December 25.
Thou hast not made, or taught me, Lord, to care
For times and seasons—but this one glad day
Is the blue sapphire clasping all the lights
That flash in the girdle of the year so fair
When thou wast born a man, because alway
Thou wast and art a man, through all the flights
Of thought, and time, and thousandfold creation’s play.
-George MacDonald
Gladsome Lights 
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season, Love, Bruce and Sandra
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Enjoy a blessed day.
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For me, and with dictionary help, the key is “girdle,” appropriately in the very middle of the poem, as opposed to where the girdle is on the sapphire. MacDonald’s lapidary choice of words throughout this poem is a wonder and a beauty. Thank you for posting the poem, a Christmas gift to your readers.
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Jules, thank you for sharing your discoveries. It’s a wonderful example of how much a good poet can pack into a few lines.
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