Vocabulary in The Bells

The noun “knell” means the stroke or ringing of a bell, but usually refers to the solemn ringing of bells during funerals or periods of morning. The “he” who does the ringing is again the king of the ghouls, underscoring the mournful, ominous mood that the poem evokes in its ending.

A “paean” is a song of praise, thanksgiving, or triumph. However, it’s used somewhat ironically here as the person whose “merry bosom swells” is the king of the ghouls, or perhaps the king of death. So instead of being a song of true merriment, this is more like the grim reaper’s rejoicing in the face of death.

The noun “ghoul” refers to an evil being that feeds on corpses in graveyards, but it can more broadly refer to evil spirits or phantoms. The reference to ghouls is one of the hallmarks of Poe’s style: a preoccupation with the scary, grim, and macabre. Poe’s description of the ghouls and funereal iron bells include aspects traditionally associated with gothic fiction—a morbid interest in shocking or repulsive things.

A “monody” is an ode, elegy, or dirge that is sung by one person alone to honor someone who has recently passed away. The term sets the mood for part IV of the poem, which is somber and dark, and suggests its subject matter: death. Iron, the material of the bells in this section, further emphasizes this effect as it is matte, heavy, and black.

The adjective “brazen” describes the bells in the third part of the poem. As a material, “brazen” means “brass”; as a characteristic, it means someone or something distinguished by being disrespectfully bold or shameless. The metal of the bells has become poorer in quality, from silver to gold to brass, which further signals a shift in mood between the second and third parts of the poem from celebratory to anxious, echoing the stress associated with mature adulthood. This is no longer a tale of childhood and love, but something unpleasant, or even menacing, heralded by the sound of impudent, or even defiant, bells.

The adjective “alarum” is the antiquated form of the word “alarm.” Poe probably relies on this form to maintain the meter of the poem. “The Bells” is largely composed of trochees, a rhythmic unit consisting of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable. Though there are many deviations from this pattern (the word “bells” usually hangs at the end of the line without an unstressed syllable to follow), it helps generate the poem’s lyrical quality.

The noun “euphony” means a pleasing sound or the quality of being joyful to listen to. Here, Poe makes explicit that the golden bells are pleasant and bring joy to those who can hear them—so much so that he describes the euphony as a “gush,” as though it were a fluid springing from the bells.

The noun “tintinnabulation” means a ringing or tinkling sound and is one of the many onomatopoeias threaded throughout the poem. Onomatopoeias are words in which the sound reflects the meaning, such as “hush,” “buzz,” or “tick tock.” The first two syllables of “tintinnabulation” sound like the metallic ringing noise that the poem seeks to evoke.

Poe uses the adjective “Runic” to describe the rhyming noise of the bells, which also refers to the rhyming of the poem itself. Runes were characters used as letters in several ancient European alphabets. This descriptor suggests the universality of the sounds of the bells, that they transcend the shifts in writing and language. It’s also a pun, as “runic” can also suggest that something is a puzzle or a riddle. With this reading, Poe invites readers to ponder the meaning behind the sound of the bells and within the lines of the poem.

A “sledge” is sleigh, such as the kind children play with in the snow. By beginning with the sound of sleigh bells, Poe develops a merry, playful mood that mimics an idyllic childhood.