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A Passing Bell by D. H. Lawrence

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A grieving parent attempts to connect during a small, everyday moment with a child who has recently passed away, only to be met with the harsh reality of that loss.

Poet
D. H. Lawrence
Core theme
Death
The PoemFull text

A Passing Bell

D. H. Lawrence

MOURNFULLY to and fro, to and fro the trees are waving; _What did you say, my dear?_ The rain-bruised leaves are suddenly shaken, as a child Asleep still shakes in the clutch of a sob-- _Yes, my love, I hear._ One lonely bell, one only, the storm-tossed afternoon is braving, _Why not let it ring?_ The roses lean down when they hear it, the tender, mild Flowers of the bleeding-heart fall to the throb-- _It is such a little thing!_ A wet bird walks on the lawn, call to the boy to come and look, _Yes, it is over now._ Call to him out of the silence, call him to see The starling shaking its head as it walks in the grass-- _Ah, who knows how?_ He cannot see it, I can never show it him, how it shook-- _Don't disturb him, darling._ --Its head as it walked: I can never call him to me, Never, he _is_ not, whatever shall come to pass. _No, look at the wet starling._

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

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§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

A grieving parent attempts to connect during a small, everyday moment with a child who has recently passed away, only to be met with the harsh reality of that loss. The poem shifts between the outer world filled with rain, bells, and birds, and the inner world of someone gradually coming to terms with the child's absence, line by line. By the poem’s conclusion, the surviving parent gently guides the grieving one back to the world of the living — where a wet starling continues to walk in the grass.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. MOURNFULLY to and fro, to and fro the trees are waving; / _What did you say, my dear?_

    Editor's note

    The first stanza introduces the poem's main trick: a grieving person is speaking, while a second voice—tender and attentive—interrupts in italics. The swaying trees and rain-drenched leaves instantly evoke a sense of mourning, and the simile of leaves trembling "as a child / Asleep still shakes in the clutch of a sob" serves a dual purpose: it illustrates the weather *and* subtly brings in the child at the center of the grief. The italicized responses imply a companion who is attempting to keep the grieving speaker anchored and engaged.

  2. One lonely bell, one only, the storm-tossed afternoon is braving, / _Why not let it ring?_

    Editor's note

    The single bell serves as a passing bell—the traditional practice of ringing a church bell to signal a death. Lawrence titles the poem after this imagery. The roses and bleeding-heart flowers literally "lean down" and "fall" at its sound, as if nature itself is in mourning. The companion's italicized line, *Why not let it ring?*, feels like a gentle nudge to allow grief to be expressed openly instead of held back.

  3. A wet bird walks on the lawn, call to the boy to come and look, / _Yes, it is over now._

    Editor's note

    Here the poem takes a sudden turn. The speaker's instinct — "call to the boy to come and look" — reflects a parent's immediate reaction who hasn't fully grasped the loss yet. The companion's response, *Yes, it is over now*, delivers a quiet but crushing confirmation. The ordinary wet bird on the lawn feels overwhelming because it's precisely the sort of small wonder a child would have delighted in seeing.

  4. He cannot see it, I can never show it him, how it shook-- / _Don't disturb him, darling._

    Editor's note

    The final stanza is where the full weight lands. The speaker repeats "never" twice, and the phrase "is not" — instead of "is gone" or "has died" — conveys the unsettling emptiness of fresh grief, illustrating how the mind fixates on the reality without expressing it clearly. The companion's last line, *No, look at the wet starling*, brings the focus back to the living world. This isn't dismissing grief; it's a small gesture of care, gently guiding the bereaved person toward what still exists.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone is quiet and raw. Lawrence keeps the emotion near the surface, avoiding any hint of sentimentality. The italicized dialogue offers a dual perspective—one voice consumed by grief, the other softly supporting it. There's a tenderness between the two speakers that amplifies the poem's pain. The natural world (rain, bell, bird, flowers) provides no comfort; instead, it presents a collection of everyday things that constantly remind the speaker of their loss.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The passing bell
A church bell rang to announce a death—the title of the poem and its resonant core. It publicly signifies the moment of loss, while the poem delves into the personal experience of it. The solitary bell reflects the solitude that often accompanies grief.
The wet starling
An ordinary bird going about its everyday routine. Its small size is significant: the child would have found joy in it, and now that shared joy is lost. By the end of the poem, it becomes the reminder the surviving parent uses to bring the grieving one back to the here and now.
The bleeding-heart flowers
Lawrence picks this flower by name with intention. Bleeding-heart is an actual plant, yet its name encapsulates the poem's emotional essence — a heart that bleeds, blossoms that drop at the sound of the bell.
Rain and storm
The wet, stormy afternoon doesn't serve as a heavy-handed example of pathetic fallacy; rather, it mirrors the inner turmoil in an unexpected way. The battered leaves and trembling bird show nature continuing on, completely indifferent to the loss, which only deepens the sense of isolation in grief.
The italicised voice
The second speaker, always in italics, acts as an anchor. Their gentle questions and redirections reflect how those who care for us help us navigate grief — not by ignoring it, but by remaining nearby and highlighting what is still vibrant.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Lawrence wrote this poem in the years leading up to World War One, during a time when he was also grappling with the death of his mother, Lydia Lawrence, in 1910—a loss that profoundly affected him and directly influenced his novel *Sons and Lovers*. In Edwardian England, the sound of the passing bell was all too familiar: churches rang a bell when a parishioner died, and the number of tolls indicated the age or sex of the deceased. Growing up in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, in a working-class community, Lawrence experienced death in ways that modern life has mostly obscured. This poem is part of his early lyric work, which is often more formally structured than his later free verse. It showcases his talent for anchoring deep emotions in vivid, physical details—a wet bird, a trembling leaf, a falling flower.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

