Hope in the darkness

The Christmas carol, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow  was written in 1863 during the middle of the American Civil War. His eldest son, Charley, had gone to war, but was seriously injured and had to return home. Two years earlier, Wadsworth’s beloved wife died after her clothes caught on fire. Henry had tried to put the flames out, but the injuries were so severe that she died the next day. He was also seriously burned and couldn’t even attend his wife’s funeral.

The words, “peace on earth, goodwill to men” which we hear during the Christmas season seemed somewhat out of place under the circumstances in Wadsworth’s life, as well as in the world.

Read the first three stanzas of the poem that was later put to music.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807-1882)

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And mild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, goodwill 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, goodwill 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, goodwill to men!

Now, Wadsworth switches gears in his poem as he acknowledges the reality of what was going on in the world around him.

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, goodwill to men!”

Like in Wadsworth’s day, we too feel the tension between the state of the world, and hope for the future.

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, goodwill to men.”

Longfellow ends his poem with hope for the future. God wins in the end and there is peace for all who trust in the Lord.

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Check out the Christmas movie, I Heard the Bells, based on the life of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and the story behind this Christmas Carol.
(2022 Movie) 

Here is a link to the trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKRc3BykJvg