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Tidings: A Christmas Journey
‘Come with me
to St Pancras Old Church, on a little London hill...’
It’s Christmas Eve and on this enchanted night Charoum, the Angel of Silence, can speak. As night turns to day, he unfolds a resonant story of a little girl, a homeless man and a fox...
In the tradition of Charles Dickens and Dylan Thomas, Tidings takes us on a journey into the heart of Christmas, showing us celebrations down the ages and across the globe – as dawn sweeps from East Australia to Bethlehem, from London to the Statue of Liberty in New York.
This is Christmas in all its magic, reminding us that it is a time not only of good tidings, but of loneliness and longing, compassion and connection.
Beautifully illustrated and exquisitely musical, Tidings is a poem to be read out loud and cherished.
to St Pancras Old Church, on a little London hill...’
It’s Christmas Eve and on this enchanted night Charoum, the Angel of Silence, can speak. As night turns to day, he unfolds a resonant story of a little girl, a homeless man and a fox...
In the tradition of Charles Dickens and Dylan Thomas, Tidings takes us on a journey into the heart of Christmas, showing us celebrations down the ages and across the globe – as dawn sweeps from East Australia to Bethlehem, from London to the Statue of Liberty in New York.
This is Christmas in all its magic, reminding us that it is a time not only of good tidings, but of loneliness and longing, compassion and connection.
Beautifully illustrated and exquisitely musical, Tidings is a poem to be read out loud and cherished.
65 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2016
2 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Ruth Padel
55 books44 followersRuth is an English poet and writer. She has published poetry collections, novels, and books of non-fiction, including several on reading poetry. She has presented Radio 4′s Poetry Workshop, visiting poetry groups across the UK to discuss their poems.
Her awards include First Prize in the UK National Poetry Competition, a Cholmondeley Award from The Society of Authors, an Arts Council of England Writers’ Award and a British Council Darwin Now Research Award for her novel Where the Serpent Lives.
Ruth lives in London and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a Member of the Bombay Natural History Society, an Ambassador for New Networks for Nature, a Patron of 21st-Century Tiger and a Council Member of the Zoological Society of London.
Her awards include First Prize in the UK National Poetry Competition, a Cholmondeley Award from The Society of Authors, an Arts Council of England Writers’ Award and a British Council Darwin Now Research Award for her novel Where the Serpent Lives.
Ruth lives in London and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a Member of the Bombay Natural History Society, an Ambassador for New Networks for Nature, a Patron of 21st-Century Tiger and a Council Member of the Zoological Society of London.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 8, 2016
Ruth Padel is one of my favorite poets, so I jumped at the chance to read her new book-length holiday poem. Set across one Christmas Eve and Christmas day and narrated by Charoum, the Angel of Silence, the poem switches between Holly, a seven-year-old girl excited for Christmas, and Robin, a forty-four-year-old homeless man who follows a fox to a Crisis Centre. Here he gets a hot meal and some human kindness to make up for the usual bleakness of the holidays:
I especially liked the fragments that juxtapose this contemporary London story with centuries of history:
The poem also journeys to Jerusalem and Rome to survey a whole world of Christmas traditions, then and now.
It’s a lovely little volume, with the red, black and white theme offset by touches of gold. The illustrations are gorgeous, but the story line disappointed me: starting with the character names, it all felt rather clichéd. Padel has treated urban foxes much more successfully in her collection The Soho Leopard, and apart from a very few instances – like the above quotes – the verse struck me as largely undistinguished, even awkward (like the out-of-place clinical vocabulary in “Love, / and the lack of it, can change the limbic brain”). This means that, for me, this book fails to earn a place as a Christmas classic I’ll reread year after year.
My thanks to Cat Mitchell of Random House for the free review copy.
Originally published with images on my blog, Bookish Beck.
Christmas is the salt mine.
Salt in the wound, a nothing-time.
I was loved once. Who by? Can’t remember.
