Alfred, Lord Tennyson, (1809-1892) was an English poet. He was born in Lincolnshire and studied at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was poet laureate of England, succeeding Wordsworth. He devoted himself to poetry. His poems are noted for their beauty of expression. 1 Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky, The flying cloud, the frosty light; The year is dying in the night: 2 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. 3 Ring out the grief that saps the mind, 4 Ring out a slowly dying cause, And ancient forms of party strife; Ring in the nobler modes of life, With sweeter manners, purer laws. 5 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. 8 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. HELPS TO STUDY Notes and Questions For what were the bells described in this poem ringing? How are the bells described in the first stanza? How is the sky described in this stanza? Read the words in the second line which tell what gave this appearance to the sky. How can you explain this descrip tion of the bells? How does the poet describe the bells in the second stanza! Read the line in the second stanza which tells what the poet hopes will go with the old year. What does he hope will come in with the new year? How does the poet's beautiful hope explain his description of the bells in this stanza? Read the lines in the fourth stanza which tell what the poet hopes will come in with the new year. "party strife' What do you think the poet meant by "sweeter manners''? What does the mention of "sweet er manners'' and ''purer laws" in the same line tell you of the importance of manners? Read what Tennyson tells us about manners in another poem and see if this will help you to understand: "For manners are not idle, but the fruit Of loyal nature and of noble mind.'' How does Tennyson describe his own poetry in the fifth stanza? What does he mean by a "fuller minstrel''g What efforts are being made to end war? What is meant by the "darkness of the land''? How does the public school help to "ring out" this darkness? Words and Phrases for Discussion "nobler modes of life" "purer laws" "valiant man and free' "'false pride" "" 'common love of good" "'lust of gold" "larger heart' |