“ I wanted for myself to hear the Christmas joy-bells ring.
And there outside were waiting three grey Shepherds in the snow,
(I knew that they were Shepherds, for they all had crooks, you know,)
And when they saw me waiting too they sang to me a song—
The stars, they caught and whispered it the whole wide sky along.
And then the Shepherds went their way and three black camels came,
They stayed beneath the window there and waited just the same,
And each black camel on his back had brought an Eastern King,
And though each King was very great each had a song to sing. ”

“ The Child of Bethlehem lay—
Above that Syrian hill afar
Thou shinest out to-night, O Star!
Star of the East, the night were drear
But for the tender grace
That with thy glory comes to cheer
Earth’s loneliest, darkest place;
For by that charity we see
Where there is hope for all and me.
Star of the East! show us the way
In wisdom undefiled
To seek that manger out and lay
Our gifts before the Child—
To bring our hearts and offer them
Unto our King in Bethlehem! Eugene Field
[Pg 50]
A CHRISTMAS CAROL ”

“ Of three jolly shepherds I saw a sight
And all about their fold a star shone bright;
They sang, Terli, terlow;
So merrily the shepherds their pipes can blow.
Down from heaven, from heaven so high,
Of angels there came a great company.
With mirth, and joy, and great solemnity
They sang, Terli, terlow;
So merrily the shepherds their pipes can blow. Old Song
[Pg 20]
VERSES FROM “THE CHERRY-TREE CAROL”
As Joseph was a walking
He heard an angel sing:
“This night shall be born
Our heavenly king.
“He neither shall be born
In housen nor in hall,
Nor in the place of Paradise,
But in an ox’s stall. ”

“ Keen winter grows not old,
As childhood is so fresh, foreseen,
And spring in the familiar green.
Sudden as sweet
Come the expected feet;
All joy is young, and new all art,
And He, too, whom we have by heart. ”

“ On Christmas Eve the little stars
Dance in their places in the sky;
Ah! I would go and trip with them
If I could only climb as high.
On Christmas Eve the little stars
Sing merry carols all night long;
But O! I am so far away
I cannot even hear their song.
On Christmas Eve the little stars
Sparkle, and dance, and sing till dawn;
And I am singing too, because
To-morrow will be Christmas Morn. Charlotte Druitt Cole
[Pg 25]
A CHRISTMAS PRAYER
Loving looks the large-eyed cow,
Loving stares the long-eared ass
At Heaven’s glory in the grass! ”

“ Time is our tedious song should here have ending,
Heaven’s youngest teemèd star,
Hath fix’d her polish’d car,
Her sleeping Lord with hand-maid lamp attending:
And all about the courtly stable,
Bright-harness’d Angels sit in order serviceable. John Milton
[Pg 68]
FROM “IN MEMORIAM”
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true. ”

“ CHRISTMAS DAY AND EVERY DAY
Star high
Baby low:
’Twixt the two
Wise men go;
Find the baby,
Grasp the star—
Heirs of all things
Near and far! George Macdonald
[Pg 14]
THE CHRISTMAS CHILD
“Little one, who straight hast come
Down the heavenly stair,
Tell us all about your home,
And the father there.”
“He is such a one as I
Like as like can be.
Do his will, and, by and by,
Home and him you’ll see.” George Macdonald
[Pg 15]
THE LAMB
Little lamb, who made thee? ”

“ From Nazareth into Bethlehem.
And the small child Jesus smile on you. II
And Bethlehem inn they stood before
(The bells ring less and the bells ring more) ,
The landlord bade them begone from his door
(Carillon, Carilla) .
“Poor folk” (says he) , “must lie where they may,
For the Duke of Jewry comes this way,
With all his train on Christmas Day.”
And the small child Jesus smile on you. III
Poor folk that may my carol hear
(The bells ring single and the bells ring clear) ,
See! God’s one child had hardest cheer!
(Carillon, Carilla) .
Men grown hard on a Christmas morn ”

“ And then he looked at me and laughed and sang the star-song too.
And right across the misty fields I heard the church bells ring,
The star-song echoed far and wide for all the world to sing,
But still the tiny Child stood there—the Child that once was born—
We sang His birthday song—we did—upon His Christmas morn. M. Nightingale
[Pg 46]
IN PRÆSEPIO
In stable straw the Infant lay,
Turned from the hostelry away,
There was no room its doors within,
For Him Who is the whole world’s Inn.
Creation sang, no longer dumb,
Because her great Desire was come ”

“ The Kings and Shepherds thronged the door.
And where no angels knelt there kneeled
The innocent creatures of the field.
O simple ones, much honourèd;
He who oppresses you indeed
Oppresses His kind hosts that lay
Once in the stable on the hay. Katharine Tynan
[Pg 34]
WAITING FOR THE KINGS
Over the frozen plain snow-white
The three Kings will come tonight;
We shall know by the kettle-drums
Which way the procession comes.
They have come from very far,
Following fast behind a Star,
In their shimmering robes of silk,
Riding horses white as milk. ”