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Rod Mackert's avatar

Many years ago, I encountered a post on some forum or blog where a prison inmate (recently released? I don’t remember) had posted this poem:

Bells Across the Snow

O CHRISTMAS, merry Christmas!

Is it really come again?

With all its memories and greetings,

With its joy and with its pain.

There’s a minor in the carol,

And a shadow in the light,

And a spray of cypress twining

With the holly wreath tonight.

And the hush is never broken

By the laughter light and low,

As we listen in the starlight

To the “bells across the snow.’

O Christmas, merry Christmas!

‘Tis not so very long

Since other voices blended

With the carol and the song!

If we could but hear them singing

As they are singing now,

If we could but see the radiance

Of the crown on each dear brow;

There would be no sigh to smother,

No hidden tear to flow,

As we listen in the starlight

To the ‘bells across the snow.’

O Christmas, merry Christmas!

This never more can be;

We cannot bring again the days

Of our unshadowed glee.

But Christmas, happy Christmas,

Sweet herald of goodwill,

With holy songs of glory

Brings holy gladness still.

For peace and hope may brighten,

And patient love may glow,

As we listen in the starlight

To the ‘bells across the snow.’

I later found it was written by the nineteenth century poet and hymn writer, Frances Ridley Havergal. I set the poem to music and recently recorded it, and I submitted it (combined with Christina Rossetti’s “In the Bleak Midwinter” as an EP called “Snow on Snow”) to my distributor for Spotify and other streaming services. Hopefully it will be live in a few days. In the meantime it can be accessed on Dropbox at https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/jamcqlf855eidusjv459w/AMDGJdi-oDSTOC7YWJLqCEY?rlkey=a3pbms9fll6vl2ox69e4o1qds&st=1kb2jqbk&dl=0

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Nikita Rosemary's avatar

Thank you for sharing that beautiful psalm

Here is piece I penned the other day which comes from my work on compassion and acceptance. I fail in thoughts but catch them immediately and stop the negative wrongs that defile the soul

Three Truths

Your words in script and speech are yours alone

What ever you do own the action taken

Ones thoughts are that which we live with

These three irrefutable truths determine our bearing and reflect who we are

Merry Christmas to you and All

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