{"id":191,"date":"2008-12-25T03:57:00","date_gmt":"2008-12-25T03:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nolligan.co.uk\/SU\/?p=191"},"modified":"2008-12-25T03:57:00","modified_gmt":"2008-12-25T03:57:00","slug":"the-great-christmas-compendium-john-betjemans-christmas-telegraph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.nolligan.ie\/SU\/the-great-christmas-compendium-john-betjemans-christmas-telegraph\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great Christmas Compendium: John Betjemans Christmas – Telegraph"},"content":{"rendered":"

http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/culture\/3813820\/The-Great–Christmas-Compendium-John-Betjemans-Christmas.html<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The bells of waiting Advent ring,<\/p>\n

The Tortoise stove is lit again<\/p>\n

And lamp-oil light across the night<\/p>\n

Has caught the streaks of winter rain.<\/p>\n

In many a stained-glass window sheen<\/p>\n

From Crimson Lake to Hooker’s Green.<\/p>\n

The holly in the windy hedge<\/p>\n

And round the Manor House the yew<\/p>\n

Will soon be stripped to deck the ledge,<\/p>\n

The altar, font and arch and pew,<\/p>\n

So that villagers can say<\/p>\n

“The Church looks nice” on Christmas Day.<\/p>\n

Provincial public houses blaze<\/p>\n

And Corporation tramcars clang,<\/p>\n

On lighted tenements I gaze<\/p>\n

Where paper decorations hang,<\/p>\n

And bunting in the red Town Hall<\/p>\n

Says “Merry Christmas to you all”.<\/p>\n

And London shops on Christmas Eve<\/p>\n

Are strung with silver bells and flowers<\/p>\n

As hurrying clerks the City leave<\/p>\n

To pigeon-haunted classic towers,<\/p>\n

And marbled clouds go scudding by<\/p>\n

The many-steepled London sky.<\/p>\n

And girls in slacks remember Dad,<\/p>\n

And oafish louts remember Mum,<\/p>\n

And sleepless children’s hearts are glad,<\/p>\n

And Christmas morning bells say “Come!”<\/p>\n

Even to shining ones who dwell<\/p>\n

Safe in the Dorchester Hotel.<\/p>\n

And is it true? and is it true,<\/p>\n

This most tremendous tale of all,<\/p>\n

Seen in a stained-glass window’s hue,<\/p>\n

A Baby in an ox’s stall?<\/p>\n

The Maker of the stars and sea<\/p>\n

Become a Child on earth for me?<\/p>\n

And is it true? For if it is,<\/p>\n

No loving fingers tying strings<\/p>\n

Around those tissued fripperies,<\/p>\n

The sweet and silly Christmas things,<\/p>\n

Bath salts and inexpensive scent<\/p>\n

And hideous tie so kindly meant,<\/p>\n

No love that in a family dwells,<\/p>\n

No carolling in frosty air,<\/p>\n

Nor all the steeple-shaking bells<\/p>\n

Can with this single Truth compare –<\/p>\n

That God was Man in Palestine<\/p>\n

And lives to-day in Bread and Wine.<\/p>\n

Extracted from John Betjeman’s ‘Collected Poems’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/culture\/3813820\/The-Great–Christmas-Compendium-John-Betjemans-Christmas.html The bells of waiting Advent ring, The Tortoise stove is lit again And lamp-oil light across the night Has caught the streaks of winter rain. In many a stained-glass window sheen From Crimson Lake to Hooker’s Green. The holly … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wordpress2blogger"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t