I love Edgar Allan Poe. So much of his work is melancholy and haunting (both literally and lyrically). For Poetry Friday today, I’m sharing a section from IV of “The Bells.” Earlier parts of the poem get shared often, but I rarely see the entire thing, so it’s been a long time since I read this:
The Bells
From Part 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–Edgar Allan Poe
You can read the complete poem here?(scroll down to second poem).
I don’t know why, when I’m feeling like a stone has steamrolled my own heart, I enjoy this so much. But I do.?My favorite bit is For every sound that floats / From the rust within their throats / Is a groan. So gorgeous.
Jone at Check It Out has The Poetry Friday Roundup today.
It truly is meant to be read aloud, isn’t it? Poe awes me with his precise and beautiful wording and rhyme. I like “What a world of solemn thought their monody compels!”. A long while ago I read many of the Dorothy Sayers mysteries and one, The Nine Tailors, is all about bell ringing and that the bells are named. It was fascinating and mysterious. I had no idea there was such an aura around bells in cathedrals, at least in the distant past. Thanks Myra.
I love the sound of bells ringing. I wish we had a church that did bells nearby. Don’t think I’ve ever read Nine Tailors–I’ll have to check it out!
I just realized I called you Myra. So sorry for the error, Laura. My only excuse is that it was very early in the am & I thought I was reading the Gathering Books blog & didn’t make sure. Please forgive me! And I did enjoy your post!
It truly is meant to be read aloud, isn’t it? Poe awes me with his precise and beautiful wording and rhyme. I like “What a world of solemn thought their monody compels!”. A long while ago I read many of the Dorothy Sayers mysteries and one, The Nine Tailors, is all about bell ringing and that the bells are named. It was fascinating and mysterious. I had no idea there was such an aura around bells in cathedrals, at least in the distant past. Thanks Myra.
I love the sound of bells ringing. I wish we had a church that did bells nearby. Don’t think I’ve ever read Nine Tailors–I’ll have to check it out!
I just realized I called you Myra. So sorry for the error, Laura. My only excuse is that it was very early in the am & I thought I was reading the Gathering Books blog & didn’t make sure. Please forgive me! And I did enjoy your post!
Last week I posted about the Hunchback of Notre Dame — I should have included a link to this with it! Thanks, Laura.
Last week I posted about the Hunchback of Notre Dame — I should have included a link to this with it! Thanks, Laura.