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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote to a friend, "I do not believe anyone can be perfectly well, who has a brain and a heart." Where did he turn to find hope in his time of despair?
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The Civil War was a difficult period for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. His wife, Francis Appleton, died in 1861 after sustaining burns from her dress catching fire. Longfellow was devastated, and records in his journal the deep despair into which he fell.
Then, in 1864, he was reeling from the news that his son Charles Appleton Longfellow had been wounded in battle.
We hear and sometimes sing his carol I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY, and are reminded of the promise the angels gave the shepherds, that the coming of Jesus would mean peace on earth. In the middle of the Civil War, with the news of a wounded son, Longfellow fought for his faith in the midst of rising doubt that God was not in control of events.
Two key verses in this poem have fallen from use, and the poem does not carry the same power without them.
He starts off with faith and hope, that the message of "peace on earth" was vibrantly pealed out each Christmas....
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
But now in verse four, the reality of the Civil War and his wounded son hits home, and he reflects powerfully...
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 hearthstones of a continent
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Now is where we begin singing in our carol again, but without the previous two verses, the despair he is feeling makes no sense...
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.”
Has Longfellow lost hope? Where will his strength come from?
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.”
His faith and hope have revived. GOD IS NOT DEAD. He is on his throne, he reigns, he is in control, he has a plan, he is working his purposes, nothing is surprising him, he still has all power to control all events. Eventully, the wrong will lost, and the right will win, and the lion will lie down with the lamb, swords will be used for plowing, for they will have no other use. And that is the hope we have this Cristmas.
Then, in 1864, he was reeling from the news that his son Charles Appleton Longfellow had been wounded in battle.
We hear and sometimes sing his carol I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY, and are reminded of the promise the angels gave the shepherds, that the coming of Jesus would mean peace on earth. In the middle of the Civil War, with the news of a wounded son, Longfellow fought for his faith in the midst of rising doubt that God was not in control of events.
Two key verses in this poem have fallen from use, and the poem does not carry the same power without them.
He starts off with faith and hope, that the message of "peace on earth" was vibrantly pealed out each Christmas....
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
But now in verse four, the reality of the Civil War and his wounded son hits home, and he reflects powerfully...
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 hearthstones of a continent
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Now is where we begin singing in our carol again, but without the previous two verses, the despair he is feeling makes no sense...
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.”
Has Longfellow lost hope? Where will his strength come from?
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.”
His faith and hope have revived. GOD IS NOT DEAD. He is on his throne, he reigns, he is in control, he has a plan, he is working his purposes, nothing is surprising him, he still has all power to control all events. Eventully, the wrong will lost, and the right will win, and the lion will lie down with the lamb, swords will be used for plowing, for they will have no other use. And that is the hope we have this Cristmas.
