greentapestry : 'From A Fairy To A Child'

Tuesday 22 December 2009

'From A Fairy To A Child'

W IS FOR?



WINDOWS AND WONDERLAND!

"Lady, dear, if Fairies may
For a moment lay aside
Cunning tricks and elfish play,
'Tis at happy Christmas-tide.

'We have heard the children say -
Gentle children, whom we love -
Long ago on Christmas Day,
Came a message from above,

Still, as Christmas-tide comes round,
They remember it again -
Echo still the joyful sound
"Peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Yet the hearts must childlike be
Where such heavenly guests abide;
Unto children, in their glee,
All the year is Christmas-tide!

Thus, forgetting tricks and play
For a moment, Lady dear,
We would wish you, if we may,
Merry Christmas, Glad New Year!"


~ 'Christmas Greetings (From A Fairy To A Child') - Lewis Carroll,1867.

Within five miles from us is a little village close-by to the Cheshire town of Warrington. A little boy was born in the parsonage there in 1832. He grew up to write world famous stories of a white rabbit wearing a waistcoat and carrying a watch, a walrus and Wonderland. In the village church of his birthplace is a memorial stained glass window. This is made of five panels depiciting a Nativity scene. Underneath the Nativity scene are illustrations of characters and scenes from 'Alice in Wonderland' including the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the Dormouse, the March Hare and the Cheshire Cat. The three middle panels contain verses from the Lewis Carroll’s poem quoted above - the scene featuring the dormouse is at the centre of the those three panels.




Wishing anybody who stops by here a wonderful Christmas!

Why not wend your way over without delay to ABC Wednesday hosted by Denise Nesbitt now for more on the letter W.

25 comments:

  1. What a lovely post for the W day, Anna! Beautiful words, winters and wonderlands! Love your photos! Thanks as always for stopping by and your comment!

    Have a great week and wishing you and yours a beautiful, wonderful Merry Christmas!

    Sylvia

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  2. I love the way they have combined the religious and the fairy-tale. And the window itself is beautiful!

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  3. How lovely to read Lewis Carroll's 'From a Fairy to a Child' ... How unusual to see a stain glass such as this! Wonderful! Thank you for such a unique Christmas post. Merry Christmas Anna! Best Wishes, Carol

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  4. If such a church were close by when I was a child, you would see me running to church on Sundays! :)

    Anna, a very Happy Christmas to you!

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  5. An absolutely wonderful W post. A lovely combination of special!

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  6. Wow - what an awesome array of Ws!
    I love the stained glass photo. What history you have shared.
    Thanks very much.
    Have a wonderful holiday!

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  7. Delightful poem...and beautiful stained glass...
    Merry Christmas, Anna.

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  8. What a Wonderful Writing! Wondrous!
    Merry Christmas Anna and a Healthy and Happy new Year!

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  9. The stained glass is so beautiful. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas.

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  10. Delightful choices for W. Love the window from Wonderland and I am wishing you a wonderful Christmas too.

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  11. Hi Anna~~ Best wishes for a wonderful Christmas!

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  12. What an interesting post. Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas.

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  13. Interesting post, thanks - and Merry Christmas.

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  14. A Story teller par excellence - Merry Christmas!

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  15. Wonderful, such a lovely post. Thanks so much for contributing!
    merry Christmas
    Dxx

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  16. Love the windows! And I've not heard that wonderful poem! Happy ho ho!

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  17. What an interesting post for Christmas! Thank you.

    I was searching last night for Migraine equivalent. One of the sources mentioned that Lewis Carroll probably wrote Alice in Wonderland while suffering a migraine headache.

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  18. A wonderful post for this holiday week, Anna! I've never read this poem by Carroll before, but it's enchanting. I didn't know until several years ago that he was actually a mathematician. But I think he'll always be remembered most for Alice and the world of Wonderland.

    Happy Holidays to you!

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  19. I had completely forgotten about those windows! I knew about them once, though I had never seen them - I hope to do that one day. They're enchanting, aren't they?

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  20. What a beautiful poem - I'd not read it before!

    I've just eaten my first mince-pie today, with childlike glee!

    Have a wonderful Christmas, Anna and thank you for your lovely blog, which I've enjoyed so much through the year.

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  21. What a wonderful poem and post, Anna. Happy Holidays!

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  22. A Merry Christmas to you too, see you in 2010.
    BTW the seeds arrived. Thanks again!

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  23. Hi there Anna, ah now… what beautiful windows. A lovely local too :-D

    Just wanted to stop by and wish you a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2010 to you and yours :-D

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  24. I've so enjoyed your blog Anna and look forward to more wonderful posts in 2010!

    Have a very Happy Christmas!

    Jeanne x

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  25. I always seem to find the most interesting blogs when I subscribe to Prairie Rose's comments. Is it the ABC Wednesday meme, or is it some mysterious magnetism associated with the Illinois prairie? Anyway, I love to read and quote Lewis Carroll and am delighted to find him here in word and window.

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All your comments are much appreciated and treasured. I wil try to reply to everyone who leaves a comment, but it may take me a few days, especially when I start spending more time in the garden and at the lottie. I know that you will understand :) I am sure that I will also visit your blog if I have not already done so. If you have any specific questions I will either reply to them here or you can email me at : thegreentapestry@gmail.com

Namasté

- Anna.