Hark! The Herald Banjo Rings
Christmas 2011
December 17
Boar's Head Carol
Performed by Greg Barlow on banjo
Words and music: English traditional
"The Boar's Head Carol" is a macaronic carol from England. The inclusion of a boar's head at a Yuletide feast probably comes from pre-Christian Anglo-Saxon traditions. There are still places where this tradition is celebrated, most notably Queen's College, Oxford, from where this version of the carol comes.
Lyrics
The boar's head in hand bear I,
Bedecked with bays and rosemary;
And I pray you, my masters, be merry,
Quot estis in convivio:
Caput apri defero,
Reddens laudes Domino
The boar's head, as I understand,
Is the rarest dish in all this land,
Which thus bedecked with a gay garland,
Let us servire cantico:
Caput apri defero,
Reddens laudes Domino
Our steward hath provided this,
In honour of the King of bliss,
Which on this day to be served is,
In Reginensi atrio:
Caput apri defero,
Reddens laudes Domino
Sources and more information
- Oxford Book of Carols, 1964.
- Hymns and Carols of Christmas
- Wikipedia