Works of Thomas Hardy discussion

The Chimes

That morning when I trod the town
The twitching chimes of long renown
Played out to me
The sweet Sicilian sailors' tune,
And I knew not if late or soon
My day would be:

A day of sunshine beryl-bright
And windless; yea, think as I might,
I could not say,
Even to within years' measure, when
One would be at my side who then
Was far away.

When hard utilitarian times
Had stilled the sweet Saint-Peter's chimes
I learnt to see
That bale may spring where blisses are,
And one desired might be afar
Though near to me.

Published in "Moments of Vision" in 1917

Glossary:

beryl - a transparent mineral store that comes in many colors. Green beryl is probably the most common color.

bale - evil, harm, misfortune, suffering

This is the accompanying quote from Chapter 4 of The Mayor of Casterbridge suggested by a Hardy scholar:

"They came to a grizzled church, whose massive square tower rose unbroken into the darkening sky, the lower parts being illuminated by the nearest lamps sufficiently to show how completely the mortar from the joints of the stonework had been nibbled out by time and weather, which had planted in the crevices thus made little tufts of stone-crop and grass almost as far up as the very battlements. From this tower the clock struck eight, and thereupon a bell began to toll with a peremptory clang. . .

Other clocks struck eight from time to time—one gloomily from the gaol, another from the gable of an almshouse, with a preparative creak of machinery, more audible than the note of the bell; a row of tall, varnished case-clocks from the interior of a clock-maker’s shop joined in one after another just as the shutters were enclosing them, like a row of actors delivering their final speeches before the fall of the curtain; then chimes were heard stammering out the Sicilian Mariners’ Hymn; so that chronologists of the advanced school were appreciably on their way to the next hour before the whole business of the old one was satisfactorily wound up."

The Bells of St Peter's

The bells of St Peter's Church will ring several times in the novel. The real St Peter's Church--with a ninety foot tower--is in Dorchester, the inspiration for Casterbridge. (A mural tablet on its south wall commemorates Thomas Hardy who founded and endowed the Free Grammar School in 1599.)

Hardy wrote many poems that featured church bells. Since he was a musician, as well as a church architect, it's not surprising that the music of the bells drew his notice.



St Peter's Church

The Sicilian Mariners Hymn

The church bells would ring at 8 pm for curfew. In both the novel and the poem, the chimes played the Sicilian Mariners Hymn. In Latin, the hymn is called "O sanctissima." This hymn asks the Virgin Mary for her maternal protection for the sailors working their dangerous jobs at sea.

Perhaps Hardy chose that hymn in the novel because Susan's partner, Newson, had been lost at sea. However, he is thinking about someone very different at the end of the poem.

For more about the hymn:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_sanct...

To hear Rick Ruggiero play the Sicilian Mariners Hymn on the Schulmerich Carillon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnY-x...

Over to you!

Thank you Connie!

O Sanctissima does ring a bell! It is still sung sometimes during Tridentine Mass in Latin. The Virgin Mary was considered a protector for sailors. All fishing ships at least in Brittany and Vendée especially those venturing as far as Newfoundland had a small statue of the Virgin Mary on board and new ships were blessed by a priest before!

What a beautiful poem and a rich Chapter 4!

Claudia, I remember attending a Blessing of the Fleet in a Portuguese-American fishing village festival in Stonington, Connecticut. St Peter is the patron saint of fishermen. (Jesus said to the fishermen Peter and his brother, Andrew, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.")

What a lovely poem, and a rich tapestry of meaning. I feel sure you're right Connie, that it was specifically chosen for the Newfoundland connection at this point in The Mayor of Casterbridge. Music was so very important to Thomas Hardy and his family.

"A day of sunshine beryl-bright" stood out to me, as my favourite line 🙂

I have a keen interest in minerals and gemstones. To add to your definition, we know many varieties of beryl by different names. Perhaps the most famous are two of the "big five" hardest gemstones: emerald (green beryl, as you say), and ruby (red beryl).

Then there are aquamarine (blue to blue-green beryl), morganite (pale pink to pale peach beryl), and heliodor (yellow beryl). When these minerals are gem quality they are stunning. Here Thomas Hardy is evidently thinking of helidor, a beautiful clear golden beryl which derives its name from the Greek, "gift of the sun", so his words are very apt.

