"The Song of Bethlehem," Illustration by J. R. Clayton

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"The Song of Bethlehem."

J. R. Clayton

1858

Wood engraving in black ink

5 x 3 3/4 inches (12.7 x 9.2 cm)

Illustration for one of the Lays of the Holy Land: From Ancient and Modern Poets

Private Collection

Scanned image and caption material by Dennis T. Lanigan; commentary (below) and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee. [Click on the image to enlarge it.]

You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.

This particular "lay," by the Scottish poet Thomas Campbell (1777-1844), is a paean of praise on the Nativity, echoing the angelic message and voices heard by the shepherds on the night of Jesus's birth. From the lines used under the illustration, the poem continues

On wheels of light, on wings of flame,
The glorious hosts of Zion came;
High heaven with songs of triumph rang,
While thus they struck their harps, and sang:

O Zion! lift thy raptured eye,
The long-expected hour is nigh;
The joys of nature rise again,
The Prince of Salem comes to reign.

See, Mercy from her golden urn
Pours a rich stream to them that mourn;
Behold, she binds, with tender care,
The bleeding bosom of Despair.... [158]

Clayton's effulgent angel, with open wings, and with rays of light spreading out against a starry background, is exactly right for these lines. Musician angels fill the great surrounding wreath, and the angel's feet rest on one of the wheels of light mentioned in the poem. It is also easy to see here the crossover between Clayton's work as an illustrator and such stained glass designs as the one for the circular light of St Michael, Cornhill, with musician angels surrounding the central figure.

Bibliography

Lays of the Holy Land: From Ancient and Modern Poets. London: Nisbit, 1858.

Created 13 January 2022