The Poetry of Real Life A New Edition, Much Enlarged and Improved. By Henry Ellison |
ON THE CHRISTMAS CUSTOM OF LIGHTING THE NEW LOG
AT THE REMNANT OF THE OLD. |
The Poetry of Real Life | ||
ON THE CHRISTMAS CUSTOM OF LIGHTING THE NEW LOG AT THE REMNANT OF THE OLD.
At the memorial log of the last yearWe light that of the next, and so hand on,
Theme of traditional comparison
And quaint remembrance, that old fire, clear
And strong, of household love and usage dear;
With a transmitted bond of union,
It links the days to come with those long gone,
A rallying-point for each domestic sphere—
So, in a wider sphere, but with like aim,
We light the Vestal fire, on which depends
The nation's welfare, at the antique flame,
And from the old the new to heaven ascends:
Stronger and purer burning, yet the same,
And lighting us more clearly to like ends!
The Poetry of Real Life | ||