The Poetical Works of George Barlow In Ten [Eleven] Volumes |
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 | The Poetical Works of George Barlow |  |
78
“THE SONG OF THE BELLS”
Once more, once more, rings out on earth
The old glad sound of Christmas mirth;
Once more the ivy-wreaths we twine
And again the bright red berries shine;
Hearts that were severed are one to-day
And sad souls dare to hope and pray;
Jealousy, envy, hatred, scorn,
All die in the light of Christmas morn.
The chorus swells
Of the Christmas bells:
Merry and loud is the song of the bells.
The old glad sound of Christmas mirth;
Once more the ivy-wreaths we twine
And again the bright red berries shine;
Hearts that were severed are one to-day
And sad souls dare to hope and pray;
Jealousy, envy, hatred, scorn,
All die in the light of Christmas morn.
The chorus swells
Of the Christmas bells:
Merry and loud is the song of the bells.
Yet, as the red glad berries gleam,
Some sadness mixes with our dream.
So many we loved have passed away
Who once were with us on Christmas Day;
Before next Christmas heart from heart
In sorrow and gloom may have to part;
Sweet is the sound of the bells that chime,
Yet some hearts mourn at Christmas-time.
The chorus swells
Of the Christmas bells,
But sadness lurks in the song of the bells.
Some sadness mixes with our dream.
So many we loved have passed away
Who once were with us on Christmas Day;
Before next Christmas heart from heart
In sorrow and gloom may have to part;
79
Yet some hearts mourn at Christmas-time.
The chorus swells
Of the Christmas bells,
But sadness lurks in the song of the bells.
Not wholly pain and sad-eyed grief
Claim golden berry and fair green leaf;
Rather the message of hope and love
To-day descends on earth from above;
Though rivers be frozen and fields be white
The keen stars glitter with added light;
In countless hearts the gladness glows
That comes with the holly, not with the rose.
The chorus swells
Of the Christmas bells:
“Labour and hope” is the song of the bells.
Claim golden berry and fair green leaf;
Rather the message of hope and love
To-day descends on earth from above;
Though rivers be frozen and fields be white
The keen stars glitter with added light;
In countless hearts the gladness glows
That comes with the holly, not with the rose.
The chorus swells
Of the Christmas bells:
“Labour and hope” is the song of the bells.
| The Poetical Works of George Barlow | |