The words to this familiar carol were written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on Christmas Eve 1863, while our nation was in the midst of the bloody Civil War.
It was a tumultuous time for the country, as well as a time of personal tragedy for Longfellow. His second wife, Frances, had died in 1861 as a result of burns sustained when her dress caught fire. The beard Longfellow wore for the remainder of his life was to cover facial scars he received while trying to save Frances’ life. The next year — in 1862 — his son, Lt. Charles A. Longfellow, was severely wounded in battle.
I am sharing only four of the verses here, but there are other verses in the original poem — including two verses which express Longfellow’s gloom and despair in the winter of ’63.
Inspired by the ringing out of the church bells on Christmas Eve, Longfellow penned the words to his poem “Christmas Bells,” in an effort to express his belief that the power of God would transcend the horrors of war, as well as the tragedies of his personal life.
The poem was later set to a tune composed by John Calkin.
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There are many national and personal tragedies in play during this Christmas season 2010. It’s my prayer that rather than focusing on the problems of this world, we may all tune our hearts to the Christmas bells — so that within our own hearts will ring God’s melody of hope and love!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
…from Little Things
