This paper explains that, in Poe's poem, "The Bells", each stanza represents a phase of life, moving from the happy moments
at birth and ending with the melancholy moments of death. The author points out that, in the first stanza of the poem, the bells the poet describes are silver bells that deliver a merry melody; in the second stanza, the mellow
wedding bells ring in delight, foretelling a "world of happiness". The paper relates that, in the third stanza, the images become darker and less pleasant, sounding like a "tale of terror"; in the fourth stanza, the poet reveals that the bells, transformed from silver and gold to a rusty iron, are
tolling.