Christmas Bells by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A speaker hears Christmas bells proclaim peace and imagines their song circling the world. Cannon fire in the South drowns the carols, and the speaker despairs that hatred makes their promise false. The bells ring louder, answering with assurance that God remains watchful and right will prevail.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Christmas Literature, War Poetry · 316 words
First lines
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!
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — Seven rhymed stanzas follow a speaker's movement from hearing Christmas carols to despair and renewed religious assurance.
- Christmas Literature — Christmas Day bells and their recurring promise of peace organize the speaker's response to cannon fire and hatred.
- War Poetry — Cannon fire in the South overwhelms the carols, while an earthquake comparison conveys the devastation of households.
Tags
Christmas · bells · cannon fire · peace · despair · religious faith
What this Textopian page supports
Christmas Bells is listed on Textopian as a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Christmas Literature, War Poetry
- Length: 316 words
- Structure: 1 section, 7 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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- Work identity for Christmas Bells by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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