His friendship with C.S. Lewis was of great significance to both of them — Tolkien influencing Lewis to embrace Christianity, and Lewis encouraging Tolkien through the revisions and publication of both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. They were among a group of significant writers and intellectuals playfully dubbed The Inklings — which also included Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, Neville Coghill and Hugo Dyson — who regularly met for chatter, drink, and frequent readings from their works-in-progress.
“Noel” was originally published in 1936 (the year before The Hobbit appeared) in The “Annual” of Our Lady’s School, Abingdon — and subsequently forgotten. It was only rescued from obscurity in 2013. It now appears in The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien (HarperCollins, 2024).
Noel
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 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 cloud apart was rent,
And here was born a Child.
The ancient dome of heaven sheer
Was pricked with distant light;
A star came 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 the 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.
*This is the second Kingdom Poets post about J.R.R. Tolkien: first post.
Entry written by D.S. Martin. He is the author of six poetry collections including Angelicus (2021, Poiema/Cascade), plus three anthologies — available through Wipf & Stock. His new book The Role of the Moon, inspired by the Metaphysical Poets, is now available from Paraclete Press.
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