Analysis of I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807 (Portland) – 1882 (Cambridge)



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 th'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 its way,
The world revolved from night to day
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men.


Scheme aaxB ccdB eedB ffxb aaxB
Poetic Form Etheree  (30%)
Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 11011101 11010101 01010101 11111111 11110111 0111100 1101110101 11111111 00011111 11111111 11110101 11111111 11011101 11111111 01110101 11111111 11010111 01011111 01010101 11111111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 731
Words 148
Sentences 6
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 28
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 111
Words per stanza (avg) 29
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 24, 2023

43 sec read
894

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. more…

All Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poems | Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Books

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