G.K. Chesterton gave us a marvellous body of poetry along with his other great works. Like his haunting poem, “The House of Christmas“, “A Child of the Snows” captures the chilling imagery of winter, the mystery of Christ’s birth, and our place of communion with Him.
A Child of the Snows
There is heard a hymn when the panes are dim,
And never before or again,
When the nights are strong with a darkness long,
And the dark is alive with rain.
Never we know but in sleet and in snow,
The place where the great fires are,
That the midst of the earth is a raging mirth
And the heart of the earth a star
And at night we win to the ancient inn
Where the child in the frost is furled,
We follow the feet where all souls meet
At the inn at the end of the world.
The gods lie dead where the leaves lie red,
For the flame of the sun is flown,
The gods lie cold where the leaves lie gold,
And a Child comes forth alone.
Gilbert Keith Chesterton
The featured image is courtesy of Aaron Burden. You can see more of his marvellous work on his website or at Unsplash here.
Lancia E. Smith is an author, photographer, teacher, and publisher. She is the founder and Executive Director of Cultivating Oaks Press, Cultivating Magazine, and its fellowship of writers and makers, The Maker’s Project. She has been honoured to serve in executive management, church leadership, school boards, and Art & Faith organizations throughout her career.
Now empty-nesters, Lancia & her husband Peter make their home in the Black Forest of Colorado, keeping company with 200 Ponderosa Pine trees, a herd of mule deer, two beautiful black cats, a wild fox, and an ever expanding library. Lancia loves land reclamation, website and print design, beautiful typography, road trips, being read aloud to by Peter, and cherishes the works of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and George MacDonald. She lives with daily wonder of the mercies of the Triune God and in constant gratitude for the beloved company of Cultivators.
Her newest endeavours will be released in the spring of 2026. Bearing Witness: Fifteen Years of Conversations with Malcolm Guite, and Cultivating A Writer’s Life: A Field Guide for Word Shepherds.
You can follow Lancia here in Cultivating and on her Substack Cultivating A Writer’s Life.
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