A Christmas Poem
Written for the 1982 Carol Service
of Nene College, Northampton
One of the oxen said
“I know him, he is me — a beast
Of burden, used, abused,
Excluded from the feast —
A toiler, one by whom
No task will be refused:
I wish him strength, I give him room.”
One of the shepherds said
“I know him, he is me — a man
Who wakes when others sleep,
Whose watchful eyes will scan
The drifted snow at night
Alert for the lost sheep:
I give this lamb, I wish him sight.”
One of the wise men said
“I know him, he is me — a king
On wisdom’s pilgrimage,
One Plato claimed would bring
The world back to its old
Unclouded golden age:
I wish him truth, I give him gold.”
Mary his mother said
“I know his heart’s need, it is mine —
The chosen child who lives
Lost in his Lord’s design,
The self and symbol of
The selfless life he gives:
I give him life, I wish him love.”
Dick Davis (b. 1945)
I think this is my favorite of the poems I've chosen this year.
Previous Advent posts:
