3rd Day Christmas Past Question and Story

Posted by on Dec 14, 2016 in Christmas Past 2016 | 13 comments

Untitled-2On the 3rd Day of Christmas Past, a Carol that we sing.
Question: Who was inspired to write the words found in the hymn “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” and why?

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The Story Behind “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”

One of America’s best known poets, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), composed the words to “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” on December 25th 1864.  The carol was originally a poem, “Christmas Bells,” containing seven stanzas. Two stanzas were omitted, which contained references to the American Civil War, thus giving us the carol in its present form. The poem gave birth to the carol, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” and the remaining five stanzas were slightly rearranged in 1872 by John Baptiste Calkin (1827-1905), who also gave us the memorable tune.

As with any composition that touches the heart of the hearer, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” flowed from the experience of Longfellow– Tragedy struck both the nation and the Longfellow family in 1861. The opening shots of American Civil War rang out on April 12th, and Fanny Longfellow was fatally burned in an accident in their library on July 10th.

His wife’s death – Fanny, Henry’s wife, had just finished trimming one of their daughter, Edith’s, beautiful curls.  She decided to preserve the clippings in sealing wax. Melting a bar of sealing wax with a candle, a few drops fell unnoticed upon her dress. Through an open window a sea breeze blew, igniting the light material of Fanny’s dress– immediately wrapping her in flames. In her attempt to protect Edith and Allegra, she ran to Henry’s study in the next room, where Henry frantically attempted to extinguish the flames with a nearby rug.  Failing to stop the fire with the rug, he tried to smother the flames by throwing his arms around Frances– severely burning his face, arms, and hands. Fanny Longfellow died the next morning. Too ill from his burns and grief, Henry did not attend her funeral. (Incidentally, the trademark full beard of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow arose from his inability to shave after this tragedy.)

The first Christmas after Fanny’s death, Longfellow wrote, “How inexpressibly sad are all holidays.” A year after the incident, he wrote,”I can make no record of these days. Better leave them wrapped in silence. Perhaps someday God will give me peace.” Longfellow’s journal entry for December 25th 1862 reads: “‘A merry Christmas’ say the children, but that is no more for me.”  It seemed as though all Christmases were now filled with despair.

Worry for his son – Almost a year later, Charles Appleton Longfellow (Henry’s son) who was 17 years old, ran away in the middle of the night not leaving a note as to where he was going.  He hopped aboard a train and headed for Washington D.C. to join Mr. Lincoln’s Army. He was by no means the first or the last youth that simply couldn’t stay home while so many of his peers were off participating in the great adventure of the Civil War, but he may have been the most prominent runaway from Boston and possibly New England that year. His father had not wanted him to go enlist.

Upon arrival in Washington Charley went to Captain W. H. McCartney, and asked to enlist. Captain McCartney, who knew the boy, did not want to enlist this young man without his parent’s approval so he immediately wrote Henry Wadsworth Longfellow asking his advice. To his credit, or perhaps knowing his son’s personality, HWL (as his son called him) gave permission for Charley to enlist.  He proved to be a natural soldier. He grasped the elements of drill, camp, and military life with amazing aptitude. He became a great favorite with his fellow artillerymen and showed decided leadership skills, which commended him to his superior officers and he quickly rose in rank.

However, on December 1, word was received to Henry that Charles had been severely wounded from a bullet passing under his shoulder blades and taking off one of the spinal processes. If he survived there was a great chance he would never walk again.  Henry and his younger son, Ernest, left at once for Washington, D.C. where they finally met up with Charley and brought him home. They reached Cambridge on December 8 and Charles began the slow process of recovering. As Henry sat nursing his son on Christmas morning  he felt an overwhelming thanks and peace for his son’s survival and penned the following poem (original words to “Christmas Bells”):

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.”

It seemed that he could now find peace.  Longfellow’s Christmas bells loudly proclaimed, “God is not dead.  Even more, the bells announced, “Nor doth He sleep.”  God’s Truth, Power, and Justice are affirmed, when Longfellow wrote: “The wrong shall fail, the right prevail.”  The message that the Living God is a God of Peace is proclaimed in the close of the carol: “Of peace on Earth, good will to men.”  His Christmas focus changed from sorrow of missing his wife to an awe of his son’s life being spared.

What could we allow the Christmas bells to bring peace and awaken in us this Christmas?

 

Taken from:

http://www.suvcw.org/mollus/art005.htm

http://www.whatsaiththescripture.com/I.Heard.the.Bells.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Heard_the_Bells_on_Christmas_Day