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In the last quarter of 1824, Ernst Anschütz (1780-1861) published the "Musikalisches Schulgesangbuch". It contains the carol "O Tannenbaum", which he had written himself. The song has become a carol that is sung all over the world and has established predecessors and curious successors.

Its author is much less known than the song itself. Ernst Anschütz was born in 1780 in the mountain village of Goldlauter near Suhl. His father was a local vicar and wanted Ernst to succeed him one day. Although he studied theology, philosophy and pedagogy in Leipzig, he decided not to accept the pastorate of Goldlauter which had been reserved for him for two years after his father's death. He remained in Leipzig to work as a teacher at the Erste Bürgerschule, organist and cantor at the Neue Kirche and as a private teacher of singing, piano, viola, violin, cello and clarinet. However, his salary was so poor that he struggled to support his wife and seven children. Nevertheless, he was a respected man in Leipzig.

"The fir tree" and much more

However, he left no public trace there. Neither the First Citizens' School, nor the New Church, nor his grave have survived the passage of time. However, the city archives have preserved photographs of Anschütz and the manuscripts of some of his best-known songs. These include "Der Tannebaum," written in October 1824 and known today as "O Tannenbaum." He also wrote the lyrics to "Fox, you stole the goose" in June 1824. "The Mill Vibrates by the Stream" followed in April 1835, and you can ask to see these pieces.

The same is true of the copy of his unpublished eight-page autobiography preserved in the City History Museum. In it he speaks at length of his "Musical School Hymnal," published in four volumes from 1824 to 1830 by Carl Ernst Reclam. It contains mainly songs of praise to the Lord, along with joyful hunting, hiking and children's songs, but also repeated laments for the rapid passage of time.

In the hymnal, the pieces composed or endowed with lyrics by Anschütz are accompanied by songs and melodies by other composers, such as Luther, Bach, Klopstock or Mozart. Anschütz writes: "If I calculate all the costs involved, I have gained little or nothing from this work. That this work was not without value is shown by the fact that strangers and friends stole from me and lined their notebooks and exercise books with my works. But it has always been my lot in life that where I sowed, others reaped; where I planted, others plucked the fruit."

Christmas instead of love sorrows

But Anschütz also drew inspiration from other composers and lyricists. The immediate predecessor of his Christmas Tree Song comes from Joachim August Zarnack. In 1820, he published a collection of songs containing the tragic love song "O Tannenbaum". Anschütz largely adopted its first stanza. He turned Zarnack's "You are green not only in summer, but also in winter, when it ices and snows" into "You are green not only in summer, but also in winter, when it snows." For Zarnack, the evergreen fir tree symbolizes eternal love. In contrast, the other three verses of his song lament infidelity: "O girl, O girl, how false is your disposition." Anschütz, on the other hand, strikes a consoling note by singing of a hopeful Christmas instead of the sadness of love: "How often a tree of yours has not delighted me at Christmas." The last verse reads, "O fir tree, your dress will teach me something: hope and constancy give strength and comfort at all times."

Like Zarnack, Anschütz adapted his Christmas Tree Song to the melody of the song "Long Live the Carpenter's Mate", which first appeared in print in 1799. Numerous texts are sung to this tune, with or without direct reference to Anschütz. For example, the hymn "Red Flag" of the British Labour Party or the hymn of Maryland and other US states. During World War I, there was the version "O Hindenburg, O Hindenburg, how beautiful are thy victories". After the defeat and abdication of Wilhelm II, the mocking song "O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, the emperor has cut in burlap" emerged.

A noble branch

The song of the evergreen fir tree has a long tradition. Zarnack took it from a nursery rhyme published by Clemens Brentano in the third volume of the song collection "The child's magic horn" (1808): "O fir tree, O fir tree, you are for me a noble branch, you are so faithful, hard to believe, green in summer as well as in winter". Brentano, in turn, was inspired by an old Silesian folk song, which says: "O fir, O fir, thou art a noble branch. You grow in winter as in summer." The Coburg court composer Melchior Franck (1579-1639) then wrote: "O fir, O fir, thou art a noble branch! You green our winter, our dear summer." Apart from the opening words "O fir tree", this version corresponds to a verse from the 16th century love song "A stable boy hangs his bridle high up on a Christmas tree".

