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WM Thackeray read by Classic Poetry Aloud:\nhttp://www.classicpoetryaloud.com/\n\nGiving voice to the poetry of the past.\n\n---------------------------------------\n\nThe Mahogany Tree\nby William Makepeace Thackeray (1811 \u2013 1863)\n\nChristmas is here:\nWinds whistle shrill,\nIcy and chill,\nLittle care we:\nLittle we fear\nWeather without,\nShelter about\nThe Mahogany Tree.\n\nOnce on the boughs\nBirds of rare plume\nSang, in its bloom;\nNight-birds are we:\nHere we carouse,\nSinging like them,\nPerched round the stem\nOf the jolly old tree.\n\nHere let us sport,\nBoys, as we sit;\nLaughter and wit\nFlashing so free.\nLife is but short \u2013\nWhen we are gone,\nLet them sing on\nRound the old tree.\n\nEvenings we knew,\nHappy as this;\nFaces we miss,\nPleasant to see.\nKind hearts and true,\nGentle and just,\nPeace to your dust!\nWe sing round the tree.\n\nCare, like a dun,\nLurks at the gate:\nLet the dog wait;\nHappy we'll be!\nDrink, every one;\nPile up the coals,\nFill the red bowls,\nRound the old tree!\n\nDrain we the cup. \u2013\nFriend, art afraid?\nSpirits are laid\nIn the Red Sea.\nMantle it up;\nEmpty it yet;\nLet us forget,\nRound the old tree.\n\nSorrows, begone!\nLife and its ills,\nDuns and their bills,\nBid we to flee.\nCome with the dawn,\nBlue-devil sprite,\nLeave us to-night,\nRound the old tree. \n\nFirst aired: 24 December 2009\n\nFor hundreds more poetry readings, visit the Classic Poetry Aloud index.\n \nTo learn a little more about the poems and poets on Classic Poetry Aloud, join the mailing list.\n\nReading \xa9 Classic Poetry Aloud 2009