Christmas Bells

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 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.”

In 1864, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow added to the wealth of traditional carols. Bells of all sizes and tones carry magic, from the deep-throated bronze bells with their somber, ponderous tolling, to the tinkling silvery bells refreshing as a light rain shower, to the jingle of sleigh bells, perhaps the most magical of all for what they evoke: snow, horse-drawn sleighs, roasted chestnuts, hot chocolate, pine trees, bundling up warmly, and Santa and his reindeer.