How Florence Rings Her Bells
With shimmer of steel and blare of brass,
And Switzers marching with martial stride,
And cavaliers trampling brown the grass,
Came bow-legged Charles through the Apennine pass,
With black Il Moro for traitor guide;
And, passing by Pisa's ransomed towers,
He swept up stream over Arno's plain,
Where Florence garlands herself with flowers
From burgeoning vineyards and olive bowers,
And emerald furrows of sprouting grain;
And, flying and flaunting his pennons proud,
Crossed her bridges with naked sword,
And sware he would flourish his trumpets loud
And bristle his spears, save her beauty bowed
Itself to his stirrup, and owned him lord.
Then Savonarola's voice was heard
Swelling as Arno, storm-flushed, sweels,
And, with threat for threat, and with gird for gird,
Capponi flashed back the famous word,
``Then blow your trumpets, we'll ring our bells!''
And lo! as he spake, into street and square
Streamed Florentine burghers in grim array:
Then Charles, and Sforza, and groom Beaucaire,
Scared by the city they deemed but fair,
Shouldered their pikes, and passed away.
But now a Monarch more mighty far
Than ever from Gallic or Teuton throne
Swooped from the Alps upon wings of war,
Comes welcome as April and west winds are,
When Winter is over and mistral flown.
The Fair City peacefully rings her bells,
Rings her bells, and the loving peal
In the lazuline ether ascends and swells,
Till hoary turrets and convent cells
Feel young once more as the young buds feel.
And iris gonfalons scale her walls,
And rustic roses storm square and street;
In sound of her gates the cuckoo calls,
And the slow-swaying ox-wain creaks and crawls
'Twixt blossoming bean and beardless wheat.
In gabled pathway and shaded porch
Men gather and wait to acclaim ``The Queen'';
While over the wall, where the sunrays scorch
And the lizard is lost, the silvery torch
Of the fig is tipped with a flame of green.
And cypress spire and stonepine dome,
And circling mountain look on and smile,
Saying, ``Hitherward evermore seek your home,
When you traverse the furrows of fallow foam
That nourish with glory your Northern Isle,
And from weightier cares than a Caesar's brain
Pondered of old, would crave release;
Wise Ruler whose long victorious Reign
Imposes on love-loyal land and main
The fetters of proud Imperial Peace.''
poem by Alfred Austin
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Invocation
Where Apennine slopes unto Tuscan plain,
And breaks into dimples, and laughs to flowers,
To see where the terrors of Winter wane,
And out of a valley of grape and grain
There blossoms a City of domes and towers,
Teuton, Lombard, and grasping Gaul,
Prince and Pontiff, have forced their way,
Have forded the river, and scaled the wall,
And made in its palaces stye and stall,
Where spears might glisten and war-steeds neigh.
But ever since Florence was fair and young,
And the sun upon turret and belfry shone,
Were her windows bannered and joy-bells rung,
When back to his saddle the Stranger sprung,
And lances were lifted and pikemen gone.
Yes, ever and ever till you, my Queen,
Came over the sea that is all your own,
When the tear on the tip of the vine is seen,
And the fig-tree cressets have flamed to green,
And windflower wakened, and tulip blown.
Then roses were showered before your feet,
And her lily-crowned gonfalons waved above,
And children chanted in square and street,
`All hail to the Monarch may free men greet,
Whose sceptre is Peace, and whose Throne is Love.'
And now that each snow-torrent foams and falls,
And the oreoles sing and the skylarks soar,
And the lithe swallow circles her rose-white walls,
Through the clefts of the Apennine Florence calls,
`More welcome than Spring, come back once more!
`Come back, for the cuckoo is on its way,
And the mountains, smiling, await your smile;
And still in my olive-groves bask and stray,
Till the warm-winged waters and winds of May
Shall waft you back to your own loved Isle.'
`The sickle hath performed its work
`The sickle hath performed its work,
The storm-gusts sweep the aspens bare,
Careering clouds and shadows mirk
Cow the disheartened air.
`No swallow circles round the roof,
No chirp redeems the dripping shed;
The very gables frown reproof,
``Why not already fled?'''
poem by Alfred Austin
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Dedication To Lady Windsor
Where violets blue to olives gray
From furrows brown lift laughing eyes,
And silvery Mensola sings its way
Through terraced slopes, nor seeks to stay,
But onward and downward leaps and flies;
Where vines, just newly burgeoned, link
Their hands to join the dance of Spring,
Green lizards glisten from clest and chink,
And almond blossoms rosy pink
Cluster and perch, ere taking wing;
Where over strips of emerald wheat
Glimmer red peach and snowy pear,
And nightingales all day long repeat
Their love-song, not less glad than sweet,
They chant in sorrow and gloom elsewhere;
Where, as the mid-day belfries peal,
The peasant halts beside his steer,
And, while he muncheth his homely meal,
The swelling tulips blush to feel
The amorous currents of the year;
Where purple iris-banners scale
Defending wall and crumbling ledge,
And virgin windflowers, lithe and frail,
Now mantling red, now trembling pale,
Peep out from furrow and hide in hedge;
Where with loud song the labourer tells
His love to maiden loitering nigh,
And in the fig-tree's wakening cells
The honeyed sweetness swarms and swells,
And mountains prop the spacious sky;
Where April-daring roses blow
From sunny wall and sheltered bower,
And Arno flushes with melted snow,
And Florence glittering down below
Peoples the air with dome and tower;-
How sweet, when vernal thoughts once more
Uncoil them in one's veins, and urge
My feet to fly, my wings to soar,
And, hastening downward to the shore,
I spurn the sand and skim the surge,
And, never lingering by the way,
But hastening on past candid lakes,
Mysterious mountains grim and gray,
Past pine woods dark, and bounding spray
White as its far-off parent flakes;
And thence from Alp's unfurrowed snow,
By Apennine's relenting slope,
Zigzagging downward smooth and slow
To where, all flushed with the morning glow,
Valdarno keeps its pledge with hope;
And then,-the end, the longed-for end!
Climbing the hill I oft have clomb,
Down which Mugello's waters wend,
Again, dear hospitable friend,
To find You in your Tuscan home.
You, with your kind lord, standing there,
Crowning the morn with youth and grace,
And radiant smiles that reach me ere
Our hands can touch, and Florence fair
Seems fairer in your comely face.
Behind you, Phyllis, mother's pet,
Your gift unto the Future, stands,
Dimpling your skirt, uncertain yet
If she recalls or I forget,
With violets fresh in both her hands.
And next, his eyes and cheeks aflame,
See Other with his sword arrive;
Other, who thus recalls the name,
May he some day renew the fame
And feats, who boasts the blood, of Clive.
How sweet! how fair! From vale to crest,
Come wafts of song and waves of scent,
Whose sensuous beauty in the breast
Might haply breed a vague unrest,
Did not your presence bring content.
For you, not tender more than true,
Blend Northern worth with Southern grace;
And sure Boccaccio never drew
A being so designed as you
To be the Genius of the place.
But whether among Tuscan flowers
You dwell, fair English flower, or where
Saint Fagan lifts its feudal towers,
Or Hewell from ancestral bowers
Riseth afresh, and yet more fair;
Still may your portals, eve or morn,
Fly open when they hear his name,
Who, though indeed he would not scorn
Welcome from distant days unborn,
Prizes your friendship more than fame.
poem by Alfred Austin
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Ring Them Bells
Ring them bells yea heathen from the city that dreams
Ring them bells from the sanctuaries cross the valleys and streams
For they're deep and they're wide
And the world's on it's side
And time is running backwards and so is the bride
Ring them bells
Ring them bells
Ring them bells
Ring them bells!
Ring them bells Saint Peter where the four winds blow
Ring them bells with an iron hand so the people will know
That the rush hour is now on the wheel and the plow and the sun is going down upon the sacred cow
Ring them bells
Ring them bells
Ring them bells
Ring them bells
Ring them bells Saint Martha for the poor man's son
Ring them bells so the world will know that God is one
For the shepherd is asleep where the willows weep
And the mountains are filled with little lost sheep
Ring them bells for the blind and the deaf
Ring them bells for all of us who are left
Ring them bells for the chosen few who would judge the many when the game is through
Ring them bells for the time that flies
song performed by by Heart from Desire Walks On
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Silver Bells
(Jay Livingston/Ray Evans)
Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas day
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air
There's a feeling of Christmas
Children laughing
People passing
Meeting smile after smile
And on ev'ry street corner you'll hear
Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas day
Strings of street lights
Even stop lights
Blink a bright red and green
As the shoppers rush home with their treasures
Hear the snow crunch
See the kids bunch
This is Santa's big scene
And above all this bustle
You'll hear
Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas day
Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas day...
