Although most of his work focuses on characters who live in the fictitious Wessex county of England, Thomas Hardy also wrote about Christmas. In “The Oxen,” he puts into verse a centuries-old legend: that at midnight on the eve of Christ’s birth, and every Christmas Eve thereafter, the oxen fall to their knees in honor of the Lord.

Christmas Eve, and twelve of the clock.

        “Now they are all on their knees,”

An elder said as we sat in a flock

        By the embers in hearthside ease.

We pictured the meek mild creatures where

        They dwelt in their strawy pen,

Nor did it occur to one of us there

        To doubt they were kneeling then.

So fair a fancy few would weave

        In these years! Yet, I feel,

If someone said on Christmas Eve,

        “Come; see the oxen kneel

“In the lonely barton by yonder coomb

        Our childhood used to know,”

I should go with him in the gloom,

        Hoping it might be so.

Many readers of English literature will recognize Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) as the author of novels such as Far From the Madding Crowd, Return of the Native, and Tess of the d’Urbervilles. The author actually trained as an architect, but was able to give up his practice as his novels became more successful.