The 1863 poem “Christmas Bells” was written by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow during the four years of the Civil War (from 1861 to 1865). He began writing the first two stanzas of the poem with optimism, but soon felt the sorrow of the war, along with the sorrow of losing his wife two years earlier and his oldest son then joining the war in 1863 against his father’s wishes.
His sorrow showed in the middle stanzas as he despaired of the bells message of peace on earth. The sounds of cannons firing and the households who lost their loved ones seemed to mock the message of peace on earth.
Then, as he concluded his poem, the message of the bells continued to bring hope that their faith in God would overcome the despair.
The original poem:
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.”
In 1956, Bing Crosby recorded the song “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” that was set to music in 1872. Crosby used only the stanzas 1, 2, 6, and 7 for his song, which have been used by many artists since.
Listen to the song by Andy Williams HERE.
I read that “Jingle Bells” was even earlier, written in the 1850’s. As a song, that is, not a poem.
If you want a good version, get Sinatra’s.
You can visit Longfellow’s home in Portland, ME. There’s a hidden garden behind it where you can enjoy the peacefulness. There’s a statue of him at the top of State St. There was a roundabout around it when I was a kid.
Speaking of Jingle Bells, twenty years or so ago, around Christmastime, marketeers, whom I generally despise, came up with a clever advert for J & B Scotch. It was a magazine commercial that read _ingle _ells, and underneath it said “All You need to add is J & B”.
Tim Buktu, I’ll drink to that!
Bingle Jells?