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.