Christmass

Christmass is come and every hearth     Makes room to give him welcome now     Een want will dry its tears in mirth     And crown him wi a holly bough     Tho tramping neath a winters sky     Oer snow track paths and ryhmey stiles     The huswife sets her spining bye     And bids him welcome wi her smiles     Each house is swept the day before     And windows stuck wi evergreens     The snow is beesomd from the door     And comfort crowns the cottage scenes     Gilt holly wi its thorny pricks     And yew and box wi berrys small     These deck the unusd candlesticks     And pictures hanging by the wall     Neighbours resume their anual cheer     Wishing wi smiles and spirits high     Clad christmass and a happy year     To every morning passer bye     Milk maids their christmass journeys go     Accompanyd wi favourd swain     And childern pace the crumping snow     To taste their grannys cake again     Hung wi the ivys veining bough     The ash trees round the cottage farm     Are often stript of branches now     The cotters christmass hearth to warm     He swings and twists his hazel band     And lops them off wi sharpend hook     And oft brings ivy in his hand     To decorate the chimney nook     Old winter whipes his ides bye     And warms his fingers till he smiles     Where cottage hearths are blazing high     And labour resteth from his toils     Wi merry mirth beguiling care     Old customs keeping wi the day     Friends meet their christmass cheer to share     And pass it in a harmless way     Old customs O I love the sound     However simple they may be     What ere wi time has sanction found     Is welcome and is dear to me     Pride grows above simplicity     And spurns it from her haughty mind     And soon the poets song will be     The only refuge they can find     The shepherd now no more afraid     Since custom doth the chance bestow     Starts up to kiss the giggling maid     Beneath the branch of mizzletoe     That neath each cottage beam is seen     Wi pearl-like-berrys shining gay     The shadow still of what hath been     Which fashion yearly fades away     And singers too a merry throng     At early morn wi simple skill     Yet imitate the angels song     And chant their christmass ditty still     And mid the storm that dies and swells     By fits-in humings softly steals     The music of the village bells     Ringing round their merry peals     And when its past a merry crew     Bedeckt in masks and ribbons gay     The Morrice danse their sports renew     And act their winter evening play     The clown-turnd-kings for penny praise     Storm wi the actors strut and swell     And harlequin a laugh to raise     Wears his hump back and tinkling bell     And oft for pence and spicy ale     Wi winter nosgays pind before     The wassail singer tells her tale     And drawls her christmass carrols oer     The prentice boy wi ruddy face     And ryhme bepowderd dancing locks     From door to door wi happy pace     Runs round to claim his christmass box     The block behind the fire is put     To sanction customs old desires     And many a faggots bands are cut     For the old farmers christmass fires     Where loud tongd gladness joins the throng     And winter meets the warmth of may     Feeling by times the heat too strong     And rubs his shins and draws away     While snows the window panes bedim     The fire curls up a sunny charm     Where creaming oer the pitchers rim     The flowering ale is set to warm     Mirth full of joy as summer bees     Sits there its pleasures to impart     While childern tween their parents knees     Sing scraps of carrols oer by heart     And some to view the winter weathers     Climb up the window seat wi glee     Likening the snow to falling feathers     In fancys infant extacy     Laughing wi superstitious love     Oer visions wild that youth supplyes     Of people pulling geese above     And keeping christmass in the skyes     As tho the homstead trees were drest     In lieu of snow wi dancing leaves     As. tho the sundryd martins nest     Instead of ides hung the eaves     The childern hail the happy day     As if the snow was april grass     And pleasd as neath the warmth of may     Sport oer the water froze to glass     Thou day of happy sound and mirth     That long wi childish memory stays     How blest around the cottage hearth     I met thee in my boyish days     Harping wi raptures dreaming joys     On presents that thy coming found     The welcome sight of little toys     The christmass gifts of comers round     The wooden horse wi arching head     Drawn upon wheels around the room     The gilded coach of ginger bread     And many colord sugar plumb     Gilt coverd books for pictures sought     Or storys childhood loves to tell     Wi many a urgent promise bought     To get tomorrows lesson well     And many a thing a minutes sport     Left broken on the sanded floor     When we woud leave our play and court     Our parents promises for more     Tho manhood bids such raptures dye     And throws such toys away as vain     Yet memory loves to turn her eye     And talk such pleasures oer again     Around the glowing hearth at night     The harmless laugh and winter tale     Goes round-while parting friends delight     To toast each other oer their ale     The cotter oft wi quiet zeal     Will musing oer his bible lean     While in the dark the lovers steal     To kiss and toy behind the screen     The yule cake dotted thick wi plumbs     Is on each supper table found     And cats look up for falling crumbs     Which greedy childern litter round     And huswifes sage stuffd seasond chine     Long hung in chimney nook to drye     And boiling eldern berry wine     To drink the christmass eves good bye