Traditores

Traitors for Christ

Menu
  • Home
  • Traditores Radio
  • About
    • About Traditores
    • Beliefs
    • Credits
  • Sermons
    • Sermon Audio
    • Sermon Notes
    • 2013-Present Audio
    • 2012 & 2011 Audio
    • 2010 Audio
    • 2009 Audio
  • Bible Reading
    • All 66 in One Year
    • All 66 in One Year (Mobile)
    • NT in One Year
    • NT In One Year (Mobile)
    • All 66 in One Leap Year
  • Contact Us
Menu
Ringing church bells

“Then pealed the bells more loud and deep…”

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Alan

Ringing church bellsThanks to a version done by Cloverton, “I Heard the Bells” has become my favorite Christmas hymn. Researching the song a bit I learned that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s original poem (“Christmas Bells”) differs a bit from what we sing. I like his poem better; it stops where it should:

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.”

(The hymn is shorter, and adds a verse after the last stanza.)

The poem is public domain, but credit where credit is due…I got it from Poets.org. 🙂

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Traditores needs some spring cleaning, which we'll slowly do over the winter and spring. Thank you for your patience...

Traitorous Site Search

Traitorous Favorites

  • Strasburg Church of Christ
  • Conversations About God

Traitorous Bible Search


Shorten Bible Ref (ESV.to)

Traitorous Categories

Traitorous Tags

Atheism Behavior Bible C.S. Lewis Christian Living Christmas Church Creation Culture Death Doubt Eternity Faith Forgiveness God God's Love Gospel Government Hell Holidays Homosexuality Incarnation Jesus Judgement Judgment Love Pagan Persecution Politics Pornography Prayer Providence Repentance Resurrection Salvation Science Second Coming Sin Society Temptation The Cross Theology Trust Worldview Worship

Traitorous Archive

©2009-2022 Alan Fahrner