Christmas Eve
Words: Romaine Joseph Thorn
London: T. N. Longman, 1795
Source: Henry Vizetelly, Christmas With The Poets (London: David Bogue, 1851).
Thy welcome eve, loved Christmas, now arrived,
The parish bells their tuneful peals resound,
And mirth and gladness every breast pervade.
The pond'rous ashen faggot, from the yard,
The jolly farmer to his crowded hall
Conveys, with speed; where, on the rising flames
(Already fed with store of massy brands)
It blazes soon; nine bandages it bears;
And, as they each disjoin (so custom wills),
A mighty jug of sparkling cyder's brought,
With brandy mixed, to elevate the guests.
Note from Vizetelly:
The annexed descriptions of the various features of the Christmas season are extracted from a poem of considerable length, entitled "Christmas," written by Romaine Joseph Thorn, and published towards the close of the eighteenth century. We have been unable to meet with a copy of this poem; our extracts have therefore been made from Brand's "Popular Antiquities," vol. i., and comprise, of course, only such passages as have been selected for that work.
Editor's Note:
An electronic copy is available at the University of Arizona Library, but subject to licensing agreements and therefore not publicly available. No copies appeared in WorldCat as of September 28, 2006.
The six poem segments reproduced by Vizetelly are:
Excerpts from "Christmas," Romaine Joseph Thorne
Evergreen-Decking At Christmas
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