Follow road to trail then cross bridge and up hill to cache. Please use parking coordinates.
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First so definitions,
Belfries– Bell towers, usually a part of a church
Christendom– Worldwide community of Christians
Accursed– Under a curse
Forlorn– Sad and abandoned
Pealed- To ring loudly
The story begins with a peaceful Christmas:
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!
With many families serving in the Civil War a worry shocked the nation in 1861, Longfellow's own son was in the war too.
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!
Longfellow's wife had died while encasing a lock of her daughter's hair in candle wax, she caught herself on fire. Next his son was serverly wounded and Longfellow's grief is transpired.
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!”
Longfellow gained faith back due this devote Christian faith and finished his poem,
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.”
Despite your deepest troubles there is always hope to be found. Have a happy holiday season!
Two darker stanzas are missing from this version which is popular to do. Later the poem was adapted for song, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day and was included in the play A Christmas Carol.
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