On the initiative of Goldlauter-Heidersbach district mayor Matthias Gering and his fellow campaigners, Deutsche Post issues the special stamp "200 years of the carol O Tannenbaum" in December. Unfortunately, the promoters were unable to include Ernst Anschütz's name on the stamp. Thus, public tribute to Anschütz remains a unique feature of his hometown. In front of the vicarage where he was born is a memorial stone. Its metal relief lists Anschütz's most famous songs and presents us with his portrait. The model was the portrait Willibald Ryno Anschütz painted of his father around 1830. The song trail created in Anschütz's honor also ends at the vicarage and runs four kilometers uphill and downhill around Goldlauter, located on the southern slopes of the Thuringian Forest, with six stations that invite you to sing along.

The lyrics of the songs are written on boards. The corresponding melody can be consulted via an app. The station in front of the vicarage encourages you to sing "O Tannenbaum".

This is a translation of an article that first appeared on the website Die-Tagespost. For the original article in German, see here . Republished in Omnes with permission.

RelatedThe best carols for the holidaysNine poems to pray by the Nativity SceneThe city of Bethlehem: history and archaeology

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Long before Abraham arrived in the Holy Land, Canaanite peoples were already living there with small cities built and fortified with walls. This is the case, among others, of Bethlehem, whose origins date back to about 3000 BC. It is a city located on a hill almost 800 m above the level of the Mediterranean Sea. In reality, its original name is not "Bethlehem" as its transliterated Hebrew version conveys it. Lahmo is the Chaldean god of fertility, called by the Canaanites "Lahama", and to him they dedicated the city, considering the fertile fields that cover it. There are indications that those first inhabitants built a temple to that god on the same hill where the Basilica of the Nativity is located today. In 1969 Shmarya Gutman and Ariel Berman identified the Canaanite city on the same hill, but the excavation has not been carried out. And about two kilometers southeast of Bethlehem, Lorenzo Nigro's team discovered a necropolis of the same period.^[1].

Bethlehem of Judah

Although only 8 km from Jerusalem, the city of Bethlehem was never among the most populated of the kingdom of Judah, which lasted from 928 to 586 BC. The earliest recorded extra-biblical mention of Bethlehem today is in a letter found at the archaeological site of Amarna, Egypt, from the 14th century BC. In this document Abdi-Heba, the Egyptian governor of Jerusalem at the time, asked Pharaoh Amenhotep III to send him archers so that he could recapture the city of "Bit-Lahmi," where the Hafiru had revolted.^[2].

However, its reference in the Bible is more abundant. The first is in Gen 35:16-19, when it is narrated that Jacob and his family were passing through there after leaving Bethel. In this passage the city Ephratah is first mentioned, and then it is mentioned again, but with the clarification "i.e. Bethlehem". Also the prophet Micah called it "Bethlehem Ephrathah" (cf. Mic 5:1). The point is that "ephrata", in Hebrew, indicates the fertility of the land, which had already given the name to this city in Canaanite times, although referring to the god of fertility, and not to fertility directly. What the Hebrews did was to substitute the name of the god of fertility for a Hebrew word with a phonetic similar to the aforementioned "lahama", such as "lehem" (bread, which somehow also alludes to the wheat and barley plantations of the city), and to add a kind of surname that translated the substituted word. From there came the "ephratah". In addition, in Jos 19:15 a Bethlehem is mentioned, attributed to the inheritance of Zebulun, located therefore to the south of Galilee.^[3]. However, "efrata" could also be used to disambiguate them.

Due to the little importance of this other Bethlehem, with the passage of time the one in Judah became famous, making the surname "Ephratah" dispensable. This is implied by the inscription "Bethlehem" on a seal from the 8th-7th centuries BC found in 2012 by the archaeologist Eli Shukron, of the Israel Antiquities Authorityon the outskirts of the Old City of Jerusalem.^[4]. Apparently it was an administrative or fiscal document sent from the capital.

Continuing with the question of the fertility of the region, a fundamental factor for there to be life, Francisco Varo explains that "the city was located on a hill, and at its foot were the wheat and barley fields, as well as olive groves and vineyards. Economically it was of some importance, being a market for small livestock, since the shepherds of sheep and goats, who roam with their flocks the neighboring desert of Judah, used to camp on the outskirts of the town."^[5].

