I have a tradition of selecting and creating a video reading of a famous poem at Christmas.
This year I’d like to share Ring Out Wild Bells by Alfred Tennyson, which I chose for its uplifting theme of redemption.
Although Tennyson was describing a religious redemption, and return to Christ, I find this poem ultimately profound in the context of our modern day society. Lines such as “Ring out the narrowing lust of gold” and “Ring out the thousand wars of old, Ring in the thousand years of peace” speak to a universal hope for humankind. Even outside of a religious context, these hopes hold true.
This is the power of Tennyson’s Christmas poem – to remind us of those truths eternal.
Ring Out, Wild Bells is part of Tennyson’s long elegy ‘In Memoriam’, which was published in 1850. This poem pretty much concludes Alfred Tennyson‘s elegy for his friend Arthur Henry Hallam, who died suddenly in 1833.
The poem encompasses themes of redemption and rebirth, reminding us of the new life that springs forth from the shadow of dying. In more immediate terms this poem shows the poet regaining his faith and overcoming his grief when hearing the bells ringing in Christmas Day.
Please check out the video for a text version of the poem displayed in the corner of the screen, verse by verse.
Happy Christmas 🎄🙂
Creative Commons Licence Resources used to create this video:
Video by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/video/hands-festival-party-music-4440821/
Video by SwissHumanity Stories: https://www.pexels.com/video/footage-of-the-sunset-and-the-tower-of-the-church-3718052/
Video by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/video/hands-festival-party-music-4440825/
Video by Michael Bradley: https://www.pexels.com/video/video-of-a-stained-glass-art-8787194/
Video by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/video/stenciled-shadow-of-words-on-a-board-projecting-in-a-wall-3831767/
Video by Amar Preciado from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/video/soldiers-of-special-forces-13721791/
Video by StefWithAnF: https://www.pexels.com/video/close-up-view-of-crystals-jewels-and-gold-6208744/
Creative Commons Music by Daniel Birch: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Daniel_Birch/Ambient_Bells/Glacier_Bells/
Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/bell-jar-gold-golden-ring-1015468/
Image by Gerhard Janson: https://pixabay.com/photos/bells-chains-isolated-christmas-2988754/
Image by Gerd Altmann: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/christmas-stars-ice-crystal-935458/
▶️ 3Speak