song performed by by Alan Jackson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Silver Bells
(Jay Livingston/Ray Evans)
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air there's a feeling of Christmas
Children laughing, people passing
Meeting smile after smile
And on every street corner you'll hear
Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas Day (Eve)
City street lights, even stoplights
Blinking bright red and green
As the shoppers rush home with their treasures
Hear the snow crunch
See the kids bunch
This is Santa's big scene
And above all the bustle you'll hear
Silver bells, (Silver bells)
Silver bells, (Silver bells)
It's Christmas-time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas Day
Soon it will be Christmas Day
song performed by by Jo Dee Messina
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Silver Bells
(Writers: Jay Livingston, Ray Evans)
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks,
Dressed in holiday style,
In the air there's a feeling of Christmas.
Children laughing, people passing,
Meeting smile after smile,
And on every street corner you hear.
Silver bells, silver bells,
It's Christmastime in the city.
Hear the bells go ding-a-ling, hear them ring,
Soon it will be Christmas day.
Strings of street lights, even stop lights
Blink a bright red and green
As the shoppers rush home with their treasures.
Hear the snow crunch, see the kids bunch,
This is Santa's big scene,
And above all this bustle you hear.
Silver bells, silver bells,
It's Christmastime in the city.
Hear the bells go ding-a-ling, hear them ring,
Soon it will be Christmas day...
song performed by by Travis Tritt
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A Christmas Carol
Hark! In the air, around, above,
The Angelic Music soars and swells,
And, in the Garden that I love,
I hear the sound of Christmas Bells.
From hamlet hollow, village height,
The silvery Message seems to start,
And, far away, its notes to-night
Are surging through the city's heart.
Assurance clear to those who fret
O'er vanished Faith and feelings fled,
That not in English homes is yet
Tradition dumb, or Reverence dead:
Nor, when anew from town-girt tower
Or fen-swept spire the Yule-bells peal,
Are those who watch o'er England's power
Too wise to pray, too proud to kneel.
Now onward floats the sacred tale,
Past leafless woodlands, freezing rills;
It wakes from sleep the silent vale,
It skims the mere, it scales the hills;
And, rippling on up rings of space,
Sounds faint and fainter as more high,
Till mortal ear no more may trace
The music homeward to the sky.
To courtly roof and rustic cot
Old comrades wend from far and wide:
Now is the ancient feud forgot,
The growing grudge is laid aside.
Bright on the board the gifts are spread,
The flagons gleam, the trenchers smoke;
The boar's is now the laurelled head,
Now is the Feast of simple folk.
The agëd tell of ancient cheer,
And boast 'twas merrier then than now;
The children shout `A glad New Year!'
And kiss beneath the berried bough.
But, in the pauses of their mirth,
The Heavenly Hymn is carolled still:
`Glory to God on high, on Earth
Peace, and to all mankind good-will.'
Peace and good-will 'twixt rich and poor!
Good-will and peace 'twixt class and class!
Let old with new, let Prince with boor,
Send round the bowl, and drain the glass!
That still behind the steely sea,
That guards our greatness like a sword,
The free-born children of the free
May own one law, one land, one lord;
And never in our midst may sound
Discordant voice or threat morose,
But every Year that circles round
May find and bind us yet more close.
But not alone for those who still
Within the Mother-Land abide,
We deck the porch, we dress the sill,
And fling the portals open wide.
But unto all of British blood,-
Whether they cling to Egbert's Throne,
Or, far beyond the Western flood,
Have reared a Sceptre of their own,
And, half-regretful, yearn to win
Their way back home, and fondly claim
The rightful share of kith and kin
In Alfred's glory, Shakespeare's fame,-
We pile the logs, we troll the stave,
We waft the tidings wide and far,
And speed the wish, on wind and wave,
To Southern Cross and Northern Star.
Yes! Peace on earth, Atlantic strand!
Peace and good-will, Pacific shore!
Across the waters stretch your hand,
And be our brothers more and more!
Blood of our blood, in every clime!
Race of our race, by every sea!
To you we sing the Christmas rhyme,
For you we light the Christmas-tree.
poem by Alfred Austin
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Silver Bells
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air there is a feeling of christmas
Children laughing, people passing
Greeting smile after smile
And on every street corner youll hear.
