What Child is This? - is a Christmas Hymn by William Dix. Dix wrote this Hymn in the midst of suffering from a deep depression. I have always been fascinated with the stark contrast between the brooding melody and the lovely lyrics depicting the manger scene of Jesus. The question posed in the title - "What Child Is This?" implies a lack of certainty that most advent hymns don't have. Like a warm cocktail on a cold night this song stirs of equal parts beauty, sadness and mystery into my soul.