{"id":753,"date":"2010-12-04T05:59:19","date_gmt":"2010-12-04T05:59:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.everywritersresource.com\/poemeveryday\/?p=753"},"modified":"2023-12-08T01:53:28","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T01:53:28","slug":"christmas-bells-by-henry-wadsworth-longfellow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.everywritersresource.com\/poemeveryday\/christmas-bells-by-henry-wadsworth-longfellow\/","title":{"rendered":"CHRISTMAS BELLS by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

CHRISTMAS BELLS<\/h2>\n

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
\nTheir old, familiar carols play,
\nAnd wild and sweet
\nThe words repeat
\nOf peace on earth, good-will to men!<\/p>\n

And thought how, as the day had come,
\nThe belfries of all Christendom
\nHad rolled along
\nThe unbroken song
\nOf peace on earth, good-will to men!<\/p>\n

Till, ringing, singing on its way,
\nThe world revolved from night to day,
\nA voice, a chime,
\nA chant sublime
\nOf peace on earth, good-will to men!<\/p>\n

Then from each black, accursed mouth
\nThe cannon thundered in the South,
\nAnd with the sound
\nThe carols drowned
\nOf peace on earth, good-will to men!<\/p>\n

It was as if an earthquake rent
\nThe hearth-stones of a continent,
\nAnd made forlorn
\nThe households born
\nOf peace on earth, good-will to men!<\/p>\n

And in despair I bowed my head;
\n“There is no peace on earth,” I said:
\n“For hate is strong,
\nAnd mocks the song
\nOf peace on earth, good-will to men!”<\/p>\n

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
\n“God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
\nThe Wrong shall fail,
\nThe Right prevail,
\nWith peace on earth, good-will to men!”<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) was the most popular American poet of his day. He achieved widespread fame with works like “Paul Revere’s Ride,” The Song of Hiawatha, and “The Wreck of the Hesperus” that idealized American history and landscapes. Though born in Portland, Maine, Longfellow spent much of his youth traveling Europe. These early travels inspired a lifelong interest in European cultures and traditions which he incorporated into his poetry. After returning to America, Longfellow accepted a professorship at Harvard College, becoming one of the first American academics focused on developing a genuinely American national literature. Known for his flowing rhyme schemes, use of folklore themes, and melancholic tone, Longfellow created accessible works that resonated powerfully with the public during his lifetime and after his death from peritonitis at age 75. More than just a famous name, Longfellow left an enduring mark on American letters through poems that gave a new nation myths and stories of its own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CHRISTMAS BELLS 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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10224,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,429,480],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-1800s","category-christmas-poems","category-henry-wadsworth-longfellow"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t