In the same line, the book of Ruth refers that "Boaz came from Bethlehem" (Ruth 2:4) and that he was the owner of cultivated land, in which, by the way, Ruth herself worked when she met him. And 2Sm 23:16 speaks of a "well that is by the gate of Bethlehem", from which those who went with David gave him to drink and he refused, even after saying: "Who would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate? About that, Gonzalez Echegaray says that "lacking fountains in its enclosure, Bethlehem was supplied with rainwater contained in fresh cisterns dug in the rock, already famous since ancient times."^[6]. According to Cabello, "it seems that the Roman aqueduct that passed through the city made it improve its situation a little as there were no water sources in its precincts. Being a city of passage to the fortresses of Herodion and Masada in the time of Herod the Great and controlling the main route connecting Jerusalem with Hebron also gave it some life."^[7]. These last two cities were about 30 km apart, and it was very convenient to make a stop almost halfway in Bethlehem to replenish energy and rest a little.

Its historical importance for the Jews, in fact, comes precisely from the great-grandson of Boaz and Ruth, David, who was born there and was to reign over Judah and Israel from 1013 to 966 BC, when the monarchy was still unified, according to the biblical account of the First and Second Books of Samuel and the First Book of Kings. For Christians, on the other hand, it is also added that the birth of Jesus also took place there, according to the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Below we will analyze the relationship between the two most central biblical characters of each Testament.^[8] with the city of Bethlehem.

Bethlehem of David

In Judg 17:7, when the sacred author says "Bethlehem of Judah", he is referring to the region rather than to the tribe. In fact, the tribe of Judah had occupied a large part of what later became the southern kingdom, that is, from near Bethlehem to Kadesh-Barnea, in the Negev desert, excluding the vicinity of Beersheba, inhabited by the tribe of Simeon. As great cities of Judah, Hebron, in the mountainous region, and Lachish, in the plain of the Sephelah, stood out. 

Another factor that made Bethlehem a relevant city is that the tomb of Rachel, the matriarch, wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin, and the third holiest place in Judaism, is venerated there.^[9]. At the birth of her second son, she happened to be in Bethlehem, and there she died (cf. Gen 35:16-19). 

But by far the Jewish personage who made Bethlehem most famous was David. That is where his family comes from (cf. 1 Sam 17:12-15) and that is also where he was anointed by the prophet Samuel. From that time on, the young shepherd boy put himself at the service of Saul, the now aged king of Israel, and played lyre for him when the latter was feeling unwell, which calmed him down. After David's victory over Goliath, in a context in which Saul no longer enjoyed such prestige among the people, David became the king's son-in-law and a great friend of Jonathan, Saul's son. In short, after pursuing David, Saul commits suicide when he is wounded in a battle against the Philistines. Some divisions arise over the possible successor, but David gains the confidence of the chiefs and is appointed king in Hebron. He then chooses as a neutral city to be the capital of the kingdom the one called Jebus, that is, the city of the Jebusites, which corresponds to part of what would become Jerusalem. And there he reigned for decades. 

An interesting episode is that later Bethlehem was besieged by the Philistines, when King David was there (cf. 2Sm 23:14). González Echegaray adds that "it seems that in the high eastern part of the city [of Bethlehem], where today the basilica of the Nativity is located, the memories of David's family were still preserved, and probably there lived some who considered themselves his descendants" (cf. 2Sm 23:14).^[10]. David died and is buried in the ancient Jebusite area of Jerusalem, today called the "City of David".

He was succeeded by his son Solomon, who reigned from 965 to 928 BC. At the end of his reign, his sons were divided, as was the kingdom. In Jerusalem, Gibeon and Jericho, very close north of Bethlehem, lived the tribe of Benjamin, whereupon the tribes of Judah and Benjamin were summoned by Rehoboam after the death of his father Solomon (cf. 2Chr 11:1-12). The tribe of Simeon, in turn, with the passage of time dwindled until it was assimilated into the tribe of Judah. Thus Rehoboam unified the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and became king of Judah, with his capital in Jerusalem, while the general Jeroboam became king of Israel, with his capital in Samaria, ruling over the territory of the other Israelite tribes.

