I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

“The Light of Stars” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1839)

This early lyric by Longfellow offers a similar message of faith in midst of struggle as does “Christmas Bells.” In this poem, instead of auditory imagery, the speaker is focused on the visual, particularly the night sky. They look up to see “no light in earth or heaven / But the cold light of stars” (Lines 5-6). There is nothing tender in the image, but the speaker feels “the star of the unconquered will […] rises in my breast, / [s]erene, and resolute” (Lines 25-27), which gives him strength in his feelings of loneliness. The speaker then calls the poem a “psalm” (Line 30), which didactically tells the reader that “as one by one thy hopes depart / Be resolute and calm” (Lines 31-32). In this way, the reader will learn what a “sublime a thing it is / to suffer and be strong” (Lines 35-36). This idea of being strong during suffering is also present in “Christmas Bells.”

“The Three Kings” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1878)

This poem highlights the Biblical story about the Magi’s arrival at Christ’s birth. The story, which appears in the book of Matthew, is often conflated with the section regarding Christ’s birth in the book of Luke, which formed the basis of “Christmas Bells.” Thematically, the figure of Mary resembles the speaker in “Christmas Bells,” as she holds both “the joy of life and the terror of death […] mingled together in her breast” (Lines 54-55). The three kings gift the Christ child gold, frankincense, and myrrh, then move away. Mary bows her head in silent prayer and is comforted in “[r]emembering what the Angel had said / [of] an endless reign” (Line 24-25), which calls back moments from Luke 2:2-21. Reprieve is given again, as the three kings choose not to expose the holy child to Herod the Great, because they “knew his malice and feared his hate” (Line 69). Besides using the theme of Christmas, once again Longfellow has the “Right prevail” (Line 35) in a testing hour as in “Christmas Bells.”

“The Cross of Snow” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1879)

This sonnet for Fanny, written after her death, was found in Longfellow’s papers posthumously. While it does not directly relate to the composition of “Christmas Bells,” it does clarify Longfellow’s devotion to his wife, and his suffering regarding her departure that he “wear[s] upon his breast / [t]hese eighteen years” (Line 12). From most historical accounts, Longfellow was beside himself with grief after Fanny’s tragic death and this grief was still tantamount when he composed “Christmas Bells,” especially since his son Charles had just escaped being killed in the war. Here, even though Longfellow’s heart has “deep ravines” (Line 10), the white “cross of snow” (Line 12)—symbolic of his faith in Fanny—covers them, allowing him to go on, much like the pealing of the bells renews his faith in “Christmas Bells.”