Episode 85 - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Christmas 2025)

This Christmas 2025 episode will focus on the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It is this year's Christmas episode, of course, because Longfellow wrote the memorable poem Christmas Bells - which later became the Christmas hymn I Heard the Bells.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is one of America's most cherished poets, a writer whose moral vision, gentle piety, and lyrical craft helped shape the cultural and spiritual imagination of a nation. His life, marked by both literary achievement and deep personal sorrow, gave birth to works that continue to resonate strongly with Christians and lovers of Christmas traditions around the world. Among these, his poem Christmas Bells is the most enduring, reflecting Psalm 23's truth that faith can persist even through the darkest valleys of suffering.

Transcript

Hello, and welcome to Episode 85 of the Giants of the Faith podcast. My name is Robert Daniels and I am the host of this show. This Christmas 2025 episode will focus on the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It is this year's Christmas episode, of course, because Longfellow wrote the memorable poem Christmas Bells - which later became the Christmas hymn I Heard the Bells.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is one of America's most cherished poets, a writer whose moral vision, gentle piety, and lyrical craft helped shape the cultural and spiritual imagination of a nation. His life, marked by both literary achievement and deep personal sorrow, gave birth to works that continue to resonate strongly with Christians and lovers of Christmas traditions around the world. Among these, his poem Christmas Bells is the most enduring, reflecting Psalm 23's truth that faith can persist even through the darkest valleys of suffering.

To understand Longfellow's role in American Christmas culture and in the Christian world more broadly, it is important to look closely at the events and influences that shaped him. His upbringing in a devout New England home, the tragedies that tested his faith, the hope he found in God, and the poems that encouraged generations of believers all formed the foundation of a life marked by both beauty and grief. His poetry was not simply literary expression but an effort to make sense of God's presence in the joys and sorrows of human experience.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born on February 27, 1807, in Portland, Maine, which at the time was still part of Massachusetts. He came from a respected family with deep roots in early American and Puritan history. His father, Stephen Longfellow, was a well established lawyer and later a Congressman. His mother, Zilpah Wadsworth Longfellow, came from a prominent family and encouraged in her children a love for reading, storytelling, and moral reflection. She recognized Henrys sensitivity and imagination early in life and nurtured his interest in books and poetry.

The Longfellow home was shaped by a strong Christian foundation. The family attended First Parish Church in Portland, which was historically Congregationalist. Their religious life emphasized reverence for Scripture, the moral teachings of Christianity, and the belief that Gods providence guided the affairs of life. These influences became deeply rooted in Henrys mind and later found expression in his work. Although New England celebrations of Christmas during his childhood were more subdued than today's festivities, the season still carried themes of hope, warmth, and the joy of the birth of Christ. Such values would later appear in his poetry and help give shape to American Christmas traditions.

Longfellow showed exceptional talent from an early age. He attended the Portland Academy and later Bowdoin College, where he excelled academically. At thirteen, he published his first poem in a local newspaper, an achievement that surprised even his own family. When he graduated from Bowdoin in 1825, he did so near the top of his class, already demonstrating the skill and intellect that would characterize his career.

His education exposed him to classical literature, the moral seriousness of Protestant Christian thought, and the rising tide of European Romanticism. European Romanticism was a cultural, artistic, and intellectual movement that began in the late 18th century and peaked in the mid-19th century. It emphasized emotion, individualism, and nature over the Enlightenment's focus on reason. It was, in part, a reaction against industrialization - instead prioritizing personal experience, imagination, and the beauty of the natural world. These currents shaped his developing artistic voice, which would later blend moral reflection, spiritual warmth, and lyrical sensitivity.

After graduation, Longfellow was offered a professorship in modern languages at Bowdoin College, a rare opportunity for a young scholar. He traveled to Europe from 1826 to 1829 to study French, Spanish, Italian, and German. His time there influenced him profoundly. He encountered Christian art, ancient churches, and literary traditions that deepened his spiritual and poetic imagination. He returned to the United States more skilled, more reflective, and more aware of the long heritage of Christian thought that had shaped Western culture.

In 1831, Longfellow married Mary Storer Potter, a gentle and devoted young woman from his hometown. Their marriage was loving but tragically short. During Longfellows second European trip in 1835, Mary suffered a miscarriage and died unexpectedly at only twenty two years of age. Her death devastated him. The sorrow he felt became a lifelong burden but also added emotional and spiritual depth to his poetry. Though grief pressed heavily upon him, he clung to the Christian belief that God could bring meaning and hope even out of great suffering.

Longfellow accepted a position at Harvard University in 1836, where he began teaching modern languages. In 1843, after a patient courtship, he married Frances Fanny Appleton, daughter of the wealthy Boston industrialist Nathan Appleton. Fanny was intellectual and thoughtful, and their marriage was filled with affection, companionship, and shared interests. Together they raised six children: Charles, Ernest, Frances who died young, Alice, Edith, and Anne Allegra.

