The Bells - Edgar Allan Poe
A Journey Through the Sounds of Life and Death
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.
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 all 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!
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 appeal 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!
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.
Overview of "The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe
"The Bells" is a richly textured poem that explores the emotional and symbolic resonances of bells through different stages of life and human experience. Written by Edgar Allan Poe, this piece captures his signature style of rhythmically compelling and evocative language.
Structure and Style
The poem is divided into four distinct sections, each corresponding to a different type of bell and the mood it evokes:
- Silver Bells: The first section describes sleigh bells, whose tinkling sound suggests joy and merriment. The imagery is light and playful, filled with crystalline delight and starlit nights.
- Golden Bells: The second section moves to wedding bells, symbolizing happiness and harmony. The golden notes resonate with warmth and love, floating melodiously through the balmy night air.
- Brazen Bells: The third section introduces alarm bells, which convey terror and chaos. These brazen bells scream in disharmony, reflecting panic and the frantic struggle against danger.
- Iron Bells: The final section deals with funeral bells, characterized by their solemn and melancholic tones. They evoke despair and the inevitability of death, tolling with a relentless monotony.
Themes and Symbolism
Poe uses the sounds of bells as powerful symbols to represent various phases of life:
- Life and Joy: Silver and golden bells symbolize the joyful aspects of life—childhood innocence and matrimonial bliss. Their sounds are harmonious and uplifting, embodying hope and celebration.
- Chaos and Fear: Brazen bells signify turmoil and fear, often associated with emergencies or crises. Their discordant sounds reflect the disruption and anxiety that accompany such moments.
- Death and Despair: Iron bells represent mortality and grief. Their somber tones echo the finality of death, creating an atmosphere of sorrow and reflection on human mortality.
Language and Imagery
Poe’s use of onomatopoeia brings the sounds of the bells vividly to life. Words like "tinkle," "jingling," "shriek," and "groan" mimic the auditory experiences they describe, enhancing the sensory impact of the poem. Additionally, his repetition of phrases such as "bells, bells, bells" creates a hypnotic rhythm that mirrors the persistent ringing of the bells themselves.
Emotional Resonance
Each section builds on the previous one, progressing from light-hearted joy to profound despair. This emotional arc reflects the journey of life itself—from the carefree days of youth to the inevitable confrontation with mortality. The poem's crescendo into darker themes underscores the transient nature of happiness and the omnipresence of death.
Conclusion
"The Bells" stands as a masterful exploration of sound and sentiment, using the simple motif of bells to delve into complex human emotions. Through meticulous attention to rhythm and detail, Poe crafts a haunting meditation on life, love, fear, and death—a timeless reflection on the human condition.
Key points
Edgar Allan Poe’s 'The Bells' uses rhythm, rhyme, and vivid imagery to symbolize life’s stages—from joy and celebration to sorrow and death—showing how sound evokes deep emotions and universal experiences. The poem reflects on the passage of time, the inevitability of change, and the haunting persistence of memory, teaching readers to appreciate both the beauty and melancholy in every phase of existence.
