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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
CHRIST IN BRITAIN: 8. THE HOLY THORN, by THOMAS SAMUEL JONES JR.
First Line: Long centuries past by lonely barrows grew
Last Line: At wintry christ-tide flowers the holy thorn.
Subject(s): Glastonbury Thorn; Great Britain - History; English History
First Line: Long centuries past by lonely barrows grew
Last Line: At wintry christ-tide flowers the holy thorn.
Subject(s): Glastonbury Thorn; Great Britain - History; English History
Long centuries past by lonely barrows grew
The faery hawthorn boughs of haunted green,
Beneath whose shade the Danaan gods unseen
Awoke slain heroes dark with battle-dew;
Their gilded shields of apple-wood and yew
In time's deep tumulus have lost their sheen,
Yet where these blossom-laden branches lean
The faith of vanished ages blooms anew.
One ancient miracle enduring still,
Though earth's old magic seems a myth outworn,
Has hallowed Avalon's enchanted hill;
For when men hymn the Son of God reborn,
Although December woods are bare and chill,
At wintry Christ-tide flowers the Holy Thorn.
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