I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day

This is the full version:

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.”

words and image stolen from http://www.cyberhymnal.org/

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About the author: cominus

Cominus is the pen-name for Dean Isaacson, who got involved in the GOP in 1983, the year my son was born. Chairman of the Snohomish County Republican Central Committee (Washington) 1990 to 1992. Conducted legal research for the late Supreme Court Justice William C. Goodloe for several years. In 1996, succeeded him to lead Judicial Forum (the year before he passed away). Moved to Idaho in 1999 and still reviews judicial candidates in the State of Washington. My core belief is you will choose to serve God or you will serve the state - tyrants, as William Penn called it.

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One Comment

  1. theoberg4
    Posted 07 Dec 2008 at 11:36 pm | Permalink

    Many songs written during war times are commonly sung. Our National Anthem for one. You forgot to give the name of the author (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), 1867) who looks a lot like you.

    I did also read your Christmas letter. Thank you for sharing.

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  • Solomon wrote there will be no end of the writing of books. If he lived now, he would decry the endless cacophony of electronic verbiage. Page after page of endless, mindless tripe. People selling something; people saying something. No body reading anything! If the page doesn't have pictures, [click] the viewer is gone. Everyone is looking for entertainment. No one is looking for substance. But we keep on writing and we think someone will read it. Oh, how we deceive ourselves -- convinced of our own immortality. Words, words, words . . . - cominus