BROADCASTS.com

b"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"