Apart from the ancient Canaanite walls, the Bethlehemite city was fortified and walled by Rehoboam, David's grandson (cf. 2Chr 11:5-12). In this context, the most prominent cities were Jerusalem, Lachish and Beersheba, the latter in the desert area further south of Hebron. "The city [of Bethlehem] had been repopulated on the return from the Babylonian exile with exiles native to the place (cf. Esd 2:21; Neh 7:26), and one of its sources of income must have been trade in sheep, which grazed, as they do today, in the vicinity of the adjoining desert of Judah (Lk 2:8,15; 1Sm 16:11,19; 17:15,34-35)"^[11].

Although already quoted above for another purpose, historically it is at this time that the prophet Micah, who lived in the 8th-7th centuries BC, is situated. In Mk 5:1 we read: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though so small among the clans of Judah, out of you shall come forth to me one who is to be ruler in Israel; his origins are very ancient, from days of old". Made centuries after David, this prophecy is interpreted as messianic, and applies to Jesus.

Bethlehem of Jesus

Numerous studies were made on the relationship between the city of Bethlehem and Jesus, which allowed a greater precision in the data, in comparison with David and all the previous characters. From the precise date and the concrete site of his birth within the city, to the reason why Mary and Joseph were there. In this section we will also talk about the Basilica of the Nativity which is located in the elevated part of the Bethlehemite city.

Although the Gospels of Mark and John do not say that Mary gave birth in Bethlehem, neither do they say otherwise, nor do they place this event in another locality. Therefore, no further disputes arise on this matter. However, the Matthean and Lucan Gospels, when locating the birth of Jesus in that city, do it in the context of a census, and on this there are divergences.

The first Gospel simply says: "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judah in the time of King Herod" (Mt 2:1), and a little further on quotes the well-known prophecy of Micah. On the other hand, Luke contextualizes more the journey of the Holy Family to the city of David: "In those days an edict was promulgated by Caesar Augustus that everyone should be registered. This first census was made when Quirinus was governor of Syria. Everyone went to register, each to his own city. Joseph, being of the house and family of David, went up from Nazareth, a city of Galilee, to the city of David called Bethlehem in Judea, to register with Mary his wife, who was with child" (Lk 2:1-4). Since the birth of Jesus took place between the years 6 and 4 BC, and the census of Quirinus took place ten or twelve years later, it seems that the information does not add up.^[12].

Citing Pierre Benoit's study, González Echegaray summarizes it as follows: "The census referred to in the Gospel is due, in effect, as it says, to a general attempt to census the population of the empire, at least in its eastern zone, in accordance with the dispositions of the emperor Augustus. It also included the associated states, such as the kingdom of Herod. It must have begun around 7 BC, Saturninus being governor of Syria, and then continued under the government of Varus at the end of the reign of Herod, to conclude in the time of P. Sulpicius Quirinus (year 6 AD) with the change of administration (...). This census therefore bore in Judea the name of Quirinius, and so the Gospel cites it, although in fact it had begun earlier, even some years before the birth of Jesus."^[13].

The same author clarifies why the trip to the place of origin of each family was necessary: "The fact that the Gospel of Luke points it out as the reason for the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem implies, in effect, that it was a census prior to the one directly related to the tributum capitisThe census was not a census, since it affected the inhabitants of Judea and Galilee equally. Moreover, one might think that in some way it was also related to the cadastral situation, since it would not be necessary to go to the 'place of origin' to register only for a census of an individual character, if it were not linked to the problem of identifying family properties in the countryside".

In turn, Murphy-O'Connor does not hesitate to affirm that "Mary and Joseph were natives of Bethlehem, and only went to Nazareth because of the atmosphere of insecurity generated by the Herodian dynasty (cf. Mt 2). Their long residence in Galilee gave Luke the impression that they had always lived there, and so he had to find a reason to place them in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus' birth (cf. Lk 2:1-7). He mistakenly invoked the census of Quirinus, but this took place on 6 AD."^[14]. On the other hand, another author mentions a certain plan of Judaization of Galilee, which Joseph and many other Jews would have been part of, and that is why he went there with his family.^[15]. In any case, for the moment we can only keep the question open, given the limited information available.

