In the Holy Nativity of our Lord
"In the Holy Nativity of our Lord" is a devotional poem in which shepherds call one another to witness a light that outshines the sun itself — the infant Christ lying in a manger. Crashaw layers paradox upon paradox: winter scatters flowers, darkness becomes noon, eternity folds into a single night. Angels offer their fiery wings as bedding, snowflakes are turned away for being too cold, and the child ultimately finds the warmest rest against his mother's breast. The poem builds to an act of total surrender, as the shepherds offer themselves as living sacrifices.
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