Lovely to see a photo of St. Peters. This church still has a strong choral tradition, and you can hear them practising sometimes. Yesterday there was a lunchtime concert, to go in and listen to. Here's what they have coming up https://www.musicatstpetersdorchester...

Thank you for sharing your gemstone expertise, Jean.

You're very lucky to have the opportunity to visit this historic church and listen to their choral music.

Such a touching poem. The first two lines completely draw me in, and how true the end is.

Thank you, Connie, for the details about the church and chimes. I love how you found a tie-in with Newson!

Kathleen wrote: "Such a touching poem. The first two lines completely draw me in, and how true the end is.

Thank you, Connie, for the details about the church and chimes. I love how you found a tie-in with Newson!"

The ending makes me think of his first wife, Emma. They had such a strong early attraction, but a troubled marriage at the end.

Thank you Connie for the link to Rick Ruggerio playing the Sicilian Mariners theme on the organ, the tune sounded immediately familiar to me, and it's so nice to have the tune in my head - just like Hardy's original audience would have when they read TMOC, or this poem. How wonderful it would have sound played by bells in a tower.

And thank you Jean for the info on gems! I read the poem a second time with the information from both of use fresh in my brain and it was richer for it!

I love how he calls the bells "twitching chimes". What does the poem mean when it says the bells stopped during "hard utilitarian times"? Is that a specific reference to something in history? Or do you think it's a more general reference as I'm guessing the bells have to be repaired or cleaned occasionally, silencing the to

Bridget wrote: "Thank you Connie for the link to Rick Ruggerio playing the Sicilian Mariners theme on the organ, the tune sounded immediately familiar to me, and it's so nice to have the tune in my head - just lik..."

About the "hard utilitarian times," there were times when the bells had to be repaired or recast. The bells were rung by hand so there also was a labor cost to ringing the bells at that time. In some countries bells would not be rung during wartime except as a warning to the townspeople of danger, but I don't know if that was true in Dorchester.

Thanks Connie. I suspected that was the case, but it’s great to have that confirmed. :-)

Yes, thanks Connie - I had no idea about that and just had John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism going through my mind! 😆

Bionic Jean wrote: "Yes, thanks Connie - I had no idea about that and just had John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism going through my mind! 😆"

I'm probably more of a pragmatic than a philosophical person! :-)

Much more useful in the end 🙂

Oops! Sorry. I did not get around to reading this poem until Tuesday but am very glad I did.

What a remarkable and rich poem. Yes, the link to Newfoundland and thus to Newson works. Thanks Connie.

The 21C has taken much of the richness of history and the power and the majesty of the sound of bells from us. Hardy understood, as did those that lived during the centuries when bells rang, the power and the messages the bells spoke to the people.

And anecdote if I may. I live in Toronto, Canada, and never hear bells any more. Our churches bells were silenced by groups who contended their noise was unacceptable. No longer are the bells allowed to ring each Sunday before the church service. The bells are now only rung very briefly after a wedding or if a funeral is conducted in the church. When my wife and I were in Portugal last year during Easter we heard the bells of the town's church. Yes, a few tears.

Such a rich poem! I read it three times straight to get a better feel for it. It seems a bit sad at the end.... Connie, thanks for the info about Hardy's wife. I didn't know that and it seems to fit the poem well.

I never heard a church bell until my early teens when I went to Europe the first time. I loved the bells and looked forward to Sundays to hear them again. Whenever I get to Europe (it's not often), I look forward to hearing the bells.

Peter wrote: "Oops! Sorry. I did not get around to reading this poem until Tuesday but am very glad I did.

What a remarkable and rich poem. Yes, the link to Newfoundland and thus to Newson works. Thanks Connie..."

I enjoy hearing the church bells on a Sunday morning, but I can see why someone with a sleeping baby or a third shift job would not appreciate hearing them every day. Before electricity, people's sleeping hours were more uniform.

Petra wrote: "Such a rich poem! I read it three times straight to get a better feel for it. It seems a bit sad at the end.... Connie, thanks for the info about Hardy's wife. I didn't know that and it seems to fi..."

I went to a grammar school across the street from a church so I grew up hearing church bells every day. I think every town in my state has laws about the hours when loud noises are allowed.

It's sad about the relationship between Hardy and his wife. When they were courting and she was far away, he missed her. But when they were married, they were emotionally far apart:

"I learnt to see
That bale may spring where blisses are,
And one desired might be afar
Though near to me."