Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - Christmas Story

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow knew about tragic trauma. His oldest son, Charles, was badly wounded fighting for America in the awful Civil War. After that, his beloved wife, Francis, died when her gown caught fire from a candle and he had fought in vain to douse the flames, and he himself was severely burned. Then as he was sitting alone on Christmas , stricken with melancholia, with the war still raging, he heard the church bells chime, and was inspired to write this 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!
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!"