Welcome to the dVerse Poets Pub with me, Kim from Writing in North Norfolk, and another Quadrille Monday, when we take any meaning of one word and transform it into 44 poetic words.

Today we have a little word that resonates and tinkles: bell.

In dictionaries, bell is defined as ‘a hollow metal object, typically in the shape of a deep inverted cup widening at the lip, that sounds a clear musical note when struck, especially by means of a clapper inside’ and ‘a bell-shaped object or part of something’.

Bell can be a verb, as in to ‘provide with a bell or bells’ with an interesting example: “the young men were belling and hobbling the horses before releasing them”, and to ‘make a ringing sound likened to that of a bell’.

It is also commonly a push button at an outer door that gives a ringing or buzzing signal when pushed. Colloquially to ‘give someone a bell’ means to call them on the telephone. You might once have worn bell-bottoms, been accompanied to your hotel room by a bellboy, used a bell jar, or seen a flock of sheep following a bellwether. And if you enjoy cooking, you may have used a bell pepper.

According to Wikipedia, bell is a word common to the Low German dialects, possibly related to the former sense of ‘to bell’ (Old English: bellan, ‘to roar, to make a loud noise’).

Bells are some of the oldest musical instruments in the world, said to date back to China in around 3500 BC. They are usually cast from bell metal (a type of bronze) for its resonant properties, but can also be made from other hard materials, depending on their function. Some small bells such as ornamental bells or cowbells can be made from cast or pressed metal, glass or ceramic, but large bells such as a church, clock and tower bells are normally cast from bell metal.

Bells intended to be heard over a wide area can range from a single bell hung in a turret or bell-gable, to a musical ensemble such as an English ring of bells, a carillon, or a Russian zvon, which are tuned to a common scale and installed in a bell tower. Many public or institutional buildings house bells, most commonly as clock bells to sound the hours and quarters. I love the different sounds of church and clock bells.

And then we have bluebells, harebells, Canterbury bells and bellflowers.

It was interesting to select poems with bells in them.

The first one I have chosen is ‘The Cap and Bells’ by William Butler Yeats: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43284/the-cap-and-bells

Then we have a poem that jingles and jangles with all sorts of bells: ‘The Bells’ by Edgar Allan Poe: https://poets.org/poem/bells 

Sarah Teasdale wrote a lovely poem called ‘Bells’: https://allpoetry.com/poem/8504085-Bells-by-Sara-Teasdale

Finally we have ‘Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard’ by Thomas Gray: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44299/elegy-written-in-a-country-churchyard

And for those of us with an affinity for bluebells, here is a link to Anne Brontë’s delightful poem, ‘The Bluebell’:  https://allpoetry.com/poem/8457985-The-Bluebell-by-Anne-Bront%C3%AB

Today I’d like you to take any meaning or form of the word bell and write a poem of exactly 44 words (not counting your title), including the prompt word.

Here’s how to Quadrille:

– Write a poem of exactly 44 words, including the word bell.
– Post your poem on your blog and link back to this post.
– Link it up to our Mr. Linky.

– Don’t forget to check the little box to accept use/privacy policy

 – Visit other blogs, enjoy some amazing poets, and don’t forget to comment.  The Quadrille lasts all week, so keep coming back for more!