'Twas the Night Before Christmas: As told by other Poets

Edgar Allan Poe

Once upon a midnight dreary, round the cottage—silent, weary—

Frozen ‘midst the wintry curtain closing round the threshold door,

Stockings o’er the mantle drooping, vermin in their hovels stooping,

Nothing dared disturb the gloomy night December twenty-four

For a visitor intrudes upon December twenty-four

     One night only—never more.

Maya Angelou

The children dream

on the back of the wind

and dance with sweets

till the music ends

while parents sleep

in the silver moon beams

and slumber ‘neath the sky.

Bashō

In the midnight snow

a sound disturbs the meadow...

The window beckons

William Carlos Williams

so much depends

upon

a red sleigh

driver

lit with snow

luster

behind the eight

reindeer.

Walt Whitman

O Santa! my Santa! your trip has just begun,

The sleigh has weather’d much tonight with gifts for everyone,

Your voice is near, your shouts I hear, the reindeer swift approaching,

So lively and so quick you come, the vessel o’er me gliding;

                     “Dash now on! on! on!”

                        From the heavens come the calls,

                           Where on the sleigh my Santa rides,

                              Joy to bring for all.

E.E.Cummings

                        o       n

   d   a    s    h    e     r

     da       nc         er

       pr    an       cer

           vix       en

              comet

          c-u-p-i-d

 d--o--n--d--e--r

         b-l-i-t-z-e-n

Robert Frost

As leaves in wintery zephyrs fly

Freely in heaven’s vast expanse:

A sleigh emerged in the night, and I—

I saw it on my housetop lie,

As Old St. Nicolas brought presents.

Emily Dickinson

He paused upon my House—it seemed

The sleigh ignored the Ground –

From Roof to chimney to the floor –

He slipped without a Sound –

Pablo Neruda
It so happens the tired and fur covered man—

It so happens in sooty clothes through the chimneyed-houses—

tarnished, immutable, like a swan made of felt—

searches his satchel for ashes and origins.

Dante

O, what a marvel it appeared to me,

  When I beheld vermilion twinkling eyes

  And crimson cheeks befit to match his nose!

Enveloped in a beard as of the snow

  on Alp, a curling mouth bespoke delight.

  All hope embrace, all ye who him perceive!

Gwendolyn Brooks

He real cool. He

No fool. He

Lands late. He

Smokes straight. He

Smiles silk. He

Drinks milk. He

Laughs loud. He

Flies proud.

William Shakespeare

Shall I compare him to a fairy bright?

He is more jolly and more corpulent.

My heart anon was filled with sudden fright

In vain; the guest had never malice meant.

A batting of his eye my nerve inspired;

cerise complexion’s smile assured his worth.

Foul inhibition’s shackled hold expired—

Timorus overthrown by Bacchus’ mirth.

Though deigning not to speak—his silence kept—

The visitor straightway his work commenced;

each child’s ambitions meted as they slept—

The stockings hung replenished, reverenced.

     Then with elation th’ angel smiled and went

     And from the hearth he made a swift ascent.

Ed Mabrey

And I must remember.

We must remember.

He scaled a brick wall

and I saw him get into his sleigh

and I must remember.

We must remember.

We must remember.

He could fly once.

Remember how he soared over this place?

We didn’t need

gift cards,

credit cards,

Christmas cards,

all these other cards

and ways of simply saying how we feel.

We used to feel once—

believe in the sanctity and security of a merry Christmas

that would bring a good night to all—

a good night to all.

We must remember

you are not your toys,

you are not your presents,

you are not your mistletoe,

you are not your #*%@^! Christmas tree;

you are anything but.

We watched him fly once.

We must remember

in 10

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Merry Christmas everyone!

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