I Heard the Bells

Katie Dillard

 “And the angel said unto them, Fear not…”

Luke 2:10a (KJV)

When Henry Wadsworth Longfellow famously penned “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” the sounds of Christmas were not of joy or peace but of war and suffering. Written in 1864, and just months before Lee’s surrender to Grant at the Appomattox courthouse, Longfellow manacled the deep despair that enslaved the people and set the sorrow to song. “And in despair I bowed my head, ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said,” seemed the pounding heartbeat of every individual; Longfellow took the sorrow and exchanged it for hope.

“God is not dead, nor doth he sleep,” was the chord that broke the silence. In 1861, Longfellow experienced the sudden death of his wife. While in the kitchen, Frances Longfellow’s dress caught fire and she died from serious burns. Amidst the wrenching pain, Longfellow turned to the only one who could give peace that passed all understanding. “For Christ is here; His Spirit near/ Brings peace on earth, good will to men.”

When the angel spoke to the shepherds, “Fear not,” he was affirming that the joyful sounds of Christmas emanate from the Prince of Peace, not from circumstantial stability or temporal pleasures. Longfellow testified of the same source of peace, and joy.

“Then happy, singing on your way,
Your world will change from night to day;
Your heart will feel the message real,
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Editor’s Note:

The following seven days are inspired by the seven stanzas of Longfellow’s original hymn:

I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY