{
 "id": "george-macdonald/a-christmas-carol-for-1862",
 "title": "A Christmas Carol for 1862",
 "ordinal": null,
 "subtitle": "The Year of the Trouble in Lancashire",
 "poet": "George MacDonald",
 "poet_slug": "george-macdonald",
 "language": "en",
 "book": "The Disciple and Other Poems",
 "book_slug": "the-disciple-and-other-poems",
 "book_kind": "volume",
 "sequence": 5,
 "container": null,
 "epigraph": null,
 "first_published": {
  "year": 1867,
  "venue": "The Disciple and Other Poems (1867)",
  "note": "First located printing is this volume; an earlier periodical printing has not been established.",
  "uncertain": false,
  "sources": [
   "https://archive.org/details/discipleandothe02macdgoog",
   "https://archive.org/metadata/discipleandothe02macdgoog"
  ]
 },
 "source": {
  "kind": "standard-ebooks",
  "repo": "standardebooks/george-macdonald_poetry",
  "file": "poetry.xhtml",
  "upstream": [
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1953",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8949",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9543",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9984",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10578",
   "https://archive.org/details/bookofstrifeinfo00macd",
   "https://archive.org/details/discipleandothe02macdgoog",
   "https://archive.org/details/hiddenlifeandoth00macduoft",
   "https://archive.org/details/discipleandothe02macdgoog",
   "https://archive.org/details/rampolli00macd",
   "https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/102955776",
   "https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/011821572"
  ],
  "rights": "public domain (SE dedication; underlying text pre-1931)"
 },
 "verification": {
  "level": "structural-only",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-20"
 },
 "stats": {
  "n_lines": 48,
  "n_stanzas": 6,
  "n_parts": 0,
  "longest_line_chars": 41,
  "max_indent": 1
 },
 "site_ready": true,
 "parts": [],
 "stanzas": [
  [
   {
    "text": "The skies are pale, the trees are stiff,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The earth is dull and old;",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "The frost is glittering as if",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The very sun were cold.",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "And hunger fell is joined with frost,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "To make men thin and wan:",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Come, babe, from heaven, or we are lost;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Be born, O child of man.",
    "indent": 1
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "The children cry, the women shake,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The strong men stare about;",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "They sleep when they should be awake,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "They wake ere night is out.",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "For they have lost their heritage⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "No sweat is on their brow:",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Come, babe, and bring them work and wage;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Be born, and save us now.",
    "indent": 1
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Across the sea, beyond our sight,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Roars on the fierce debate;",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "The men go down in bloody fight,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The women weep and hate;",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "And in the right be which that may,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Surely the strife is long!",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Come, son of man, thy righteous way,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And right will have no wrong.",
    "indent": 1
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Good men speak lies against thine own⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Tongue quick, and hearing slow;",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "They will not let thee walk alone,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And think to serve thee so:",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "If they the children’s freedom saw",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "In thee, the children’s king,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "They would be still with holy awe,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Or only speak to sing.",
    "indent": 1
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Some neither lie nor starve nor fight,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Nor yet the poor deny;",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "But in their hearts all is not right⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "They often sit and sigh.",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "We need thee every day and hour,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "In sunshine and in snow:",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Child-king, we pray with all our power⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Be born, and save us so.",
    "indent": 1
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "We are but men and women, Lord;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Thou art a gracious child!",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "O fill our hearts, and heap our board,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Pray thee⁠—the winter’s wild!",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "The sky is sad, the trees are bare,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Hunger and hate about:",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Come, child, and ill deeds and ill fare",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Will soon be driven out.",
    "indent": 1
   }
  ]
 ]
}