Ian,

Joe Offer has posted the full text of Longfellow's original poem--written in 1864 and published in 1867--along with a link to the story of how the poem and the carol came to be. (See "Lyric Req:"I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day")

BTW, I'm not sure how I got " some foul dragon's mouth" out of "each black, accursed mouth," but it looks like my memory got imaginative. The two verses I was seeking are:

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!

These are the fourth and fifth verses of Longfellow's poem.

Please check out the "I Heard The Bells" thread for further discussion.

Genie