-- By Lord Alfred Tennyson --
Ring Out, Wild Bells was first published in 1850 in Tennyson's poetry collection In Memoriam. The collection was written in dedication to Tennyson's fellow student from Trinity College, the poet Arthur Hallam, who had passed from a stroke in 1833 at the age of 22.
1850, the year of this poems publication, was also the year that Tennyson was honored as Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom. The position carries the expectation that the title holder will write poetry to commemorate significant holidays and occasions for the country and crown. The title of Poet Laureate has since been held by other writers such as Cecil Day-Lewis, Carol Ann Duffy, and, currently, Simon Armitage. Lord Alfred Tennyson began writing poems as a teenage, with his first publication at the age of 17, and continued the practice as Poet Laureate until his death at age 83 in 1892.
