What is it about the Stag and Yule? Three traditional Midwinter's carols about stags from all over Europe, as charming as they are mysterious.
Nine-Tined Stag
Nine-tined stag a-running came
(Kalado, nine-tined stag)
came and into water gazed,
gazed and counted tines.
—Nine fine tines upon my brow,
a little twig makes ten.
On that twig, smiths hammering:
hammer, smiths, and forge!
Forge for me, my brother smiths
a little golden cup:
a golden cup for water
to sprinkle the green, green rue.
Latvian
Kalado: Traditional refrain of Midwinter carols
Boy Stag of Wonder
Boy stag of wonder
(horns of a thousand
branches and tines
a thousand bright candles)
bears in his antlers
the light of the sun
on his brow a star
on his breast the moon
courses the banks of the shining
heavenly Danube
blue stag, bearer of news
what news?
Hungarian
Carol of the Stag
A stag stood singing in the forest
tra-la-lay, O come
Hunters heard and went to find him
tra-la-lay, O come
High on a mountain they found him singing
tra-la-lay, O come
Spare my life, O do not kill me
tra-la-lay, O come
I am never the night of nights
tra-la-lay, O come
I am chief to every shepherd
tra-la-lay, O come
Chief to ewes on every mountain
tra-la-lay, o come
Every single white-capped mountain
tra-la-lay, O come
Cintecul Cerbului, “Song of the Stag”
Romanian
Translated by Steven Posch © 2010