Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE MERRY BELLS OF ENGLAND, by RANN KENNEDY Poet's Biography First Line: You hear, as I, the merry bells of england Last Line: Upon life's daily mind. Subject(s): Bells; England; English | ||||||||
YOU hear, as I, the merry bells of England: Can any country of the same extent Boast of so many? -- in their size and tone Differing, yet all for harmonies combined: Cluster'd, in frequent bands, through towns and cities, Lodgment they find in many a village tower And tapering spire, that crowns an upland lawn, Or peeps from grove and dell; while now and then, Modest and low, a steeple ivy-clad, Behind a rock, reveals its whereabout To the lone traveller, only by their tongue. Art's work they are, yet in their tendency, Somewhat like nature to the human soul. Raised up 'twixt earth and heaven, they speak of both; They speak to all of duty and of hope -- They speak of sorrow, and of sorrow's cure. 'T is happy for a land and for its people, When the full spirits of the young and old Shall thus flow out in artlessness of sport. Waters, long pent, may swell to monstrous danger, Sullen and still, with deluge in their power. Far otherwise 't will be, when timely vents Give them to run in many a babbling rill Through vales or down the rocks, and then disperse, Yet leave a green effect on laughing fields -- Still more and more we hear those pealing bells -- How true in tone they are! . . . . . . . Sweet bells, oft heard, and most, if their discourse Shall meet life's daily ear, act wholesomely Upon life's daily mind. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...NINETEEN FORTY by NORMAN DUBIE GHOSTS IN ENGLAND by ROBINSON JEFFERS STAYING UP FOR ENGLAND by LIAM RECTOR STONE AND FLOWER by KENNETH REXROTH THE HANGED MAN by KENNETH REXROTH ENGLISH TRAIN COMPARTMENT by JOHN UPDIKE |
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