I especially liked the fragments that juxtapose this contemporary London story with centuries of history:
Up here the evening glides over golden moss
on the flat-top tomb of Mary Wollstonecraft
Pagan Christmas fizzes and teems with ghosts,
midwinter fires, mummers and waites, Yule
logs and mistletoe.
The poem also journeys to Jerusalem and Rome to survey a whole world of Christmas traditions, then and now.
It’s a lovely little volume, with the red, black and white theme offset by touches of gold. The illustrations are gorgeous, but the story line disappointed me: starting with the character names, it all felt rather clichéd. Padel has treated urban foxes much more successfully in her collection The Soho Leopard, and apart from a very few instances – like the above quotes – the verse struck me as largely undistinguished, even awkward (like the out-of-place clinical vocabulary in “Love, / and the lack of it, can change the limbic brain”). This means that, for me, this book fails to earn a place as a Christmas classic I’ll reread year after year.
My thanks to Cat Mitchell of Random House for the free review copy.
Originally published with images on my blog, Bookish Beck.
July 23, 2020
Back in the days before Covid made us socially distance and neurotic, a passage from this was read out on during the Carols from King’s College at Christmas. So impressed was I by this that Amazon was tasked to send me the book.
A prose poem, this follows the hopes of seven year old Holly and the trials of down and out Robin through the eyes of the angel Charoum over Christmas Eve and into Christmas Day. It is a short story really rather than a poem, despite the line layouts: Malcolm Guite is your man if you want something that looks and feels “poetic”. That said, the poem is designed to be read out loud, and the varied line breaks means that each section has its own personality, voice and sense of time.
The sweep and vision of this is vast: we span not just the world from sunrise in Australia to London but also parallels are made between the refugee status of Mary and Joseph and the folk in Syria, which links to Rome’s colosseum and catacombs and with Saint Pancras, which then links back to the eponymous station in London, where Robin’s humanity is recognised by the volunteer Mesoum and Holly gets her wish fulfilled. Was that all one sentence? Ah well. :)
The language is lovely, and there’s some delightful and evocative images, and the mystical dreamlike state means that our sense of location is dislocated, as the narrative spans two places, or two people, or two times simultaneously.
At times when now we are isolated, and our vision is limited (in some cases) to four walls, we need poetry to open up our vision and our minds not just to wider spaces but to wider humanity.
So come on, support artists, by the book and open yourself to the promise and mystery of Christmas.
A prose poem, this follows the hopes of seven year old Holly and the trials of down and out Robin through the eyes of the angel Charoum over Christmas Eve and into Christmas Day. It is a short story really rather than a poem, despite the line layouts: Malcolm Guite is your man if you want something that looks and feels “poetic”. That said, the poem is designed to be read out loud, and the varied line breaks means that each section has its own personality, voice and sense of time.
The sweep and vision of this is vast: we span not just the world from sunrise in Australia to London but also parallels are made between the refugee status of Mary and Joseph and the folk in Syria, which links to Rome’s colosseum and catacombs and with Saint Pancras, which then links back to the eponymous station in London, where Robin’s humanity is recognised by the volunteer Mesoum and Holly gets her wish fulfilled. Was that all one sentence? Ah well. :)
The language is lovely, and there’s some delightful and evocative images, and the mystical dreamlike state means that our sense of location is dislocated, as the narrative spans two places, or two people, or two times simultaneously.
At times when now we are isolated, and our vision is limited (in some cases) to four walls, we need poetry to open up our vision and our minds not just to wider spaces but to wider humanity.
So come on, support artists, by the book and open yourself to the promise and mystery of Christmas.
December 26, 2022
I loved Padel's modern Christmas fable, in which Charoum, the Angel of Silence, for one day and night follows Holly, a seven-year-old girl who has not spoken of the gift she most longs for, and Robin, a middle-aged homeless man who has not spoken to anybody about anything for many years.
