Ring Out, Wild Bells by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Some thoughts…

On the Poet: Tennyson (1809 – 1892) was among the fortunate few poets who enjoyed both literary eminence and popular appeal during his lifetime. His admirers included Queen Victoria who appointed him Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Ireland, and who told him that his poem ‘In Memoriam A.H.H.’ had brought her solace after the death of Prince Albert.

On the Poem: This poem is from ‘In Memoriam’ the elegy he wrote for ‘A.H.H’ – Arthur Henry Hallam – a dear friend who prematurely died of cerebral hemorrhage at the age of twenty-two.

Tennyson introduced many phrases into the English language, so many that he probably goes uncredited for them. An example can be seen in this very poem: Ring out the old, ring in the new.

Hallam was not just Tennyson’s friend; he was soon to have become a family member. He was engaged to Tennyson’s younger sister. Elsewhere in this blog, there’s a post on another work of his, ‘Break, Break, Break’, a poem that more directly expresses the raw grief of losing a loved one. ‘Ring Out, Wild Bells’ is among the last of the poems in the elegy, and by this point Tennyson seems to have worked through his anguish and seems nearer to finding closure –

The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die…

…The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more.

These lines would seem indicative of the poet’s catharsis. Released from the grip of personal loss, he seems tentatively ready to relinquish mourning and embrace life once more –

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells…

Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

The remainder of the poem is a paean to the idealism, noble values, and faith that are a hallmark of Tennyson’s work.

On a Personal Note: In our irreverent times, Tennyson’s style might be considered emo. I find him authentic. Perhaps it’s best to let grief have its way with us when it must. It’s tiring to pretend that we’re okay when we’re not. There are ways to channel pain – creative expression, work, friends and family, solitude…whatever works for you.

Whether we find light at the end of the tunnel or not depends on our individual disposition. Life goes on regardless of how we feel; and that I find, is a great motivator in itself. No matter what we have gone through there is still beauty in Art and Nature; humor to be found within and without; and a sense of purpose to Being. I wish my Readers all this and more in 2020. Happy New Year.