Christmas Poems Biography
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Clement Clarke Moore was a scholar of ancient languages who is remembered today because of a poem he wrote to amuse his children. His memorable work, widely known as “The Night Before Christmas” appeared anonymously in newspapers beginning in the early 1820s, titled "A Visit From St. Nicholas."
Decades would pass before Moore admitted that he had written it. And there have been hotly disputed claims over the past 150 years that Moore did not really write the famous poem.
Moore, along with Washington Irving, helped to create the character of Santa Claus. In Moore’s poem some of the traits of Santa were established for the first time. And as the poem gained popularity over several decades, characteristics first put on paper by Moore became central to how others portrayed the character.
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The poem has been published countless times and the reciting of it remains a cherished Christmas tradition. Perhaps no one would be more surprised by its enduring popularity than its author, who was, during his lifetime, highly regarded as a very serious professor of difficult subjects.
The Writing of “A Visit From St. Nicholas”
According to an account Moore gave to the New York Historical Society when he was in his eighties, he had written the poem to entertain his children (he was the father of six in 1822). The character of St. Nicholas was, Moore, said, inspired by an overweight New Yorker of Dutch descent who lived in his neighborhood. (Moore's family estate became today's Chelsea neighborhood in Manhattan.)
Moore apparently had no intention of ever publishing the poem. It first appeared in print on December 23, 1823, in the Troy Sentinel, a newspaper in upstate New York. According to published accounts from the late 19th century, a daughter of a minister from Troy had stayed with Moore's family a year earlier and heard a recitation of the poem. She was impressed, transcribed it, and passed it along to a friend who edited the newspaper in Troy.
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The poem began to appear in other newspapers every December, always appearing anonymously. About 20 years after its first publication, in 1844, Moore included it in a book of his own poems. And by that time some newspapers had credited Moore as the author. Moore presented several handwritten copies of the poem to friends and organizations, including a copy given to the New York Historical Society.
The Dispute About Authorship
The claim that the poem was written by Henry Livingston dates to the 1850s, when descendants of Livingston (who had died in 1828) asserted that Moore was wrongfully taking credit for what had become a very popular poem. The Livingston family had no documentary evidence, such as a manuscript or a newspaper clipping, to support the claim. They simply claimed their father had recited to the poem to them as early as 1808.
The theory that Moore hadn’t written the poem was generally not been taken seriously. However, a scholar who uses “linguistic forensics” had claimed in 2000 that “A Night Before Christmas” was probably not written by Moore. His conclusion was widely publicized and widely disputed.
The Life and Career of Clement Clarke Moore
One reason for speculation about the authorship of the famous poem is simply because Moore was regarded as a very serious scholar. And a cheerful holiday poem about a “jolly old elf” is like nothing else he had ever written.
Moore was born in New York City on July 15, 1779. His father was a scholar and a prominent citizen of New York who served as the rector of Trinity Church and the president of Columbia College. The elder Moore administered the last rites to Alexander Hamilton after he was wounded in his famous duel with Aaron Burr.
Young Moore received a very good education as a boy, entered Columbia College at the age of 16, and received a degree in classical literature in 1801. He could speak Italian, French, Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. He was also a competent architect and a talented musician who enjoyed playing the organ and the violin.
Deciding to follow an academic career, rather than becoming a clergyman like his father, Moore taught for decades at the Protestant Episcopal Seminary in New York City. He published a number of articles in various newspapers and magazines. He was known to oppose the policies of Thomas Jefferson, and occasionally published articles on political subjects.
Moore would also publish poetry on occasion, though none of his published work was anything like “A Visit From St. Nicholas.”
Scholars could argue that the difference in the writing style could mean he didn’t write the poem. Yet it’s also likely that something written simply for the enjoyment of his children would be quite different than a poem published for a general audience.
Moore died in Newport, Rhode Island, on July 10, 1863. The New York Times briefly mentioned his death on July 14, 1863 without referring to the famous poem. In the following decades, however, the poem kept being reprinted, and it by the late 19th century newspapers regularly ran stories about him and the poem.
According to one such article, published in the Washington Evening Star on December 18, 1897, an 1859 edition of the poem published as a small book with drawings by a prominent illustrator, Felix O.C. Darley made "A Visit From St. Nicholas" extremely popular just before the Civil War. The poem has since been reprinted countless times, and recitations of it are a standard component of Christmas pageants and family gatherings.
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Christmas Poems Poems About Love For Kids About Life About Death About Friendship For Him About Family Tumblr For Her About Nature
Christmas Poems Poems About Love For Kids About Life About Death About Friendship For Him About Family Tumblr For Her About Nature
Christmas Poems Poems About Love For Kids About Life About Death About Friendship For Him About Family Tumblr For Her About Nature
Christmas Poems Poems About Love For Kids About Life About Death About Friendship For Him About Family Tumblr For Her About Nature
Christmas Poems Poems About Love For Kids About Life About Death About Friendship For Him About Family Tumblr For Her About Nature
Christmas Poems Poems About Love For Kids About Life About Death About Friendship For Him About Family Tumblr For Her About Nature
Christmas Poems Poems About Love For Kids About Life About Death About Friendship For Him About Family Tumblr For Her About Nature
Christmas Poems Poems About Love For Kids About Life About Death About Friendship For Him About Family Tumblr For Her About Nature
Christmas Poems Poems About Love For Kids About Life About Death About Friendship For Him About Family Tumblr For Her About Nature
Christmas Poems Poems About Love For Kids About Life About Death About Friendship For Him About Family Tumblr For Her About Nature
Christmas Poems Poems About Love For Kids About Life About Death About Friendship For Him About Family Tumblr For Her About Nature
Christmas Poems Poems About Love For Kids About Life About Death About Friendship For Him About Family Tumblr For Her About Nature
Christmas Poems Poems About Love For Kids About Life About Death About Friendship For Him About Family Tumblr For Her About Nature
Oh, i love thes poems! I like your collection of the best short Christmas poems. Thanks for sharing!
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