The book 's title is taken from the metaphysical poet John Donne 's series of meditations and prayers on health, pain, and sickness (written while Donne was convalescing from a nearly fatal illness) published in 1624 as Devotions upon Emergent Occasions, specifically Meditation XVII. Hemingway quotes part of the meditation (using Donne 's original spelling) in the book 's epigraph, which in turn refers to the practice of funeral tolling:
where does the phrase for whom the bell tolls come from
Devotions upon Emergent Occasions