This morning, a borrowed poem.

There are verses you probably haven’t heard. Read them all.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it.

Peace on earth, goodwill to all.

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Christmas Bells

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow – 1807-1882\

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.

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About the Photo:

St Peter’s Church is in Chapel Street, Congleton, Cheshire, England.

St Peter’s has a peal of eight bells which are rung regularly. The earliest records from the reign of Elizabeth I show that bells in the old chapel had been cast by Henry Oldfield of Nottingham.