This carol celebrates
the new dawn of Christ’s coming and culminates in a hymn
of praise from the creatures of the Pacific ocean. There is
a distinctive Pacific sound to the refrain. It repeats the
names of Christ in Mäori (Karaiti), Tongan and Samoan
(Kalaisi), Samoan, Rarotongan and Tahitian (Iesu Mesia) and
Marshallese (Kraist). The cumulative effect is like waves
crashing on a beach, much like Pacific island congregational
singing which can be astringent and bracing, sometimes spine-tingling
and scary.
The music is
bright and rhythmic. In keeping with indigenous Pacific
music, but seldom heard in those Pacific Island churches
which tend to sing traditional Victorian hymns, this carol
is strongly rhythmic and makes use of bongo drums and congas. In the
verse, syncopation helps to create a feeling of expectancy.
The refrain ends with a hemiola, which is repeated as a
link to the next verse.
The first verse
starts like most carols with the Middle eastern context
into which Christ was born. Whether Jesus was born in Bethlehem
or Nazareth, many people were caught up in the wonder of his
birth. Celebrated in many different times and places throughout
the world, Jesus’ birth can sensitise us to the wonder
of God palpable in all births. This is especially so for
women who are ‘with child’ during this festive
season.
Verse 2 reflects
the special significance for Pacific peoples of scriptures
from the Psalms and prophets read during Advent about God’s
salvation for the ‘ends of the earth’. In the
New Testament, the new covenant offered in Christ shows
us God’s loving for all humankind (verse 3).
Christ’s
promised reign is still eagerly awaited by coastlands in
the Pacific and elsewhere (verse 4). The praises of angels
and Pacific peoples circle the earth, reversing the 19thC
missionary direction from England and Europe to the Pacific.
The last verse
is a psalm. The sea and all the creatures in it, from the
smallest to the largest, excitedly anticipate the new day.
They sense, before most human beings, that this dawn is
unlike any other. They lead the singers in celebration,
as in Isaiah 42.10-12.
©
Jane Simpson (2002)
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