Transcriber’s Notes: Underscores “_” before and after a word or phrase indicate _italics_ in the original text. Small capitals have been converted to SOLID capitals. Old or antiquated spellings have been preserved. Typographical and punctuation errors have been silently corrected. A BOOK OF CHRISTMAS VERSE SELECTED BY H. C. BEECHING SECOND EDITION REVISED LONDON: HUMPHREY MILFORD OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS 1926 Oxford University Press _London_ _Edinburgh_ _Glasgow_ _Copenhagen_ _New York_ _Toronto_ _Melbourne_ _Cape Town_ _Bombay_ _Calcutta_ _Madras_ _Shanghai_ Humphrey Milford Publisher to the UNIVERSITY _Printed in England_ _At the_ OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS _By John Johnson_ _Printer to the University_ */ PUBLISHER’S NOTE The original edition of _A Book of Christmas Verse_ was issued in 1895. At his death in 1919 Dean Beeching left a copy of the book marked with deletions and corrections, and an amount of new matter for insertion. This revision has been carried out, and both deletions and additions have been a little increased. But substantially the book remains the same; its editor’s divisions have been preserved, and the omission of his own preface to the first edition is in accord with his markings. A few poems by contemporary writers have been added. Dean Beeching’s acknowledgements for permission to use copyright poems are here reprinted from his notes: For No. 54 to the authorities of Christ Church, Oxford; for No. 71 to Messrs. Macmillan; for No. 112 to Mr. Robert Bridges; for No. 113 to Messrs. Kegan Paul and Trench; for No. 133 to the Chiswick Press; and for No. 114 to Mr. Davidson (with an omission specially sanctioned by him). Nos. 78 and 79 (by Gerard Hopkins and Selwyn Image) appeared for the first time in this book.