Monday, December 21, 2009

I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day


I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”



The Story Behind The Song

Wikipedia

Photo by Anita Phillips
Poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

3 comments:

  1. One of my favourite carols that is! Thanks so much for sharing!

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  2. It is a favorite of mine, too! Thanks for your comment.

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  3. One more comment - I just love the Harry Belafonte version of this song - it is so heartfelt and expressed with the sad emotion that the lyrics seem to evoke, which is why I chose it for this post.
    It's a beautiful, sad lyric, but gives hope at the end - surely we have all felt this way.

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