Thomas Hardy’s “The Oxen” reflects the disillusionment of post-World War I Britain, where traditional beliefs clashed with modern skepticism. Set at midnight on Christmas Eve, the poem portrays Hardy’s nostalgia for childhood faith in the oxen kneeling in reverence. However, in adulthood, Hardy doubts the validity of such miracles revealing a society questioning long-held beliefs as it grapples with the aftermath of war.

This sentiment resonates profoundly with me. I was raised a devote Chrisitan, yet I struggle to reconcile the world’s suffering with the idea of a loving deity. I suspect that many – Christian or otherwise – can relate to the challenge of faith in our time.

Despite the skepticism, Hardy’s poem speaks to a universal human desire: to find comfort amidst uncertainty. I set this poem as a musical reflection of that longing and dedicated it to my son “hoping it might be so.”

-Alexander Nishibun