SET wine on the table And bread on the plate; Cast logs on the ashes, And reverent wait. The wine of love's sweetness Set out in thy breast, And the white bread of welcome, To comfort the Guest. For surely He cometh, Now midnight is near; The wild winds, like wolf-packs, Have fled in their fear, Or hid in far fiords, Or died on the floes: For surely He cometh, Our Christ of the Snows. Along by the portal, Half joy and half fear, Wait man, maid, and matron The step none shall hear; The babe at the doorway, And age with eyes dim,— They whom birth near or death near Make closest to Him. The clock tolleth midnight: Cast open the door; Shrink back ere He passeth, Kneel all on the floor. The stillness of terror Possesseth the night, From star-haunted heaven To snow spaces white. Lo! shaken by ghost gods Who angrily fly, The banners of Odin Flame red on the sky. The last note hath stricken: Did He pass? Was He here? Is it sorrow or joy that Shall rule the new year? The mother who watcheth The face of the child Saith, Ah, He was with us,— The baby hath smiled! The virgin who bends o'er The cup on the board Cries, Lo! the wine trembled,— 'T was surely the Lord! Sing Christmas, sweet Christmas, All good men below; Sing Christmas that bringeth Our Christ of the Snow. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...MONOLOGUE FROM A MATTRESS by LOUIS UNTERMEYER A SHROPSHIRE LAD: 47. THE CARPENTER'S SON by ALFRED EDWARD HOUSMAN ESCAPE by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON SONNET TO MRS. REYNOLD'S CAT by JOHN KEATS QUATRAIN: THE PARCAE by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH ON THE STATUE OF AN ANGEL, BY BIENAIME by WASHINGTON ALLSTON |