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 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.”
This poem is in the public domain.
Thank you for joining us on The Book Dialogue in 2022. We look forward to entering Season 4 in 2023 and sharing the joy and adventure of reading.
All the very best of this festive season to you and yours.
Sarah & Rebecca
The Book Dialogue 
Wonderful reciting of a timely and memorable poem, Rebecca and Sarah! Very enjoyable the way you alternated with the verses. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Dave! I am glad that Sarah read the last stanza. I always feel the tears flow because of all that is happening around us. Sometimes it is very difficult to see “peace on earth goodwill to men,” but I remind myself that we can shed light into the dark places simply by creating compassionate communities. That is what you do, Dave. Thank you for a great 2022!! Looking forward to 2023 and the adventures/conversations that will come our way.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll admit that I teared up from beginning to end.
LikeLiked by 1 person
🤗🤗🤗
LikeLiked by 1 person