suggested reading method
To best savour this artwork, please take a moment to eliminate distractions. Consider minimizing all other windows on your computer; putting other devices (phone, tv etc) aside; taking a deep breath, to the full extent of your lung capacity; and focusing solely on the “artwork” section.
Once you’ve processed that to your satisfaction, the rest of the post is optional reading, provided only to share my own impressions and reasons for choosing this piece.
artwork
Ring Out, Wild Bells
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, 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 sweeter manners, purer laws.
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.
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.
by Lord Alfred Tennyson, an excerpt from 1850’s In Memoriam, online via panmacmillan.com.
interpretation
Each new year invites a flood of social media posts: people love to publicly reflect on their growth areas and accomplishments. In particular, I’ve seen a trend of posting lists of “ins,” “outs” and “keeps” for the next year, referring to things people want to invite in, leave behind, or continue doing. Well, turns out Alfred Lord Tennyson did that before it was cool - nearly two hundred years ago.
I wanted to choose an older poem to remind myself (and you, if you’re reading this far!) that there is wisdom in these timeless ideas. We still want to avoid rehashing old feuds, and we still aspire to virtues like peace and goodness, with the eternal hope that next year will be better.
The simple rhyme and rhythm echo this faith in tradition, yet there are some unusual turns of phrase that keep the poem interesting. I would not have thought to call “lust of gold” “narrowing,” although I can see how greed makes people shortsighted. And to want to ring in “the fuller minstrel” suggests Tennyson wants his poetry to encompass a wider range of strong emotions, not just “mournful” sadness.
That desire for broader emotional range may be Tennyson’s wish for next year, and you might be wondering about mine? I will spare you personal reflection, mainly because I don’t feel drawn to alter anything significant. My largest New Year’s resolution is to keep on keeping on. I am writing from Jakarta, Indonesia, where I rung in the new year amidst sad news of earthquakes in Japan and jubilant, residential fireworks. I know enough change will happen on its own, and amidst the chaos, the ability to maintain some semblance of routine and normalcy will be a source of comfort. If anything, I am recommitting to the values I already hold dear.
Whatever you want for this year, I wish you the good health and wherewithal to make that possible!
context
Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809 - 1892) was a British poet, and the Poet Laureate for much of Queen Victoria’s reign. He was inspired by the dramatic Romantic movement in poetry and artwork, and in turn inspired the descriptive, detailed Pre-Raphaelite movement. Some of his most famous poems include “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” “Break, Break, Break” and “In Memoriam.”
Do you have New Year’s resolutions? If not, more simply: what would you like to keep doing, or do more? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
I can imagine the literal ringing and hollering of those words of Tennyson in the night as a new year dawns. I celebrated my new year on the solstice by walking the labyrinth of light. Reflecting on the past year and repeating the mantra “let go”. I haven’t made any resolutions per se. This year will be about pursuing higher goals that I haven’t let myself reach for as I don’t feel worthy of them. Working through counselling and trying to get my creativity back. Sending peace to you in this new year. 🕊️