City Bells. Richard Harris Barham (Thomas Ingoldsby) (1788-1845). Descriptive Poems: II. Nature and Art. Bliss Carman, et al., eds. 1904. The World's Best Poetry. VII. Descriptive: Narrative

Bliss Carman, et al., eds. The World’s Best Poetry.
Volume VII. Descriptive: Narrative. 1904.

Descriptive Poems: II. Nature and Art

City Bells

Richard Harris Barham (Thomas Ingoldsby) (1788–1845)


From “The Lay of St. Aloy’s” LOUD and clear
From the Saint Nicholas tower, on the listening ear,
With solemn swell,
The deep-toned bell
Flings to the gale a funeral knell;	5
And hark—at its sound,
As a cunning old hound,
When he opens, at once causes all the young whelps
Of the cry to put in their less dignified yelps,
So the little bells all,	10
No matter how small,
From the steeples both inside and outside the wall,
With bell-metal throat
Respond to the note,
And join the lament that a prelate so pious is	15
Forced thus to leave his disconsolate diocese,
Or, as Blois’ Lord May’r
Is heard to declare,
“Should leave this here world for to go to that there.”