Tolkien's rediscovered "Noel"

NOEL by J.R.R. Tolkien

Grim was the world and grey last night:
The moon and stars were fled,
The hall was dark without song or light,
The fires were fallen dead.
The wind in the trees was like to the sea,
And over the mountains' teeth
It whistled bitter-cold and free,
As a sword leapt from its sheath.


The lord of the snows upreared his head;
His mantle long and pale
Upon the bitter blast was spread
And hung o'er hill and dale.
The world was blind, the boughs were bent,
All ways and paths were wild:
Then the veil of cl oud apart was rent,
And here was born a Child.


The ancient dome of heaven sheer
Was pricked with distant light;
A star dame shining white and clear
Alone above the night.
In the dale of dark in that hour of birth
One voice on a sudden sang:
Then all the bells in Heaven and Earth
Together at midnight rang.


Mary sang in this world below:
They heard her song arise
O'er mist and over mountain snow
To the walls of Paradise, 
And the tongue of many bells was stirred
in Heaven's towers to ring
When t he voice of mortal maid was heard,
That was mother of Heaven's King.


Glad is the world and fair this night
With stars about its head,
And the hall is filled with laughter and light,
And fires are burning red.
The bells of Paradise now ring
With bells of Christendom,
And Gloria, Gloria we will sing
That God on earth is come.


Originally published in the 1936 Annual of Our Lady's School, Abingdon, Tolkien's "Noel" was unknown and unrecorded until scholars Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull discovered it while searching for another poem in June 2013.  In May 2015, Our Lady's School, Abingdon, discovered their copy of the Annual and in Feb 2016, news of the discovery was widely reported.

- from the Yahoo Group Spareoom

Paladino Clerhiew

Carl Paladino
perhaps had too much vino.
But even intoxication can't
excuse his offensive First Couple rant.

(Context: Buffalo School Board member and former GOP NY gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino, in a survey by Artvoice newspaper in which people were asked what they wished for in 2017, said, "Obama catches mad cow disease after being caught having relations with a Herford. He dies before his trial and is buried in a cow pasture next to [senior White House advisor] Valerie [Jarrett], who died weeks prior, after being convicted of sedition and treason, when a Jihady cell mate mistook her for being a nice person and decapitated her. "
.
And asked what he would most like to see go in 2017, he said, "Michelle Obama. I'd like her to return to being a male and let loose in the outback of Zimbabwe where she lives comfortably in a cave with Maxie, the gorilla."

He refused to apologize. The Trump transition team - Paladino had been one of the honorary chairmen of Trump's NY presidential campaign - condemned Paladino's comments.)

Gilbert clerihew blackballing continues?

Another issue of Gilbert arrived.

None of my clerihews got in.

Again.

It used to be Gilbert regularly published some of my clerihews.

That stopped five and a half years ago.

I've sent a number in over the last few years, but they seemingly disappeared into a black hole.

I resent some in case they got lost.

Still missing in action.

I've even mentioned this to Dale a couple of times at Chesterton gatherings. He said he has seen some of mine floating about, and expressed surprise and doubt that it has been that long since any got published.

But it has been that long.

I'm not sure why they are not getting in. Some are decent enough, and certainly of comparable quality to some that have gotten in from others.

Maybe they just keep getting bumped as newer writers submit? Maybe they just keep getting misplaced? Maybe my occasional on-line sparring with the editor-in-chief has put me on some kind of blacklist?

So it goes.

As I told Dale, I've given up submitting. Seems to be little point. And writing this will likely not help.

Still, maybe some of the old ones will finally break through.

But as for new ones, I'll keep posting them here. At least then Chesterton and clerihew fans might see them.