Bells

After more than a month off, I return with some Christmas cheer.

During the War Between the States, a prominent poet was saddened by several pieces of bad news in his family. At least one of the pieces of bad news was the wounding of his son in battle.

He expressed his thoughts in poetry, which ran from hope to despair and back to hope.

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!'

The verses not directly related to the War of that time have come down to us set to music.

After all the Christmas songs that I've heard a few too many times this season, I nominate this one as the one I haven't heard often enough.

Posted by: karrde at 23:00 | No Comments | Add Comment
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