Those who know me, know that each year in lieu of holiday cards, I write historically themed Christmas carols. And this year, I give you the following, sung to the tune of “Good King Wenceslas”.
When the plague spread all about/ thirteen-forty seven.
Buboes pussing, fevers out/ Time to bury your kin.
Philip tried to find the cause/ of his lands’ grave sorrows.
So he asked his smartest men/ Who answered just as follows:.
“Jupiter, Saturn and Mars/ All in great alignment.
In House Aquar’ous you will find/ corrupted air has been sent.”
No Medieval scientist/ could see Yersin’a Pestis.
We can hardly blame the folks/ For thinking it was their God’s test.
The flagellants whipped their backs/ praying for their crimes.
Other folks just ran away/
A party for end times.
Bubonic Plague still exists/ mostly in small ferrets.
Antib’otics laid to rest/ history’s worst pandemic.
