive in a few days.
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