seventh line is the continuation of the sixth. Keeping time to what?
"To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells." 1. The
tintinnabulation wells. 2. The tintinnabulation _that_ wells. 3. The
tintinnabulation that _musically_ wells. 4. The tintinnabulation that
_so_ musically wells. 5. _To_ the tintinnabulation that so musically
wells. Wells from what? From the bells, bells--occurring altogether six
times more. This makes the eighth line. But some pupils say at once, "I
can never be sure in reciting the line to recall bells only seven times,
no more or less." These pupils will admit that they can be sure to say
bells _four_ times, as bells, bells, bells, bells. Then, of course, they
can say bells _three_ times more, making seven times altogether. Here,
then, we have the seventh and eighth lines, as follows:

7. To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
8. From the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells--

The ninth line is--"From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells."

In the eighth line we have "bells" seven times repeated in all--bells
being taken in their utmost generality, viz., _musical_ action. But in
the ninth or last line we have the very specific action of the bells, to
wit: "From the _jingling_ and the _tinkling_ of the bells." We can make
a short analysis, which is always better than unthinking repetition, as:
1. From the bells. 2. From the _jingling_ of the bells. 3. From the
jingling _and the tinkling_ of the bells. The seventh, eighth, and ninth
lines are as follows:

7. To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
8. From the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells--
9. From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.

Having already learned the first six lines, we have but to preface these
last three by the previous six, and we have the first stanza as
follows:--

1. Hear the sledges with the bells--silver bells--
2. What a world of merriment their melody foretells!
3. How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle in the icy air of night!
4. While the stars that oversprinkle
5. All the heavens, seem to twinkle with a crystalline delight;
6. Keeping time, time, time, in a sort of Runic rhyme,
7. To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
8. From the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells--
9. From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.

In a similar manner, the pupil can memorise the three remaining st