It's a story that exemplifies Christian loving-kindness, without being preachy or mawkish. A quietly hopeful 5⭐ Oh, and a fox 🦊❤️
It's a story that exemplifies Christian loving-kindness, without being preachy or mawkish. A quietly hopeful 5⭐ Oh, and a fox 🦊❤️
December 21, 2020
This full-length narrative poem is told from the perspective of the Angel of Silence, who gains a voice for 24-hours each Christmas. As dawn breaks, he weaves through time and place, observing traditions that have come and gone, but primarily he watches over two people in London who are experiencing the holiday in very different ways: A 7-year-old girl full of excitement for the big day to arrive, and a 44-year-old homeless man who wanders the streets in the footsteps of an urban fox he has befriended.
The poem is admirable if heavy-handed in the delivery of its messages: that somewhere along the way, we have lost the true meaning of Christmas; that as much as it’s a time full of magic and wonder, it can also be a time of great sadness; and that through kindness and connection we can find hope.
There are a couple of nice turns of phrase, but for the most part I found the text itself very straightforward, lacking the visual flair or emotional resonance that would have made a lasting impact. As it is, this was a fine, well intentioned read, but not one destined to be a classic I’ll come back to each year.
The poem is admirable if heavy-handed in the delivery of its messages: that somewhere along the way, we have lost the true meaning of Christmas; that as much as it’s a time full of magic and wonder, it can also be a time of great sadness; and that through kindness and connection we can find hope.
There are a couple of nice turns of phrase, but for the most part I found the text itself very straightforward, lacking the visual flair or emotional resonance that would have made a lasting impact. As it is, this was a fine, well intentioned read, but not one destined to be a classic I’ll come back to each year.
December 24, 2022
This is an ambitious narrative poem that deals with the magic of Christmas, telling the stories of homeless Robin, the fox he loves, and 7-year-old Holly, who wants - more than anything - a dog for Christmas. It’s told from the perspective of Charoum, the Angel of Silence, who is given a voice for 24 hours.
At its best it shares some beautiful views of London, the poet’s hometown, overnight on Christmas Eve and into the early hours of Christmas Day. Few people are around in the centre at that time and Padel captures the beauty and isolation of the city superbly.
Long poems are difficult - for poet and for readers - and I like the way she has used different forms for each segment of her narrative so we are reading the same story but our eyes and ears don’t tire of the rhythm of the piece.
Homelessness is, of course, a complex issue and I think it would be hard enough to tell Robin’s story in 62 pages of prose. On the one hand, poetry gives us a chance to dip in and out episodically throughout his night. On the other hand, the lack of a full backstory is, I feel, ultimately problematic. The hints we are given of a difficult home life are statistically valid but reductive.
Each person who ends up living on the streets has a specific moment in which they fell through the housing net and it is always vivid and often surprisingly mundane - the final incident is usually entirely relatable to the lives of those of us with accommodation, and you only have to hear a couple of real-life narratives to realise “There but for the grace of God go I.” I think they say the average Londoner is no more than 6 pay-checks away from being out on the streets - perhaps that time-scale has lessened with our current national austerity.
I’m sure Ruth Padel knows this and didn’t mean to tell Robin’s past life in a reductive way. But the brevity of both book and form doesn’t help.
That said, I’m glad to have read this book this Christmas. And I can see why extracts from it have become favourites at London carol services. I’ll definitely return to passages in future - at Christmas and at other times.
Three Word Review: paean to London
At its best it shares some beautiful views of London, the poet’s hometown, overnight on Christmas Eve and into the early hours of Christmas Day. Few people are around in the centre at that time and Padel captures the beauty and isolation of the city superbly.
Long poems are difficult - for poet and for readers - and I like the way she has used different forms for each segment of her narrative so we are reading the same story but our eyes and ears don’t tire of the rhythm of the piece.
Homelessness is, of course, a complex issue and I think it would be hard enough to tell Robin’s story in 62 pages of prose. On the one hand, poetry gives us a chance to dip in and out episodically throughout his night. On the other hand, the lack of a full backstory is, I feel, ultimately problematic. The hints we are given of a difficult home life are statistically valid but reductive.
