Poem-A-Day: The Oxen by Thomas Hardy

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The Oxen  by Thomas Hardy   Christmas Eve, and twelve of the clock.     "Now they are all on their knees," An elder said as we sat in a flock     By the embers in hearthside ease. We pictured the meek mild creatures where     They dwelt 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. Today's poem is in the public domain. Poetry by Hardy Selected Poems December 24, 2012 Born in Dorsetshire, England, in 1840, Hardy began his writing career as a novelist, publishing Desperate Remedies in 1871. Related Poems A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clark Moore Noël by Anne Porter Noël: Christmas Eve 1913 by Robert Bridges Poem-A-Day started as a National Poetry Month program in 2006, delivering daily poems from newly-published poetry titles.   Due to popular demand, Poem-A-Day became a year-round program in 2010, featuring original, never-before-published poems by contemporary poets on weekdays, and classic poems on weekends.   Browse the Poem-A-Day archive for selections since 2010.  Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem In Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.

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