by John Greenleaf Whittier

    The sun that brief December day

    Rose cheerless over hills of gray，

    And， darkly circled， gave at noon

    A sadder light than waning¹ moon.

    Slow tracing down the thickening sky

    Its mute and ominous² prophecy，

    A portent³ seeming less than threat，

    It sank from sight before it set.

    A chill no coat， however stout⁴，

    Of homespun stuff could quite shut out，

    A hard， dull bitterness of cold，

    That checked， mid-vein， the circling race

    Of life-blood in the sharpened face，

    The coming of the snow-storm told.

    The wind blew east： we heard the roar

    Of Ocean on his wintry shore，

    And felt the strong pulse throbbing⁵ there

    Beat with low rhythm our inland air.

    Meanwhile we did your nightly chores，——

    Brought in the wood from out of doors，

    Littered the stalls， and from the mows⁶

    Raked down the herd's-grass for the cows；

    Heard the horse whinnying for his corn；

    And， sharply clashing horn on horn，

    Impatient down the stanchion rows

    The cattle shake their walnut⁷ bows；

    While， peering from his early perch⁸

    Upon the scaffold's pole of birch，

    The cock his crested¹⁰ helmet bent¹¹

    And down his querulous challenge sent.

    Unwarmed by any sunset light

    The gray day darkened into night，

    A night made hoary¹² with the swarm¹³

    And whirl-dance of the blinding storm，

    As zigzag¹⁴， wavering to and fro

    Crossed and recrossed the wingèd snow：

    And ere the early bed-time came

    The white drift piled the window-frame，

    And through the glass the clothes-line posts

    Looked in like tall and sheeted ghosts.

    *

    As night drew on， and， from the crest⁹

    Of wooded knolls¹⁵ that ridged the west，

    The sun， a snow-blown traveller， sank

    From sight beneath the smothering¹⁶ bank，

    We piled， with care， our nightly stack

    Of wood against the chimney-back，——

    The oaken log， green， huge， and thick，

    And on its top the stout back-stick；

    The knotty¹⁷ forestick laid apart，

    And filled between with curious art

    The ragged¹⁸ brush； then， hovering¹⁹ near，

    We watched the first red blaze appear，

    Heard the sharp crackle， caught the gleam

    On whitewashed²⁰ wall and sagging²¹ beam，

    Until the old， rude-furnished room

    Burst， flower-like， into rosy²² bloom；

    While radiant with a mimic²³ flame

    Outside the sparkling drift became，

    And through the bare-boughed lilac-tree

    Our own warm hearth²⁴ seemed blazing free.

    The crane and pendent trammels showed，

    The Turks' heads on the andirons glowed；

    While childish fancy， prompt to tell

    The meaning of the miracle，

    Whispered the old rhyme： "Under the tree，

    When fire outdoors burns merrily，

    There the witches are making tea."

    The moon above the eastern wood

    Shone at its full； the hill-range stood

    Transfigured in the silver flood，

    Its blown snows flashing cold and keen，

    Dead white， save where some sharp ravine

    Took shadow， or the somber²⁵ green

    Of hemlocks²⁶ turned to pitchy black

    Against the whiteness at their back.

    For such a world and such a night

    Most fitting that unwarming light，

    Which only seemed where'er it fell

    To make the coldness visible.

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