The Professor
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- Mar 4, 2011
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One of my favorite Christmas songs is “I Heard the Bells on Christmas day.” The song delivers the perfect Christmas message; the ultimate triumph of faith over doubt and despair. The lyrics are from a poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and the story behind the poem is both tragic and inspiring.
Longfellow and his wife Fanny had been married 18 years and had five children when misfortune struck. On July 11, 1861, Fanny had just trimmed their young daughter’s hair and wanted to preserve a few strands in an envelope which she tried to seal by using hot sealing wax. In the process her dress caught fire and she was quickly engulfed in flames. Longfellow bravely extinguished the flames with his own body, but was unable to save his wife. Fanny died the next morning and Longfellow's face arms and hands were severely burned making it impossible for him to attend her funeral.
On Christmas day following his wife's death, Longfellow wrote, “How inexpressibly sad are all holidays.” On the next Christmas (1862), still depressed, Longfellow wrote in his journal, "'A merry Christmas' say the children, but that is no more for me."Almost a year later, Longfellow's oldest son Charles, a lieutenant in the Army of the Potomac was badly wounded; he survived but was crippled. Personal tragedy and the ongoing Civil War had caused Longfellow to doubt his faith. Then, something mysterious and wonderful happened; some force or influence known only to Longfellow intervened and rekindled his spirit and gave him hope. On Christmas Day of 1864, his faith restored, he wrote "Christmas Bells." Here are the three most popular verses:
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.”
The following rendition of the song is one of my favorites. I hope you guys and gals enjoy it.
Longfellow and his wife Fanny had been married 18 years and had five children when misfortune struck. On July 11, 1861, Fanny had just trimmed their young daughter’s hair and wanted to preserve a few strands in an envelope which she tried to seal by using hot sealing wax. In the process her dress caught fire and she was quickly engulfed in flames. Longfellow bravely extinguished the flames with his own body, but was unable to save his wife. Fanny died the next morning and Longfellow's face arms and hands were severely burned making it impossible for him to attend her funeral.
On Christmas day following his wife's death, Longfellow wrote, “How inexpressibly sad are all holidays.” On the next Christmas (1862), still depressed, Longfellow wrote in his journal, "'A merry Christmas' say the children, but that is no more for me."Almost a year later, Longfellow's oldest son Charles, a lieutenant in the Army of the Potomac was badly wounded; he survived but was crippled. Personal tragedy and the ongoing Civil War had caused Longfellow to doubt his faith. Then, something mysterious and wonderful happened; some force or influence known only to Longfellow intervened and rekindled his spirit and gave him hope. On Christmas Day of 1864, his faith restored, he wrote "Christmas Bells." Here are the three most popular verses:
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.”
The following rendition of the song is one of my favorites. I hope you guys and gals enjoy it.