Moreover, according to the Lucan account, the birth of Jesus took place in a stable (cf. Lk 2:6-7): "And when they were there [in Bethlehem], the time came for her [Mary] to give birth, and she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the room". The study of the terms used by the evangelist leads us to understand that the birth took place not in an inn, but in a house built in a cave in a mountain.^[16]. Perhaps the house in question or part of it served as a stable, since a manger was located in it. According to Pfeiffer^[17]The tradition that Jesus was born in a cave in Bethlehem dates from the second century, i.e., it is not properly from the apostolic period. But Murphy-O'Connor, in turn, picks up on the fact that "pre-Constantinian pottery and masonry suggest that these caves [the cave traditionally thought to be the one in which Jesus was born and other caves further north] were in use in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD."^[18]. In this sense, the thesis that it was a conventional house built in front of a cave, and not an inn, is plausible. The fact that the birth took place in the portion dedicated to the animals may have been to preserve the intimacy of the family moment, because it is possible that they were not alone in that house.

Finally, as a curious fact, in spite of Jesus having been in so many cities during his public life, among them many near Jerusalem, there is no record that he visited Bethlehem as an adult. Perhaps that is why Mary's son is not known as "Jesus of Bethlehem", but as "Jesus of Nazareth", notwithstanding the convenient link with King David that this would entail.^[19].

However, upon arriving in Bethlehem, the visitor will find the Basilica of the Nativity. If in Roman times the cave where Jesus was originally born and its surroundings had been covered by a "sacred wood" of Adonis, in 325 AD the emperor Constantine had a basilica built on the site of the Nativity.^[20]. According to Eutychius of Alexandria (9th-10th centuries), after the Samaritan revolt of 529 AD, "the Emperor Justinian ordered his envoy to demolish the church of Bethlehem, which was small, and to build another with such splendor, size and beauty that no other church in the Holy City could surpass it".^[21]. In fact, in 1934 archaeologists William Harvey, Ernest Tatham Richmond, Hugues Vincent and Robert William Hamilton confirmed that the building dates back to the time of Justinian, and were able to reconstruct the floor plan of the Constantinian basilica, which was located on the same site as the current one.^[22]. The Justinian work was completed in 565 AD, and the present basilica of the Nativity is essentially the structure built by Justinian with some minor maintenance alterations or non-structural additions.

^[1] Cf. Pedro Cabello, Biblical archeology. Córdoba: Almuzara, 2019, p. 494.

^[2] Cf. Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, The Holy Land. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007, p. 229.

^[3] Adrian Curtis, Oxford Bible Atlas. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007, p. 132.

^[4] Hair, op. cit., p. 494.

^[5] Francisco Varo in: The Bible in your environment. Estella: Verbo Divino, 2013, p. 48.

^[6] Joaquín González Echegaray, Archaeology and gospels. Estella: Verbo Divino, 1994, p. 99.

^[7] Hair, op. cit., p. 494.

^[8] This is the opinion of John Bergsma in the book The Bible step by step (Madrid: Rialp, 2019), that David is the central character of the entire Old Testament, since Jesus is better known as the son of David than as the son of Abraham or the son of Moses, for example. And obviously Jesus is the central character of the New Testament.

^[9] Hair, op. cit., p. 494.

^[10] González Echegaray, op. cit., p. 100.

^[11] González Echegaray, op. cit., p. 99.

^[12] González Echegaray, op. cit., p. 70.

^[13] González Echegaray, op. cit., p. 70.

^[14] Murphy-O'Connor, op. cit.p. 230 (my translation).

^[15] González Echegaray, op. cit., p. 40.

^[16] González Echegaray, op. cit.., p. 100.

^[17] Charles Pfeiffer, Biblical-archeological dictionary. El Paso: Mundo Hispano, 2002, p. 68.

^[18] Murphy-O'Connor, op. cit.., p. 237.

^[19] Curtis, op. cit.., p. 149.

^[20] Pfeiffer, op. cit.., p. 68.

^[21] In Murphy-O'Connor, op. cit., p. 233.

^[22] Hair, op. cit., p. 494.

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Who has entered the Bethlehem portal?

Gerardo Diego

Who has entered the portal,
in the Bethlehem portal?
Who came through the door?
who has entered, who?

The night, the cold, the frost
and the sword of a star.
A male -florid rod-
and a maiden.

