I
Hear the sledges with the bells-
Silver bells!
What a world of merriment their melody foretells!
How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
In the icy air of night!
While the stars that oversprinkle
All the heavens, seem to twinkle
With a crystalline delight;
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
From the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells-
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.
II
Hear the mellow wedding bells,
Golden bells!
What a world of happiness their harmony foretells!
Through the balmy air of night
How they ring out their delight!
From the molten-golden notes,
And an in tune,
What a liquid ditty floats
To the turtle-dove that listens, while she gloats
On the moon!
Oh, from out the sounding cells,
What a gush of euphony voluminously wells!
How it swells!
How it dwells
On the Future! how it tells
Of the rapture that impels
To the swinging and the ringing
Of the bells, bells, bells,
Of the bells, bells, bells,bells,
Bells, bells, bells-
To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!
III
Hear the loud alarum bells-
Brazen bells!
What a tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells!
In the startled ear of night
How they scream out their affright!
Too much horrified to speak,
They can only shriek, shriek,
Out of tune,
In a clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire,
In a mad expostulation with the deaf and frantic fire,
Leaping higher, higher, higher,
With a desperate desire,
And a resolute endeavor,
Now- now to sit or never,
By the side of the pale-faced moon.
Oh, the bells, bells, bells!
What a tale their terror tells
Of Despair!
How they clang, and clash, and roar!
What a horror they outpour
On the bosom of the palpitating air!
Yet the ear it fully knows,
By the twanging,
And the clanging,
How the danger ebbs and flows:
Yet the ear distinctly tells,
In the jangling,
And the wrangling,
How the danger sinks and swells,
By the sinking or the swelling in the anger of the bells-
Of the bells-
Of the bells, bells, bells,bells,
Bells, bells, bells-
In the clamor and the clangor of the bells!
IV
Hear the tolling of the bells-
Iron Bells!
What a world of solemn thought their monody compels!
In the silence of the night,
How we shiver with affright
At the melancholy menace of their tone!
For every sound that floats
From the rust within their throats
Is a groan.
And the people- ah, the people-
They that dwell up in the steeple,
All Alone
And who, tolling, tolling, tolling,
In that muffled monotone,
Feel a glory in so rolling
On the human heart a stone-
They are neither man nor woman-
They are neither brute nor human-
They are Ghouls:
And their king it is who tolls;
And he rolls, rolls, rolls,
Rolls
A paean from the bells!
And his merry bosom swells
With the paean of the bells!
And he dances, and he yells;
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the paean of the bells-
Of the bells:
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the throbbing of the bells-
Of the bells, bells, bells-
To the sobbing of the bells;
Keeping time, time, time,
As he knells, knells, knells,
In a happy Runic rhyme,
To the rolling of the bells-
Of the bells, bells, bells:
To the tolling of the bells,
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells-
Bells, bells, bells-
To the moaning and the groaning of the bells.
Notes
The original idea for The Bells, is believed to have been given to Poe by his friend, Mrs Shew. An earlier draft, (titled, The Bells, By Mrs. M. A. Shew.) Contained only two stanzas, totalling seventeen lines and read...
I.
The bells!-ah, the bells!
The little silver bells!
How fairy-like a melody there floats
From their throats--
From their merry little throats--
From the silver, tinkling throats
Of the bells, bells, bells--
Of the bells!
II.
The bells!-ah, the bells !
The heavy iron bells!
How horrible a monody there floats
From their throats--
From their deep-toned throats--
From their melancholy throats!
How I shudder at the notes Of the bells, bells, bells--
Of the bells !
After two further amendments and additions, the poem was finally accepted for publication. For the final draft, Poe received $15 from Sartain's
From the handwritten manuscript, it is not clear from the spacings, quite how Poe intended it to be read, alas he died before he got the chance to confirm the typescript.
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Comments
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I had to memorize the first stanza to this poem, and I would enjoy but my grade school teacher at the time sort of ruined this poem for me. I still loved it though.