Their home, Craigie House in Cambridge, became a center of warmth, learning, and family joy. Christmas held a special place in the Longfellow household. Fanny especially loved the season, and Henry often read Scripture and poetry to the family by candlelight. These years were among the happiest of his life.

That happiness came to a sudden and tragic end in July 1861. While sealing envelopes with hot wax, Fannys dress caught fire. Longfellow tried desperately to extinguish the flames but was severely burned in the attempt. Fanny died the next day from her injuries. Longfellow, his face permanently scarred, entered a period of deep mourning. Christmas, which had once been a season of delight, now stirred painful memories. Yet even in sorrow, he clung to a quiet trust in God, seeking comfort in prayer and reflection.

While Longfellow struggled with personal loss, the nation itself struggled with the horrors of the Civil War. In 1863, his eldest son, Charles, enlisted in the Union Army without Henrys permission. Although Longfellow opposed slavery and supported the Union cause, he feared for his sons safety. His fears proved justified when Charles was gravely wounded in November 1863. Henry traveled to Washington to bring him home, nursing him through a long and painful recovery. These events weighed heavily on him during the Christmas season of that year.

It was on Christmas Day 1863, in the midst of grief, physical scars, and national turmoil, that Longfellow wrote the poem Christmas Bells. Hearing the church bells ringing across snowy Cambridge, he reflected on the contrast between the joyful message of Christmas and the painful realities of life. The poem begins with the familiar sounds of Christmas day, describing the traditional cheer of carols and bells. But it moves quickly into lament, acknowledging the violence and hatred tearing the nation apart. The poem reaches its emotional low point with the honest cry, There is no peace on earth.

Yet Longfellow does not remain in despair. Like the psalmists who pour out their grief before God and then return to faith, he ends with a proclamation of hope. God is not dead, nor doth He sleep, he writes. The bells remind him that the message of Christs birth, the promise of peace and redemption, remains true even in the darkest times. Christmas Bells is therefore not sentimental or superficial. It is realistic Christian faith, forged in the fires of suffering.

Nearly ten years later, in 1872, the poem was set to music as the hymn I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. It remains beloved by Christians around the world and is sung every Christmas as a reminder that the peace proclaimed by the angels in Bethlehem is a divine promise that will ultimately be fulfilled.

As the Civil War ended and Longfellow entered the later years of his life, he continued to be one of Americas most respected literary figures. His home became a place where visitors sought comfort, wisdom, and inspiration. He continued writing poetry, though the intensity of earlier years gradually softened into themes of reflection, history, and translation. His works such as The Song of Hiawatha, Evangeline, The Courtship of Miles Standish, and his translation of The Divine Comedy brought him immense fame.

Longfellow's poetry was known for moral clarity, spiritual warmth, reverence for Gods providence, and sympathy for human suffering. He had a unique ability to speak to ordinary readers, offering them comfort, encouragement, and beauty. He did not write in the style of a theologian, but his poetry carried a deeply Christian worldview shaped by hope, compassion, and trust in God.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow died on March 24, 1882, at the age of seventy five. His death was mourned across the United States and in many countries abroad. He was widely regarded not only as a great poet but as a moral teacher and a man whose life and writing had touched countless hearts. He was buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, near his beloved Fanny.

Longfellow's influence on American Christmas culture is profound. Through poems like Christmas Bells and The Three Kings, he helped shape the vision of Christmas as a season of family warmth, Christian reflection, and hope in the midst of struggle. His gentle spirit and compassionate outlook influenced how Americans came to celebrate Christmas in the nineteenth century and beyond.

For Christians, his legacy is especially meaningful. He wrote with a faith that acknowledged suffering without surrendering to it, and he presented Christmas not simply as a festive holiday but as a reminder of Gods love breaking into a broken world. His hymn I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day continues to encourage believers every year with its message that God remains sovereign and that His peace will one day prevail.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's life was a blend of joy and sorrow, success and heartbreak, struggle and hope. Through it all, he maintained a steady faith in God and used his gifts to help others see that Christs light shines even in the deepest shadows. And this certainly qualifies him as a Giant of the Faith.

As a postscript, there is a pretty good film entitled I Heard the Bells that can be found on the Great American Family Channel or for rent through Prime Video, YouTube, and other sources that dramatizes part of Longfellow's story. If you enjoy off-Hollywood Christmas movies I think you'll find it is worth the few dollars to rent or buy.

Thanks very much for listening. Until next time, God bless.

http://openhymnal.org/Lyrics/I_Heard_The_Bells_On_Christmas_Day-Waltham_Calkin.html

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10528

https://www.fbca.org/document/i-heard-the-bells-on-christmas-day-mp3/