Ring Out, Wild Bells
By Lord Alfred Tennyson
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying clouds, 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 the sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the care of 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.
Campanology.
The unknown art despised by the ignorant.
How oft mankind exert their utmost powers,
to find amusement for their leisure hours.
While some in bowls or cricket will unite,
and in such healthful exercise delight,
others in chess or music fix their mind,
requiring practice of no trifling kind.
Those who are gifted with a tuneful voice
in singing glees or such like strange rejoice.
While some to far less noble arts descend,
there time thus wasted oft in ruin end.
Then why should ringing be set down as nought,
by some who never give the science a thought?
its exercise amusement doth impart
to those who are proficient in the art.
In it our energies are all required,
mental and physical and zeal untired.
Its compositions intricate are found,
while in its changes harmony abound.
-This poem is displayed in Nuneaton Church Belfry, Warwickshire.
When GO is called we don't depart
At STAND it's time to sit
Our HUNT does not involve a fox
By BLOWS no one is hit
ROYAL for us involves no Kings
Though QUEENS may there be found
No one is tempted to revolve
When comes the call GO ROUND
When STRIKING we are hard at work
The BALANCE you have to feel
Five COURSES do not make a feast
But just a QUARTER PEAL
A SINGLE ringer may be spliced
A SPLICED one still unwed
And when we shout to someone BOB
It may be Jo or Fred
When LEADING WRONG we may be right
When IN we're not at HOME
DELIGHT may bring us all to grief
SURPRISE may well be known
So if you watch us at our task
And hear the words we call
There's only one you'll know and love
The merciful THAT'S ALL!
This page was last updated on 10/1/03