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hi
soooooooooooooooo bad
i can't find what i want -
bells and life
From guest João Freire (contact)
Apart from the ingenius flow of sound all through the poem (I can't read it out louid without actually singing it), I'm mostly interested in its contents, its meaning. And that's another evidence of Poe's genius. He didn't just write a poem that sounds good, he managed to reflect the stages of human life through the different bells (that's my interpretation, anyway). Stanza one: infancy (notice the repetition of the "i" sound, phonetically used within diminutives in all of the Geramnic and Latin languages) and the rather "childish" vocab. Stanza 2: he moves on to "wedding bells", i.e., the flower of life, reproduction. "How it dwells|On the Future!" - there is still much of it - seemingly. Then Stanza 3: war (I've hear people associate it with old age, decadence and the foresight of death, but I think this stanza is about war. Why else would they "clang, and clash, and roar" and be "angry" and "alarum bells" (alarum, i.e.: "A warning or alarm, especially a call to arms"?). And then finally death (stanza 5) with a less grim (or even rejoyceful) grand finale focusing on the renovation of this never ending circle. -
Hey, I remember doing that in high school. It's really very much an auditory poem; maybe I should link to an audio file of it, eh?
Oh, just so this isn't deleted: I like this poem! -
We listened to this poem in school and had to try to count all the bells.. man, that was CRAZY.. Awesome stuff.. I wonder if this is a piece he wrote while on drugs?? Good piece though..
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Proves what a genius Poe was. How many people could successfully use the word tintinnabulation in a poem and not sound contentious?
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This poem made me want to find a sledge hammer and smash every bell I could find. All I heard was bells, bells, bells! This was an exceptional write in order to make me hear bells when there weren't any to hear.
~Dee -
OMG-I love this poem! This poem is one of my alltime favorites of Edgar Allan Poe. He has become a real strong influence on my poetry a lot lately. Him, Emily Dickinison, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and many more to get into. I love Lord Byron! People, keep reading poetry, and keep writing the good stuff. Rock on and peace out. Sam
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I like the intensity dispalyed in this poem. When one reads Poe, you can't help but feel the emotion.
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this poem reminds me of emily dickinson's funeral in my brain...with all the bells causing a cacophony ( did i spell that right?)...i love this poem!
cassie -
This was the first poem of Poe's that I had read. It was in my English Honors class in eight grade, and we were studying the various types of poetry styles. Needless to say, Poe was one of the poets we spent an emese amount of time on. When I first read this, it just captivated me. The way he could make the bells almost come to life as you read haunted me... And left me yearning for more. Since then, I've picked up a few of his volumns, and I must say, I love them all so very much. Much respect for the beloved Edgar Allan Poe.
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I have to agree with Patricia... this is also one of my favorites. I know a great deal of this poem by heart because my grandfather recited it to me quite often when I was child. It's always a treat to see favorites here.
♥Kimberly -
One of my Poe favorites. I love the "bells, bells, bells,..." the repetition that is so melodic. I could listen to a good voice read this to me all day. Patricia
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I love this poem! In it Poe gives the different bells voices. Some laugh, others sing, while still others shriek and scream. It gives you quite a fascinating picture, I mean really lets you see it. You can see the silver bells tinkling on a clear winter night. Or the gold bells singing at a happy wedding. Or the brazen bells screeching out a warning to a town filled with chaos. Or the iron bells that make everyone stop and listen, and then go about their business in a more solemn manner. It is truly amazing.
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yeah its the best
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I am doing a report on E.A Poe, and this poem captures the melancholy melody of bells. Coming from a 12 year old, it may seem odd, but he rocks!!!!!
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Poe is such a genious when it comes to poetry. This was one of his poems that got me hooked on his writings. I love it! He has a certain rhythm to all his stuff that just makes it so fun to read.
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I read this freshman year at school.. Now I am a junior, and while I still don't believe I appreciate it as much as I should, I cannot believe how much more I like it after these two years have gone by. I remember that I hated this peice, it got on my nerves.. Now, while its still a tad bit repetitive for my taste, it's so much easier to read.
~Rose~ -
Poe is a true artist with his words. His words bore into your soul, reminding you of life happy, happy, okay, then suddenly death takes it's toil with loud bells. You come to relize how disastorous his life is, you can tell his past between his wonderous words. Poe was a wonderful, dark and twisted poet.
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We were talking in English class abous Poe's fabulous repitition talent, and how he did it in the Tell-Tale Heart. I underestamated my English teacher, I thought that he didn't do it that often because I had nver heard of such a quality of writting! I loved this piece, very wintery, reminds me of december!
Purplerose
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I really enjoyed this poem, and the way he has used language to create the sound of bells tolling, and therefore back up the story he is telling! A wonderful onomatopaeic write!