Silver bells, silver bells
Its christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling hear them ring
Soon it will be christmas day.
Strings of streetlights even stop lights
Blink a bright red and green
As the shoppers rush home with their treasures
Here the snow crunch, see the kids bunch
It santas big day
And above all the hustle youll hear
Silver bells, silver bells
Its christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling hear them ring
Soon it will be christmas day.
Silver bells, silver bells
Its christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling hear them ring
Soon it will be christmas day.
Soon it will be christmas day.
Soon it will be christmas day.
song performed by by John Prine
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Ring Them Bells
Ring them bells ye heathen from the city that dreams
Ring them bell from the sanctuaries, 'cross the valleys and streams
For they're deep and they're wide, and the world's on its side
And time is a-runnin' backwards and so is the bride
Ring them bells St. Peter where the four winds blow
Ring them bells with an iron hand so the people will know
Oh it's rush hour now. on the wheel of the plow
And the sun is a-goin' down upon the sacred cow
Ring them bells sweet Martha for the poor man's son
Ring them bells so the world will know that God is one
For the shepherd is asleep where the willow weep
And the mountain is filled with lost sheep
Ring them bells - for the blind and the deaf
Ring them bells - all those who are left
Ring them bells - for the chosen few
Who'll judge the many when the game is through
Ring them bells - for the time that flies
For the child who cries when innocence dies
Ring them bells St. Catherine from the top of the roof
Ring the bells from the fortress for the lilies that bloom
For the lines are long and the fighting is strong
And they're breakin' down the distance between right and wrong
song performed by by Alice In Chains
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Silver Bells
City side walks, busy side walks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air there's a feeling of Christmas
Children laughing
People passing
Meeting smile after smile
And in every corner you'll hear.
Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring a ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas day.
Strings of street lights
Even stop lights
Blink a bright red and green
As the shoppers rush home with their treasures
Hear the snow crunch
See the kids bunch
This is Santa's big scene
And above all the bustle you'll hear.
Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring a ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas day.
Soon it will be Christmas day.
Christmas day.
Silver bells.
Silver bells.
Silver bells...
song performed by by Kenny Chesney
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Silver Bells
(words & music by ray evans - jay livingston)
Silver bells, silver bells
Its christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be christmas day
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air theres a feeling of christmas
Children laughing, people passing
Meeting smile after smile
And on every street corner youll hear
Silver bells, silver bells
Its christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be christmas day
Strings of streetlights, even stoplights
Blink a bright red and green
As the shoppers rush home with their treasures
Hear the snow crunch, see the kids bunch
This is santas big scene
And above all this bustle youll hear
Silver bells, silver bells
Its christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be christmas day
song performed by by Elvis Presley
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Silver Bells
Written by jay livingston and ray evans
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks,
Dressed in holiday style.
In the air theres a feeling of christmas.
Children laughing, people passing,
Meeting smile after smile.
And on evry street corner you hear:
Silver bells, silver bells
Its christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be christmas day
Strings of street lights, even stoplights,
Blink a bright red and green
As the shoppers rush home with their treasures.
Hear the snow crunch, see the kids bunch,
This is santas big scene
And above all this bustle you hear:
Silver bells, silver bells
Its christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be christmas day.
Soon it will be christmas day.
