Original Poem by Henry Wadworth 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!
I 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 Christmas song omitted two verses and rearranged the remaining. I can relate to Longfellow on this one.
What does the song mean to you?
