About
Genius Annotation
Thomas Hardy never missed an opportunity to point out the shortcomings of Christianity. In two couplets he brings his poetic sword down upon Christmas, the Church, and the horrors of war.
Written in 1924, as the title implies, and first published in 1928’s catchily titled Winter Words in Various Moods and Metres (one wonders how much Hardy’s mood actually varied). Despite Hardy’s trademark tone, though, the poem is fundamentally positive: it was written in praise of pacifism, and in search of peace.
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