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.
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."
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I've always liked that carol. Ironically, Bush cited lines from it at the end of his December 18th address to the nation. Like he would know anything about "Peace on Earth, goodwill to men."
ReplyDeleteYes, this is one of my favorites too. But, I chose it because of the content and because, if memory serves, Longfellow wrote it during the Civil War a time, if possible, even darker than ours.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, JC, what a mockery for Fearless Leader to quote this poem!!! Don't get me started. Everything that no good SOB does raises my blood pressure.