“The Flower Carol (Spring Has Now Unwrapped the Flowers)”
Description
"Spring has now unwrapped the flowers, Day is fast reviving, Light in all her growing powers Towards the light is striving." Hearers are urged to praise God, who brings flowers to life in the spring -- and also resurrects humanity
Notes
Properly this does not belong in the Index at all, since it is not folk song. Its inclusion is based on a curious mistake by Jean Ritchie. She and her family grew up singing "Good King Wenceslas," presumably for its tune. She wanted to include it in her songbook. But she had read the critique of J. M. Neale's "Wenceslas" text (see the notes to that song; I for one would consider them dead-on). So, instead of including "Wenceslas" in her book, which at least had the virtue of being traditional in her family, she included this text from the _Oxford Book_.
The irony is that the "Spring Has Now Unwrapped the Flowers" is no more original than "Good King Wenceslas" (since it's a translation), and it's also quite feeble -- and, apparently, it is even more recent than Wenceslas!
Just like "Good King Wenceslas," however, the tune (one of many great tunes from the Piae Cantiones) has carried "The Flower Carol" far: checking my small collection of pre-1960 hymnals, none contain it, but it seems to be, um, popping up in many newer hymnals. - RBW
Cross references
- cf. "Good King Wenceslas" (tune)
References
- OBC 99, "Flower Carol" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Ritchie-Southern, p. 59, "The Flower Carol" (1 text, 1 tune)
- BI, RitS059