Who are the two speakers in the poem?

Lawrence does not specify who they are, but it's reasonable to interpret them as two parents—or at least two individuals very close to each other—who have recently lost a child. The primary voice expresses itself in simple text, continually reaching out for the deceased boy out of instinct and sorrow. The italicized voice represents the companion, who is there, supportive, and attempting to prevent the grieving speaker from being consumed by their loss.

What is a passing bell?

A passing bell is a church bell that rings at the moment of someone's death or shortly after, signaling to the community that someone has died. This tradition has been around for centuries in England. Sometimes, the number of rings would indicate whether the deceased was male or female or their age. Lawrence likely grew up hearing this sound, which embodies both a public announcement and a private expression of grief in the poem.

Why does the speaker want to call the boy to see the starling?

It’s instinctive—an automatic reaction from a parent who has spent years sharing little joys with their child. Spotting a quirky bird strutting through the wet grass is just the sort of thing you'd want to call a curious child over to see. The heartbreaking part is that this impulse kicks in before the sadness can catch up, and the poem captures that fleeting moment perfectly.

What does 'he is not' mean in the final stanza?

It means the boy no longer exists — he is dead. Lawrence chooses "is not" instead of "has died" or "is gone" because those phrases suggest a journey or transition. "Is not" feels more direct: it conveys absence, a negation. It's how the mind sometimes confronts death before finding the right words to express it.

Why does the companion say 'No, look at the wet starling' at the end?

It’s a small act of love. The companion isn’t brushing off the grief or trying to change the subject to dodge the pain. Instead, they’re guiding the grieving person toward something alive and present, because being stuck in the belief of "I can never show it to him" is a form of paralysis. The starling is still there. Life continues on. That may not be comforting exactly, but it’s something to hold onto.

Is this poem autobiographical?

Lawrence never lost a child of his own, but the sorrow of lost children was something his community often faced, and the death of his mother in 1910 hit him hard. The poem feels less like a personal account and more like a display of imaginative empathy — Lawrence immersing himself in a grief he deeply understood, even if the details weren't his own.

What is the poem's structure and does it follow a regular form?

The poem consists of four stanzas, each with five lines, featuring a loose rhyme scheme where the first and second lines of every stanza rhyme, while the third and fourth often do too. The italicized lines intentionally disrupt the rhythm, creating a call-and-response effect. Though it isn't a strictly formal poem, the patterns present lend it a sense of control rather than chaos—reflecting the harsh, recurring nature of grief itself.

Why does Lawrence use nature imagery so heavily?

Lawrence often processes his thoughts through the lens of the body and the physical world — it’s a hallmark of his writing style. In this scene, the rain, the bell, the flowers, and the bird aren’t just embellishments. They form the very fabric of the afternoon where this grief unfolds. Nature continues its usual rhythms, showing no awareness of the loss, and that indifference contributes to the isolating nature of the grief.

Citation

Cite this poem

MLA

Lawrence, D. H. "A Passing Bell." Storgy, https://storgy.com/poems/a-passing-bell-d-h-lawrence/.

APA

Lawrence, D. H. (n.d.). A passing bell. Storgy. https://storgy.com/poems/a-passing-bell-d-h-lawrence/

TeacherAP Lit Q1 scaffold — preview

Row A — Thesis

1 pt

In 'A Passing Bell,' D. H. Lawrence employs a fractured dialogue structure with italicized interjections that belong to a surviving speaker responding to someone who can no longer truly receive them, to assert that grief's most devastating …

  • Row B — Evidence + Commentary4 pts
  • Row C — Sophistication1 pt
  • Common student errors
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