Each person who ends up living on the streets has a specific moment in which they fell through the housing net and it is always vivid and often surprisingly mundane - the final incident is usually entirely relatable to the lives of those of us with accommodation, and you only have to hear a couple of real-life narratives to realise “There but for the grace of God go I.” I think they say the average Londoner is no more than 6 pay-checks away from being out on the streets - perhaps that time-scale has lessened with our current national austerity.
I’m sure Ruth Padel knows this and didn’t mean to tell Robin’s past life in a reductive way. But the brevity of both book and form doesn’t help.
That said, I’m glad to have read this book this Christmas. And I can see why extracts from it have become favourites at London carol services. I’ll definitely return to passages in future - at Christmas and at other times.
Three Word Review: paean to London
December 29, 2021
Tidings is a narrative poem that tells, over the course of sixty pages, a Christmas story reminiscent of the great Christmas tales a la Dickens. It is even possible to read it more like a short story than a poem.
Ruth Padel shows us different aspects of Christmas through the eyes of Holly, a 7 year-old enjoying the night with her family and longing for a dog, and Robin, a homeless, disillusioned man, whose sole company is one of the many foxes of London town. It's a tale about childhood, and solitude, and how hard it is to come back into the world of men when you're an outcast. The writing is spellbinding, with a beautiful rhythm and musicality.
"Christmas is the salt mine.
Salt in the wound, a nothing-time.
I was loved once. Who by? Can’t remember." Says Robin.
Ruth Padel also reminds us that Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus were refugees and highlights the hypocrisy of our society regarding the migrant crisis. So it's a poem for and of our time, and it packs a few punches, even though it does so with subtlety and grace.
Despite (or maybe thanks to) those painful themes, the magic is there. Tidings brought back memories of my childhood and made me think of those timeless stories we share from one generation to the next. I will be happy to reread it every year, as a new Christmas Eve tradition.
Ruth Padel shows us different aspects of Christmas through the eyes of Holly, a 7 year-old enjoying the night with her family and longing for a dog, and Robin, a homeless, disillusioned man, whose sole company is one of the many foxes of London town. It's a tale about childhood, and solitude, and how hard it is to come back into the world of men when you're an outcast. The writing is spellbinding, with a beautiful rhythm and musicality.
"Christmas is the salt mine.
Salt in the wound, a nothing-time.
I was loved once. Who by? Can’t remember." Says Robin.
Ruth Padel also reminds us that Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus were refugees and highlights the hypocrisy of our society regarding the migrant crisis. So it's a poem for and of our time, and it packs a few punches, even though it does so with subtlety and grace.
Despite (or maybe thanks to) those painful themes, the magic is there. Tidings brought back memories of my childhood and made me think of those timeless stories we share from one generation to the next. I will be happy to reread it every year, as a new Christmas Eve tradition.
January 8, 2025
Loved it. A wonderful book. I first came across it when listening to an excerpt read as a lesson in the King’s College carols service a few years ago. it makes a massive impact on the listener- so appropriate for these troubled times in the world - and at the same time a very poignant story of a homeless man & a fox, & a little girl and her Christmas wish.
December 16, 2021
A beautiful story told in poetry from the perspective of the angel of silence. For one day a year the angel is able to speak and so narrates the story of a young girl praying for her Christmas gifts and a homeless man and his fox. A very short and sweet book.
December 31, 2025
Tidings is a quiet, compassionate prose poem that looks at homelessness at Christmas. It’s a small, sweet piece, but one that carries emotional weight, drawing attention to lives on the margins through simple, observant language. A thoughtful seasonal read that isn’t overly sentimental despite the subject-matter.
December 29, 2024
Lovely poem to read over Christmas
October 15, 2016
A Christmas poem, spoken by an angel, about a homeless man, a young girl and a fox, set in a snowy corner of London. Unusual and haunting. Wonderful illustrations and a stunning cover by Sarah Young.
December 18, 2016
Lovely little book. A poem about Robin a homeless man, Holly a little girl, a fox and the sunrise sweeping over London and other places.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews