Now thrice welcome Christmas
Now thrice welcome Christmas,
Which brings us good-cheer,
Minced pies and plum-porridge,
Good ale and strong beer;
With pig, goose, and capon,
The best that can be,
So well doth the weather
And our stomachs agree.
Observe how the chimneys
Do smoke all about,
The cooks are providing
For dinner, no doubt;
But those on whose tables
No victuals appear —
Oh, may they keep Lent
All the rest of the year.
With holly and ivy
So green and so gay,
We deck up our houses
As fresh as the day,
With bay and rosemary
And laurels complete,
And every one now
Is a king in conceit.
---
William Winstanley
from Poor Robin's Almanac, 1695
[Poem is in the public domain worldwide]
William Winstanley biography
No comments:
Post a Comment