Words and Poetry of Edward Thomas

The English poet Edward Thomas was a skillful wordsmith whose poems and verse conjure the mystery and allure of rural England from the page. Here are two videos with excerpts from his poems.

The Shadow of the Ash

Wassail for Yule

Wassail (Old English wæs hæl, literally 'be you healthy') refers both to the salute 'Waes Hail' and to the drink of wassail, a hot mulled cider traditionally drunk as an integral part of wassailing, an ancient southern English drinking ritual intended to ensure a good cider apple harvest the following year. This song, here we come a wassailing by the watersons is the sort of song wassailers sing to the apple trees for a good harvest of cider the following year.

Merry Yule and Happy New Year