Words: Thomas Hardy, 1915
Vocal Recording by Douglas D. Anderson: MP3 / OGG

Source: Anne Thaxter Eaton, ed., Welcome Christmas! A Garland Of Poems. New York: The Viking Press, 1955.

Christmas Eve, and twelve of the clock,
    "Now they are all on their knees,"
An elder said as we sat in a flock
    By the embers in hearthside ease.

We pictured the meek mild creatures where
    They dwelt in their strawy pen,
Nor did it occur to one of us there
    To doubt they were kneeling then.

So fair a fancy few would weave
    In these years! Yet, I feel,
If someone said on Christmas Eve,
    "Come; see the oxen kneel,

"In the lonely barton by yonder coomb
    Our childhood used to know,"
I should go with him in the gloom,
    Hoping it might be so.

Editor's Note:

In addition to the recording above, this poem has been recorded by seven other volunteers at LibriVox.org: The Oxen by Thomas Hardy. Here is a ZIP of these seven recordings: The Oxen.

A public domain source for the text is http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16143 Poets.org also has a biography of Hardy: http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/110