Sherry Chandler » Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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!
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
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.”
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, December 25, 1864, text from American Religious Poems (Library of America, 2006)
I was reminded of this old carol by a nice meditation on it by Daily Kos diarist kuulray.
No better wish can I think of for all of us, those wild, sweet words:
Peace on earth
Good will to all
Creeping crud & update — Reality shows its ugly face so soon. I do not want to think I’m on the same wavelength with this man. See the Vice President’s Christmas message here. Front image with some conversation about it at the Bag. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. Not.
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