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 as now this day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rung so long 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;
For Wrong shall fail, and Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men!"

Based on a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. In 1863, Longfellow's wife had died two years before in a fire. He had become badly burned himself trying to save her. His son, wounded in the Civil War, was partly paralyzed and required constant care. On Christmas Day in 1863, he listened to the bells peal from a distant church and wrote a poem of hope.