Edwin Morgan stands as one of Scotland’s most influential poets, celebrated for his innovative explorations of language, technology, and humanity. Among his groundbreaking works is The Computer’s First Christmas Card, a poem written in 1968 when computers were still bulky, obscure machines mostly confined to universities and research labs. This poem brilliantly captures the early interaction between human language and computer-generated output, creating a playful, mysterious,
and deeply meaningful holiday greeting that transcends traditional forms.
This article delves into the significance of Morgan’s poem, its themes,
and why it continues to resonate in an era where digital communication dominates. We will also explore the poem’s broader cultural context—where art, technology, and poetry intersect.
Edwin Morgan: Poet of the Modern Age
Edwin Morgan (1920–2010) was a prolific Scottish poet and Glasgow’s first official Poet Laureate. Known for his experimental styles, Morgan embraced varied literary genres throughout his career. He was especially captivated by emerging technologies and their poetic potential—a fascination vividly illustrated in his computer-themed poems.
In the 1960s, Morgan turned to concrete poetry, a style where the visual arrangement of text is as important as its linguistic meaning. His The Computer’s First Christmas Card is a quintessential example, where the poem not only reads as text but resembles a computer printout,
highlighting the mechanical origins of its form.
The Context: Computers and Poetry in the 1960s
During the late 1960s, computing was a largely inaccessible and mysterious field. Early computers required programming via complex code, and their outputs were often unintelligible to the layperson. Against this backdrop, Morgan’s poem presented an imaginative scenario: a computer attempting to create a Christmas card greeting.
The Computer’s First Christmas Card was part of an experimental movement that sought to explore how machines might participate in artistic creation rather than just calculation. Morgan’s poem was even shown at the notable 1968 Cybernetic Serendipity exhibition in London,
highlighting the growing interest in computer-generated art.
Themes and Style of the Poem
At its heart, this poem presents a computer as a kind of endearing character attempting to emulate human warmth through the language of Christmas greetings—with limited success. Its phrases are charmingly awkward, using unusual word pairings like “jollymerry hollyberry jollyberry,”
mimicking the errors and quirks of machine output trying to “speak” English.
The poem:
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Decenters human language: Morgan invites readers to accept alternative modes of meaning production, acknowledging that computer language does not follow human logic but rather mathematical rules. Thus, the poem blurs distinctions between human and machine communication.
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Challenges linguistic norms: By playing with syntax and semantics, the poem captures a playful tension between meaningful language and computational errors, evoking humor alongside deeper reflections on communication.
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Creates a new poetic form: Through concrete poetry, the poem visually mimics a computer printout, reinforcing the poem’s technological identity.
Scholar Vlad Butucea suggests Morgan’s work encourages us to rethink language as a plural,
multifaceted system—not limited to human-centered norms—and that technology can have its own vibrant mode of expression.
Why The Poem Matters Today
Though written more than five decades ago, The Computer’s First Christmas Card remains profoundly relevant:
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Anticipates AI and digital creativity: Morgan’s poem foresaw debates around machine generated language, creativity, and communication well before artificial intelligence and chatbots became widespread.
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Explores the human-machine relationship: It invites contemplation on how modern digital tools mediate human culture, identity, and expression.
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Blends humor with philosophy: The poem’s playful tone softens complex questions about technology’s role in society, making it accessible and thought-provoking.
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Inspires contemporary digital artists and poets: Morgan’s melding of text, layout, and theme influenced subsequent generations exploring computer-assisted art.
Morgan’s Contribution to the Literary and Technological Dialogue
Through The Computer’s First Christmas Card, Morgan highlighted the computer’s potential not just as a scientific tool but also as a literary and artistic muse. His work illustrated how machines could slip into human cultural rituals,
such as sending holiday greetings, but also retain their distinct mode of “thinking” and “speaking.”
Morgan’s approach disrupts assumptions about the supremacy of human language and challenges readers to embrace other ways of making sense—a decidedly political act that aligns with his broader poetic mission to give voice to the “other,” whether aliens, monsters, or machines.
A High Authority Source for Further Reading
For those interested in exploring Morgan’s poem and its nuances more deeply, the Scottish Poetry Library provides the full text of The Computer’s First Christmas Card along with insightful notes and context:
The Computer’s First Christmas Card by Edwin Morgan – Scottish Poetry Library
Read More: How the Computer’s First Christmas Card Changed Holiday Greetings Forever
Conclusion: A Poem Ahead of Its Time
Edwin Morgan’s The Computer’s First Christmas Card stands as a witty and pioneering piece of literature at the intersection of art, language,
and machine technology. It challenges readers to reconsider the limits of communication and embraces the possibility that computers have their own distinct creative voice.
As digital communication continues to evolve, Morgan’s poem remains a touchstone for discussions about the coexistence of tradition and innovation, human warmth and artificial logic,
and poetry as a living, breathing, expanding form. This makes it not just a holiday curiosity but an enduring artifact of cultural and technological history.
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