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Ask Not For Whom The Bell Tolls


I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
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
I 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
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"
Till, ringing singing, on it's way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
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!

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 hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
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 column to the left is the song, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” The column to the right is the poem “Christmas Bells” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It seems an appropriate song for our day, when so many are screaming their hatred. The version I grew up with had a baritone voice for this song, and when he got to last stanza, I always wanted to cheer. 
          Today, the hatred and mockery are in the background. In the foreground I’m facing a different sort of struggle, trying to figure out who the friends and who the enemies are – whether people or circumstances. 
          One of the things I love about this song is that it speaks to those who don’t find the holidays cheery parties with friends and family. I’m not the “rah rah” sort who loves holidays. I’d rather quietly consider what the holiday is about. The hoopla leaves me blue. I haven’t found the statistics, but a lack of holiday cheer affects enough people that each year, that every year, there are articles about it. 
          This song reminds me that there’s spiritual warfare going on. Normally, I reject the notion that life and my emotional response to it isn’t part of spiritual warfare. I’m “nobody.” I’m not some important person. There’s no reason for me to be spiritually attacked. And I could be entirely correct about that. There’s little need for anyone to spiritually attack me when I shoot myself in the foot so readily. At the same time, the winds and waves boisterous that caused Peter to sink were natural, normal circumstances. 
          But those winds and waves can disturb peace, no matter how natural they may seem. The reminder that “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep,” is one many people need this time of year.

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