song performed by by Vonda Shepard
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Silver Bells
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air theres a feeling of christmas
Children laughing, people passing
Greeting smile after smile
And on every street corner you hear
Silver bells, silver bells
Its christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be christmas day
Strings of street lights, even stop lights
Blink a bright red and green
As the shoppers rush home with their treasures
Hear the snow crunch, see the kids hunch
This is santas big scene
And above all the bustle you hear
Silver bells, silver bells
Its christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be christmas day
song performed by by Gloria Estefan
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Silver Bells
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air there? a feeling of Christmas
Children laughing, people passing
Meeting smile after smile
And on ev?y street corner you?l hear
Silver bells, silver bells
It? Christmas times in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas day
Strings of street lights
Even stop lights
Blink a bright red and green
As the shoppers rush
Home with their treasures
Hear the snow crunch, see the kids bunch
This Santas? big scene
And above all this bustle you?l hear
Silver bells, silver bells
It? Christmas times in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas day
song performed by by Trisha Yearwood
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Silver Bells
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air theres a feeling like christmas
Children laughing, people passing
Meeting smile after smile
And on every street corner you hear
Silver bells, silver bells
Its christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be christmas day
Strings of street lights
Even stop lights
Blink a bright red and green
As the shoppers rush home with their treasures
Hear the snow crunch
See the kids bunch
This is santas big scene
And above all the bustle you hear
Silver bells, silver bells
Its christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be christmas day
song performed by by Garth Brooks
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Ring Them Bells
Ring them bells ye heathen from the city that dreams
Ring them bell from the sanctuaries, cross the valleys and streams
For theyre deep and theyre wide, and the worlds on its side
And time is a-runnin backwards and so is the bride
Ring them bells st. peter where the four winds blow
Ring them bells with an iron hand so the people will know
Oh its rush hour now. on the wheel of the plow
And the sun is a-goin down upon the sacred cow
Ring them bells sweet martha for the poor mans son
Ring them bells so the world will know that God is one
For the shepherd is asleep where the willow weep
And the mountain is filled with lost sheep
Ring them bells - for the blind and the deaf
Ring them bells - all those who are left
Ring them bells - for the chosen few
Wholl judge the many when the game is through
Ring them bells - for the time that flies
For the child who cries when innocence dies
Ring them bells st. catherine from the top of the roof
Ring the bells from the fortress for the lilies that bloom
For the lines are long and the fighting is strong
And theyre breakin down the distance between right and wrong
song performed by by Gordon Lightfoot
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Silver Bells (feat. The London Symphony Orchestra)
Christmas makes you feel emotional
It may be parties or thoughts devotional
Whatever happens or what may be
Here is what Christmas time means to me
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air there's a feeling of Christmas
Children laughing, people passing
Meeting smile after smile
And on every street corner you'll hear
Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them sing
Soon it will be Christmas day
Strings of streetlights, even stop-lights
Blink a bright red and green
As the shoppers rush home with their treasures
Hear the snow crunch, hear the kids bunch
This is Santa's big scene
And above all this bustle you hear
Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas Day
Soon it will be Christmas Day
song performed by by Olivia Newton-John
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Silver Bells
(ray evans/jay livingston)
Christmas makes you feel emotional
It may be parties or thoughts devotional
Whatever happens or what may be
Here is what christmas time means to me
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air theres a feeling of christmas
Children laughing, people passing
Meeting smile after smile
And on every street corner youll hear
Silver bells, silver bells
Its christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them sing
Soon it will be christmas day
Strings of streetlights, even stop-lights
Blink a bright red and green
As the shoppers rush home with their treasures
Hear the snow crunch, hear the kids bunch
This is santas big scene
And above all this bustle you hear
Silver bells, silver bells
Its christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be christmas day
Soon it will be christmas day
song performed by by Olivia Newton-John
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Silver Bells
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air theres a feeling
Of christmas
Children laughing, people passing
Meeting smile after smile
And on every street corner youll hear
Silver bells
Silver bells
Its christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling
Hear them ring
Soon it will be christmas day
Strings of streetlights, even stoplights
Blink of bright red and green
As the shoppers rush home with their treasures
Hear the snow crunch
See the kids bunch
This is santas big scene
And above all the bustle youll hear
Silver bells
Silver bells
Its christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be christmas day
Soon it will be christmas day
song performed by by Martina Mcbride
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Alma Mater
A haunted town thou art to me.
-- Andrew Lang
To-day in Florence all the air
Is soft with spring, with sunlight fair;
In the tall street gay folks are met;
Duomo and Tower gleam overhead,
Like jewels in the city set,
Fair-hued and many-faceted.
Against the old grey stones are piled
February violets, pale and sweet,
Whose scent of earth in woodland wild
Is wafted up and down the street.
The city's heart is glad ; my own
Sits lightly on its bosom's throne.
* * * * * * *
Why is it that I see to-day,
Imaged as clear as in a dream,
A little city far away,
A churlish sky, a sluggish stream,
Tall clust'ring trees and gardens fair,
Dark birds that circle in the air,
Grey towers and fanes ; on either hand,
Stretches of wind-swept meadow-land?
* * * * * * *
Oh, who can sound the human breast?
And this strange truth must be confessed;
That city do I love the best
Wherein my heart was heaviest!