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I see a life within the lines of this write, a life that was cherished in the first two stanza's and for some abrupt reason it changed for the worse plummetting this life downward, spiraling in constant woe-filled sadness which is common place for Poe's writes. The repition was somewhat nice in the first two stanza's but after that I was wanting to scream in anguish from the constant ringing sound echoeing in my brain. I did think that the poem delivered a profound message and that it was very well crafted, but then again I do enjoy Mr. Poe's writes.
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Mr poe. i read this back in high school and did not appreciate it but i really love it now...thank you.,..
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As a child we read part of this poem in class, and the words rung in my mind as bells, chiming, clanging, tolling their rythm into me, and I fell in love. The words came alive on the page and in my mind, echoing steadfast, poetic, and lovely. I could not suppress a grin, and now, as before, I still love it!
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Not to come across rude because he is a wonderful artist, but i can't stand this poem there is way to much repetion. I like annabel lee a lot better
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themes are woven. The other basic effect is provided by the sounds of the
words themselves. Apart from the deliberately onomatopoeic words like
'tintinabulation', the poem abounds with sonorants[3], and pure vowels (as
opposed to diphthongs) that lend it a bell-like clarity and resonance.
After this, the poem separates into verses, the form of each verse being
shaped by its underlying theme. Thus, the first verse has short vowels and
precise sounds, mimicking the 'sledges with the bells-- silver bells'. The
second verse has a more mellow sound, with the longer, deeper 'o' and the
softer 'e' replacing 'i' as the dominant vowel, and the next two verses
likewise evoking dissonance (shorter syllables, more hurried lines, harsher
consonants) and an almost Hardyish sense of time and death (heavy
repetition, far less vibrant sounds). Of course, these aren't standalone
effects, but rather both rely on and reinforce the actual content of the
verse.
cool poem
, take care
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love the rythm of the poem, bells metal that makes a ringing sound when struck ,The poem needs very little explanation, but it's interesting[1] to see how it
does what it does, and since it exemplifies a lot of the things I like about
Poe, and indeed about poetry in general, I thought it'd be a nice idea to
examine it in some detail.
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To me, Poe had always been a genius when it came to writing. While you read this (which is better to do outloud then to yourself) you can actually feel the chiming of the bells within as well as the changing of the peice. At first everything is merry and content, but it's as if somewhere within the middle of hte peice the bells have started to drive him mad, which with Poe happened a lot within his works. He had a way with words that could never be reproduced again by anyone no matter how hard they tried. I myself am a huge Poe fan, and although this is not one of my favorite peices by him, it is still his nonetheless so I can see the beauty within it. If only I could have half the talent he possessed.
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Like the repition of bells ringing is beautiful and melodious so is the repition in this poem I love this, never wold say I am a fan, but because I am a bell my self (last name) I have to find a personal connection to this poem. He did a wonderful job capturing the repition of the bells.
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this was terrific, Mr. Poe
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I love this poem! Edgar Allen Poe is my favorite poet. I also love the Raven by him!
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awesome... the repetition works, and the rhyming is perfect. I love this..
~Autumn -
"Mama said that every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings..."
I do like this piece. I am not a huge Poe fan, but this one I have always liked. I think the repetition is clever, as bells ringing is quite repetitious in and of itself. I LOVE Poe's A Dream Within A Dream the best though. Now that one speaks to me! Thanks for sharing.
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I love this poem, Poe has really worked out a great rhythm in this piece to give it, its chiming rhyming sway. (Always read aloud, I can't help but say this with an Irish accent which highlights the lyrical aspect so well.)
An excellent piece which I'm certain will still be enjoyed in another hundred fifty years as it is today and on its day.
Andrew
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This is certainly one of my favorite pieces...it rings with the sounds of the bells...Edgar Allen Poe is my favorite...the sad thing is that he was capable of turning even a song about the merry ringing of bells into something almost morbid...yet each bell seems to have its own mood, and that definitely is delightful...this is certainly one of my favorite poems.
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I love this poem, it's like one of those songs that you get stuck in your head. It has such wonderful ryhthm and us not quite as dreary some of his other writings seem to be
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Oh, oh! Am I the only one who has read this 'sort of Runic rhyme'? This poem had me clanging and twanging to Poe's various moods of bells. Delightful. Magnificent. This is a work of art. A true thriller in the deepest sense of the word. It is more than a poem. It is actually 'bells'. If one reads this aloud, one can actually feel their pulsing. Some bells are agitated, some merry, some gloating, some positively frightening, and some toiling and slaving away at their misery. This poem is not really about bells. It is the best - undoubtedly - the best summing up of characters I have ever read. READ THIS ONE ALOUD!
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