"Mark my footsteps, good my page. Tread thou in them boldly."

"Good King Wenceslas" is a Christmas carol written by John Mason Neale. It's based on the life of Wenceslaus the First, Duke of Bohemia, who lived in the tenth century. 

Metaphorically, Wenceslas is Jesus. Like the story of Jesus, the song is a portrayal of transformation with deep insight into the inner workings of reality. Like the teachings of Jesus the song reaches down into the mythic structures of basic human experience -- the place where the demands of life are revealed to be life giving.  

The song tells the story of a king and his page who venture the winter night to bring gifts of basic comfort to a poor man. They spotted the man gathering firewood far from home on St. Stephen's Day, the day after Christmas, and along their journey to reach the man's house, the king's page is overwhelmed:

"Sire the night is darker now,

and the wind blows stronger.

Fails my heart, I know not how,

I can go no longer."

It's not a complaint. It's a simple observation of the reality of his situation, which is radically different from complaining. The words read like a prayer. The page is standing in the truth, the only place in which real prayer can happen, and the only place from which transformation is possible. His circumstances have driven him into consciousness in a way the comforts and safety of the king's castle never could. Out there, in the snowy woods, the page finds opportunity.

Here's a line-by-line translation from the song, turning poetry to prose. First, the king's reply:

"Mark my footsteps, good my page."

Translation: Remember that I've walked this ground, too. I've felt what you feel. See, those are my footprints. Remember what I've taught you and do what I do. 

"Tread thou in them boldly."

Translation: Give it all you've got. We're on an errand of love. Trust in that.

"You will find the winter's rage freeze thy blood less coldly."

Translation: Life can be hard and that's just how it is. But if you love as I do, you'll find strength, creativity, good cheer. You have to do it to understand. 

And the resultant miracle:

"In his master's steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted."

Translation: The page went for it. 

"Heat was in the very sod, that the saint had printed."

Translation: It worked. 

If love is the efficacious desire for the well being of another, the good king has nailed it. And so has the page. The key here is that one line, "tread thou in them boldly." That's the "efficacious" part. You do what it takes. With that in hand, the storm cannot stop you. Love transforms and from it springs extraordinary possibility. In the struggles of life, commit acts of love. The amazing will happen. 

Ever forward.