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"On the Morning of Christ's Nativity" is a nativity ode written by John Milton in 1629 and published in his Poems of Mr. John Milton (1645).

Background

"On the Morning of Christ's Nativity" was the first poem of Milton's 1645 collection, but it was not the first poem that he wrote. Although the ode was written during December 1629 when he attained the age of maturity in England, many of the Latin and Greek poems included in the collection were composed at an earlier time. According to Thomas Corns, "Quite probably, its location indicates the poet's assessment of its quality". This consideration is significant because Humphrey Moseley, an important bookseller, was the publisher of the volume and the ode serves as an introduction to Milton's poetry.

Poem

Themes

The ode with "The Passion" and "Upon the Circumcision" form a set of poems that celebrates important Christian events: Christ's birth, the feast of the Circumcision, and Good Friday. The topic of these poems places them within a genre of Christian literature popular during the 17th century and places Milton along side of poets like John Donne, Richard Crashaw, and George Herbert. However, Milton's poetry reflects the origins of his anti-William Laud and anti-Church of England based religious beliefs.

Critical response

The ode has, according to Thomas Corns, "generally been recognized as Milton's first manifestation of poetic genius and, qualitatively, a poem to be set alongside 'Lycidas' and A Masque presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634 as his most significant poetic works before Paradise Lost.

Notes

1. ^ Corns 2003 p. 216
2. Corns 2003 pp. 216–217

References

• Corns, Thomas. "'On the Morning of Christ's Nativity', 'Upon the Circumcision' and 'The Passion'" in A Companion to Milton. Ed. Thomas Corns. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2003.