I Heard the Bells... in 1864

The form in which this carol comes to us may leave us wondering, 'Why does the poet so suddenly shift from apparent joy at the Christmas bells to such despair?'

The question is clearly answered when we look two verses of the original poem that are not included in the hymn (marked as vv. 4 and 5 below). In these verses Longfellow speaks of the horrors of the American Civil War then tearing the country apart. In fact, his own son had recently been seriously wounded in that conflict. (The death of Longfellow's wife in 1861 may also have contributed to his mood.) Little wonder he is tempted to despair. And yet he concludes with the resounding affirmation, "God is not dead!" Through the Savior whose birth the angels celebrated, God will accomplish what he has promised.

CHRISTMAS BELLS

1. 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.

2. I 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.

3. 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.

4. Then from each black, accurséd mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

5. 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!

6. 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.'

7. 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.'


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©1998 Bruce L. Johnson
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