Tuesday 25 December 2012

AWAY IN A MANGER...


And is it true? And is it true,
This most tremendous tale of all,
Seen in a stained-glass window's hue,
A Baby in an ox's stall?
The Maker of the stars and sea
Become a Child on earth for me?


And is it true? For if it is,
No loving fingers tying strings
Around those tissued fripperies,
The sweet and silly Christmas things,
Bath salts and inexpensive scent
And hideous tie so kindly meant,
No love that in a family dwells,
No carolling in frosty air,
Nor all the steeple-shaking bells
Can with this single Truth compare -

That God was Man in Palestine
And lives to-day in Bread and Wine. 

                                   – John Betjeman


Photo: David Weeks © 2012

2 comments:

Steven Hartley said...

Hope you had a good Christmas!

Brian Sibley said...

Thank you, Steven. All the best to you and your blogs for 2013.