Who has entered the portal
by the open and broken ceiling?
Who has entered that sounds like this
celestial uproar?

A scale of gold and music,
sharps and flats
and angels with tambourines
dorremifasoles.

Who has entered the portal,
in the portal of Bethlehem,
not for the door and the roof
nor the air of the air, who?

Flower on bud impact,
dew on the flower.
Nobody knows how it came
my Child, my love...

St. Joseph's Lullaby

Lope de Vega

Joseph: Sleep, and I will watch over you.
the dream, and I will sing to you
a thousand songs, as it comes
the one whose soul is inside your soul,
to give you milk from the breast.

My Child, how do you find yourselves
With me, do you not answer: "
well you can, if you want,
that tongue to the stones you give.
Hey, my eyes, don't you speak?

Look, I am listening.

The straws of the manger

Lope de Vega

The straws of the manger
child of Bethlehem
today are flowers and roses,
tomorrow they will be gall.

You cry between straws,
of the cold you have,
my beautiful child,
and from the heat as well.

Sleep, holy Lamb;
my life, do not cry;
if the wolf hears you,
will come for you, my good.

Sleep between straws
that, although cold, you see them,
today are flowers and roses,
tomorrow they will be gall.

Those that to keep you warm
so soft they look so soft today,
tomorrow will be thorns
in a cruel crown.

But I don't want to tell you,
although you know it,
words of regret
on days of pleasure;

that even though such large debts
in straws you charge them,
today are flowers and roses,
tomorrow they will be gall.

Leave in tender weeping,
divine Emmanüel;
that pearls between straws
are lost for no reason.

Do not think your Mother
that already Jerusalem
prevent your pain
and weeps with José;

that even if they are not straws
crown for king,
today are flowers and roses,
tomorrow they will be gall.

Juan Ruiz, Archpriest of Hita

Santa Maria,
daylight,
be my guide
yet.

Give me grace and blessing,
of Jesus consolation,
so that with devotion
I can sing your joy.

You had seven joys:
one when you received
salutation
of the Angel; when you heard it
you, Mary, conceived
God-Salvation.

The second was fulfilled
when he was born of you
without pain,
of the angels served;
and was later known
by Salvador.

And it was your third joy
when the star appeared
to demonstrate
the true path;
to the King and Queen
was in guiding.

Lope de Vega

What have I that you seek my friendship?
What interest follows you, my Jesus,
that at my door covered with dew
do you spend the winter nights in the dark?
Oh how hard my insides were
I wouldn't open you up! What a strange ranting
if from my ingratitude the cold ice
dried the sores of your pure plants!
How many times the Angel said to me:
"Alma, lean out of the window now,
you will see with how much love to call porphyria!"
And how many, sovereign beauty,
"Tomorrow we will open it for you," he replied,
for the same answer tomorrow!

Why do you come, child?

Alejandro Domingo

Why do you come, child?
why you have come,
to this cold land;
waste of life.

You want our arms
to keep you warm,
and my heart;
waste of love.

Come then, since you want to,
since you are so eager for our company,
to this poor house that is so empty,
that awaits you so much and sighs so much

Give him his owner, his light and his life,
that without your warmth, it is impossible to be.
Stay with me, don't leave me now.
And I, like Joseph and without making noise
with much affection I want to take care of you.

Ruben Dario

-I am Gaspar. Here I bring the incense.
I come to say: Life is pure and beautiful.
There is a God. Love is immense.
I know everything by the divine Star!

-I am Melchior. My myrrh scents everything.
There is God. He is the light of day.
The white flower has its feet in mud.
And in pleasure there is melancholy!

-I am Balthazar. I bring the gold. I assure
He is the great and strong.
I know everything by the pure star
that shines in the diadem of Death.

-Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar, be quiet.
Love triumphs, and invites you to its feast.
Christ rises, makes light out of chaos
and has the crown of Life.

Enlarge the door, Father

Miguel de Unamuno

Enlarge the door, Father
because I can't get through;
you made it for the children.
I have grown up, to my regret.

If you don't enlarge the door,
for pity's sake,
bring me back to blessed age
in which to live is to dream.

I have just seen 

Lope de Vega

I have just come from watching, Anton,
a child of such poverty,
I gave him for diapers
the fabrics of the heart.

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