I heard the bells on Christmas Day
\nTheir old, familiar carols play,
\n And wild and sweet
\n The words repeat
\nOf peace on earth, good-will to men!<\/p>\n
And thought how, as the day had come,
\nThe belfries of all Christendom
\n Had rolled along
\n The unbroken song
\nOf peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till ringing, singing on its way,
\nThe world revolved from night to day,
\n A voice, a chime,
\n A chant sublime
\nOf peace on earth, good-will to men!<\/p>\n
Then from each black, accursed mouth
\nThe cannon thundered in the South,
\n And with the sound
\n The carols drowned
\nOf peace on earth, good-will to men!<\/p>\n
It was as if an earthquake rent
\nThe hearth-stones of a continent,
\n And made forlorn
\n The households born
\nOf peace on earth, good-will to men!<\/p>\n
And in despair I bowed my head;
\n“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
\n “For hate is strong,
\n And mocks the song
\nOf peace on earth, good-will to men!”<\/p>\n
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
\n“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
\n The Wrong shall fail,
\n The Right prevail,
\nWith peace on earth, good-will to men.”<\/p>\n
–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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…<\/span><\/p>\n