The flying cloud, the frosty light
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more,
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out thy mournful rhymes,
but ring the fuller minstrel in.
Ring out the false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
All of this is very much in keeping with the idea of New Year being a time for reflecting on past actions, and then modifying or rejuvenating them, and is suggested by the very name of the month- January. It is derived from the name Janus, who was the Roman god of beginnings and transitions (janua being Latin for door, or gate). January is the door into the upcoming year, which we should pass through with resolve and purpose, closing it behind us on the failures of the last twelve months.
The changes which Tennyson urges are split between some for the individual- such as ridding oneself of false pride and spite- and the societal, advising ringing out the "feud of rich and poor" and ringing in "sweeter manners, purer laws". This suggests that we should strive for change and betterment personally, but also corporately as a community.
Tennyson also writes of leaving off the pain and sorrow for those who have died in the past year, and not allowing grief to inhibit you from living fully in the new one: "Ring out the grief that saps the mind/ For those that here we see no more." No doubt this is specifically referencing Arthur Hallum, but it is also advice for all who have suffered loss. His words not only exhort one to move past heartache, but also suggest that the separation is a temporary one ( ...for those that here we see no more). Tennyson reassures the grief-stricken that they will one day see their loved ones again in Heaven, a suggestion of the spiritual which he continues to emphasize in lines such as: "Ring in the thousand years of peace," which specifically references the biblical prophesy about Christ's return. Indeed, Tennyson seems to suggest that, while we should take the opportunity offered by the new year to effect changes in our lives where possible, true transformation is brought about by Christ:
The larger heart the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.