by Wanderwolf on Tue Dec 19, 2006 6:00 am
A magnificent (and big; this is one of the few times I've turned my laptop's magnifier off) piece of work, Ralph. Thank you for both the words and the beautiful artwork.
And for those of us whose year has been... well, less than harmonious... I present a well-worn poem from Longfellow, long since turned into a Christmas carol in its own right:
Christmas Bells
I HEARD the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."
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And to all of you who share this forum; a blessed, peaceful and merry Christmas.
Yours truly,
The wolfish,
Wanderer