The First Christmas Eve
How the Victorians thought about the first Christmas
Here is a poem by the Victorian Alfred Domett (1811-87) called A Christmas Hymn. It is from my treasury, A Book of Christmas Poems, which has plenty of gems inside, when I care to take a look.
IT was the calm and silent night!
Seven hundred years and fifty-three
Had Rome been growing up to might,
And now was Queen of land and sea.
No sound was heard of clashing wars;
Peace brooded o’er the hush’d domain;
Apollo, Pallas, Jove and Mars,
Held undisturb’d their ancient reign,
In the solemn midnight
Centuries ago.
The action takes place 753 years after the founding of Rome (in 753BC). The old Gods were still seen to be in power and were not challenged.
’T was in the calm and silent night!
The senator of haughty Rome
Impatient urged his chariot’s flight,
From lordly revel rolling home.
Triumphal arches gleaming swell
His breast with thoughts of boundless sway;
What reck’d the Roman what befell
A paltry province far away,
In the solemn midnight
Centuries ago!
Here we see the contrast of earthly power with celestial power. And no-one was expecting this.
Within that province far away
Went plodding home a weary boor:
A streak of light before him lay,
Fall’n through a half-shut stable door
Across his path. He pass’d—for nought
Told what was going on within;
How keen the stars! his only thought;
The air how calm and cold and thin,
In the solemn midnight
Centuries ago!
The “weary boor” is a tired labourer.
O strange indifference!—low and high
Drows’d over common joys and cares:
The earth was still—but knew not why;
The world was listening—unawares.
How calm a moment may precede
One that shall thrill the world for ever!
To that still moment none would heed,
Man’s doom was link’d, no more to sever,
In the solemn midnight
Centuries ago.
The stillness of the earth is interesting. Remember that old story about all wars ceasing at the moment of the birth of Christ - how there could be no fighting as God entered the world in a special way.
It is the calm and solemn night!
A thousand bells ring out, and throw
Their joyous peals abroad, and smite
The darkness, charm’d and holy now.
The night that erst no name had worn,
To it a happy name is given;
For in that stable lay new-born
The peaceful Prince of Earth and Heaven,
In the solemn midnight
Centuries ago.
But breaking into the silence, we hear joyful celebrations. The darkness of Empire is above, and a new reign is begun. This special night now has a special name.
Is it twee or it is deep? Does it speak to us still across the years? Is it naive or still hope-giving? I’ll leave that for you to decide.