Christmas Eve and twelve of the clock,

"Now they are all on there knees,"

An elder said, as we sat in a flock

By the fire in hearthside ease.

We pictured the meek, mild creatures where

They knelt 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.

--Thomas Hardy

FRLians, may the Light of the World be yours this Christmas. God bless you, every one. (I stole that last line from someone else.) And may you hear the animals talk, and see your oxen kneel.

Gene

-- Gene (ekbaker@essex1.com), December 23, 2000

Answers

That was sweet, Gene.

-- helen (b@r.n), December 23, 2000.

Nice message...thanks for the thought.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), December 27, 2000.

Thanks, Gene. Not sure how I missed this thread. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas.

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), December 27, 2000.

im doing this poem for a project so please email me any info you have

-- Matt Goodale (bigboymatt2002@yahoo.com), April 26, 2001.

Info? What kind of info (on cows, oxen, mangers, or Christ) should we help you look for?

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), April 26, 2001.

the project is on the poem " the oxen" by thomas hardy

-- Matt Goodale (bigboymatt2002@yahoo.com), April 27, 2001.

Thank you .... I don't the poem specifically, nor the author or his intentions and reasons for writing the poem...which, I assume, would among those likely "English-project" type things that English teachers like to get papers about ..... and the same "English- teacher" type things that English students don't like to write papers about.

What topics will you be focusing on? What kind of questions can we answer? Since, of course, so far, we've been the ones asking the the questions, I don't specifically feel we've been able to get you any answers yet ... 8<)

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), April 27, 2001.

hello there, its me rick from before< just came to drop of my new web adress at http://spiders.port5.com, it realy cool, you should have a look, ok nice talking, buy buy.

-- richard inwood (demonrick@hotmail.com), April 26, 2002.

I read this for an audition when I was 10 years old (30 years ago). It still has the power to touch me. I didn't get to read it at the carol concert; that honour went to a sweet little girl with a BIG voice - but I think the poem has an incredible magic - whether you're a "Believer" or not! Happy Christmas all!

-- Andy Edwards (andy@marketingmad.com), December 20, 2002.

Andy, it was kind of you to share that. Hope your Christmas is wonderful, too!

-- Tricia the Canuck (jayles@telusplanet.net), December 22, 2002.

analysis it

-- mujahed hader naji (mujahed79@hotmail.com), January 09, 2003.