I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day 

"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 hearthstones 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 
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned this poem that has become a mainstay of the Christmas repertoire each year. Here, the hope for the peace on earth meets head-on with the reality of the Civil War.

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