Part 15

The sixth line is in these words: "Keeping time, time, time, in a sort of Runic rhyme." We observe that as "time" is here repeated three times, so "tinkle" was repeated three times in the third line. We must have observed, too, that it is "stars" of the fourth line that are said to "twinkle" in the fifth line. The two lines are as closely connected as grammatical construction and the expression of thought could make them. And the sixth line is an obvious continuation of the description. Analytically we say: 1. Keeping time in a rhyme. 2. Keeping time, time, in a rhyme. 3. Keeping time, time, time in a rhyme. 4. Keeping time, time, time in a sort of rhyme. 5. Keeping time, time, time in a sort of Runic rhyme.

Let us now recall the six lines together.

1. Hear the sledges with the bells--silver bells-- 2. What a world of merriment their melody foretells! 3. How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle in the icy air of night! 4. While the stars that oversprinkle 5. All the heavens, seem to twinkle with a crystalline delight; 6. Keeping time, time, time, in a sort of Runic rhyme.

The seventh line is the continuation of the sixth. Keeping time to what? "To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells." 1. The tintinnabulation wells. 2. The tintinnabulation that wells. 3. The tintinnabulation that musically wells. 4. The tintinnabulation that so musically wells. 5. To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells. Wells from what? From the bells, bells--occurring altogether six times more. This makes the eighth line. But some pupils say at once, "I can never be sure in reciting the line to recall bells only seven times, no more or less." These pupils will admit that they can be sure to say bells four times, as bells, bells, bells, bells. Then, of course, they can say bells three times more, making seven times altogether. Here, then, we have the seventh and eighth lines, as follows:

7. To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells 8. From the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells--

The ninth line is--"From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells."

In the eighth line we have "bells" seven times repeated in all--bells being taken in their utmost generality, viz., musical action. But in the ninth or last line we have the very specific action of the bells, to wit: "From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells." We can make a short analysis, which is always better than unthinking repetition, as: 1. From the bells. 2. From the jingling of the bells. 3. From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells. The seventh, eighth, and ninth lines are as follows:

7. To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells 8. From the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells-- 9. From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.

Having already learned the first six lines, we have but to preface these last three by the previous six, and we have the first stanza as follows:--

1. Hear the sledges with the bells--silver bells-- 2. What a world of merriment their melody foretells! 3. How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle in the icy air of night! 4. While the stars that oversprinkle 5. All the heavens, seem to twinkle with a crystalline delight; 6. Keeping time, time, time, in a sort of Runic rhyme, 7. To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells 8. From the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells-- 9. From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.

In a similar manner, the pupil can memorise the three remaining stanzas.

Having heretofore learned the order of the four different kinds of bells, and having dealt with the first or "silver" bells, we know that the next or second stanza is concerned with the "golden" bells. Similarly, when we finish the second stanza, we know that the third stanza deals with the "brazen" bells, and the last with the "iron" bells.

No further hints need be offered except perhaps in regard to the last ten lines of the last stanza.

Notice the coincidences, the resemblances, or Inclusions, the Exclusions, and the Concurrences. "Keeping time, time, time, in a sort of Runic rhyme," occurs three times--but on the third appearance of that phrase, there is a change which must be observed; for it bears this form: "Keeping time, time, time, as he knells, knells, knells, in a happy Runic rhyme." But the main difficulty with most students seems to be to remember the number of times the word "bells" is repeated in the different lines. We must keep to the text and not resort to any foreign matter to help the feeble memory. The words pæan, throbbing, sobbing, rolling and tolling occur in the lines where the "bells" are mentioned (except in that next to the last line, where "bells" occurs three times, and there is no other word in that line), and in the last line "bells" is found once, and the words "moaning" and "groaning" appear. Memorise these seven words by Analysis, to wit: pæan, throbbing, sobbing, rolling, tolling, moaning and groaning. Thus pæan--a song of triumph--might cause heart throbbing, an inward act accompanied in the present instance by sobbing, and this outward manifestation of grief would be intensified by the rolling of the bells and their tolling. Moaning and groaning are figurative expressions for the moaning and groaning of the mourners.

Now the figures 2, 4, 1, 4, 8, 1 (easily learned by analysis as 2, 4, 1 and 4, 8, 1, or 2, 4 with 1 following, and 4, 8, with 1 following, or 2, 4 with 1 following, and [double 2, 4] 4, 8 and 1 following) give the number of times the word "bells" occurs in connection with the words just learned. Opposite the line where tolling occurs we have marked 8, since "bells" occurs in that line five times and three times in the next line, where no other word is found.

Keeping time, time, time, in a sort of Runic rhyme, 2. To the pæan of the bells--of the bells; Keeping time, time, time, in a sort of Runic rhyme, 4. To the throbbing of the bells, of the bells, bells, bells, 1. To the sobbing of the bells; keeping time, time, time, As he knells, knells, knells, in a happy Runic rhyme, 4. To the rolling of the bells, of the bells, bells, bells, 8. To the tolling of the bells, of the bells, bells, bells, bells, Bells, bells, bells; 1. To the moaning and the groaning of the bells.

Carrying these suggestions to the text, they help fix the exact number of times the word "bells" occurs in each line. There are other legitimate ways to assist a poor memory to master these lines, but whatever is done let no one ever think of resorting to the unthoughtive, brainless process of endless repetition.

Poe's "Bells," being a difficult selection to learn, furnishes, as all difficult selections do, numerous opportunities for applying Analysis to fix the lines in memory. Hence it should be mastered and often recited by all who would learn to memorise poetry or prose, in, at the very least, one-fifth of the time required by the old mind-wandering process of rote learning.

ANALYTIC SUBSTITUTIONS.

ANOTHER METHOD FOR REMEMBERING DATES AND FIGURES.

This lesson in figures is given for the benefit of those who have not yet mastered NUMERIC THINKING. The pupil will appreciate its practical value the moment he masters the key to it.

This is given in the next few pages, and it will be found to be easy of comprehension and interesting to a surprising degree.

The whole thing is in a nutshell. Numbers, as such, are abstractions and hard to be remembered. To make them hard to forget, we translate them into words or phrases. These are easily remembered and they always instantly give back the figures they stand for.

We represent the figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0, by certain consonants; and then, as the vowels [a, e, i, o, u, and y, together with w] have no numerical value assigned to them, we turn dates or any numbers into translating words, which will always tell us precisely the figures the words stand for.

As this simple process enables us to remember any dates or numbers with absolute certainty, the pupil will be pleased to know that he can learn how it is done by only one thoughtful perusal.

The questions at the bottom of each page constitute an invaluable aid to test the accuracy of his knowledge and the correctness of his inferences.

1. Is it possible to exaggerate the importance of this lesson? 2. When will the pupil appreciate its practical value? 3. Where is this key given? 4. Are numbers hard to remember? 5. How do we make them hard to forget? 6. By what are the figures represented? 7. What letters have no numerical value assigned to them? 8. What do the questions at the bottom of each page constitute?

The nought and the nine digits are represented by the following consonants when they are sounded or pronounced; viz., 0 (nought) by s, z, or c^soft as in cease, 1 by t, th, or d, 2 by n, 3 by m, 4 by r, 5 by l, 6 by sh, j, ch, or g^soft as in the first g of George, 7 g^hard as in Gorge, k, c^hard as in cane, q, or ng, 8 by f or v, and 9 by b or p.