Noteverybodycanperusealloftheseverydiverseauthorswithpleasure。HebeganhispoemontheRomangladiatorialcombats;
indeedhisyears,fourscoreandone,lefthisintellectualeagernessasunimpairedasthatofGoethe。\"Acrookedshare,\"hesaidtothePrincessLouise,\"maymakeastraightfurrow。\"\"OneafternoonhehadalongwaltzwithM-intheballroom。\"Speakingof\"AllthecharmofalltheMusesOftenfloweringinalonelyword\"
inVirgil,headduced,ratherstrangely,thecunctantemramum,saidoftheGoldenBough,intheSixthAEneid。Thechoiceisodd,becausetheSibylhasjusttoldAEneasthat,ifhebedestinedtopluckthebranchofgold,ipsevolensfacilisquesequetur,\"itwillcomeoffofitsownaccord,\"likethesacredtibranchesoftheFijians,whichbenddowntobepluckedfortheFirerite。Yet,whenthepredestinedAEneastriestoplucktheboughofgold,ityieldsreluctantlycunctantem,contrarytowhattheSibylhasforetold。MrConington,therefore,thoughtthephraseasliponthepartofVirgil。\"PeopleaccusedVirgilofplagiarising,\"hesaid,\"butifamanmadeithisowntherewasnoharminthatlookatthegreatpoets,Shakespeareincluded。\"Tennyson,likeVirgil,mademuchthatwasancienthisown;hisversesareoften,andpurposefully,amosaicofclassicalreminiscences。Buthewasvexedbythehuntersafterremoteandunconsciousresemblances,andfar-fetchedanalogiesbetweenhislinesandthoseofothers。Hecomplainedthat,ifhesaidthatthesunwentdown,aparallelwasatoncecitedfromHomer,oranybodyelse,andheusedaverypowerfulphrasetocondemncriticswhodetectedsuchrepetitions。\"Themoaningsofthehomelesssea,\"——\"moanings\"
fromHorace,\"homeless\"fromShelley。\"AsifnooneelsehadeverheardtheseamoanexceptHorace!\"Tennyson\'smixtureofmemoryandforgetfulnesswasnotsostrangeasthatofScott,andwhenheadaptedfromtheGreek,Latin,orItalian,itwasofsetpurpose,justasitwaswithVirgil。Thebeautifullinescomparingagirl\'seyestobottomagatesthatseemto\"WaveandfloatIncrystalcurrentsofclearrunningseas,\"
heinventedwhilebathinginWales。Itwashishabit,tonotedowninversesuchsimilesfromnature,andtousethemwhenhefoundoccasion。Butthehighercriticism,analysingthesimile,detectedelementsfromShakespeareandfromBeaumontandFletcher。
InJune1891thepoetwentonatourinDevonshire,andbeganhisAkbar,andprobablywroteJuneBrackenandHeather;orperhapsitwascomposedwhen\"weoftensatonthetopofBlackdowntowatchthesunset。\"HewrotetoMrKipling-
\"TheoldesttotheyoungestsingerThatEnglandbore\"
toalterMrSwinburne\'slinestoLandor,praisinghisFlagofEngland。MrKiplingrepliedas\"theprivatetothegeneral。\"
Earlyin1892TheForesterswassuccessfullyproducedatNewYorkbyMissAdaRehan,themusicbySirArthurSullivan,andthesceneryfromwoodlanddesignsbyWhymper。RobinHoodaswelearnfromMarkTwainisafavouriteherowiththeyouthofAmerica。MrTomSawyerhimselftook,inMarkTwain\'stale,thepartoftheboldoutlaw。
TheDeathofOEnonewaspublishedin1892,withthededicationtotheMasterofBalliol-
\"ReadaGreciantaleretoldWhich,castinlaterGrecianmould,QuintusCalaberSomewhatlazilyhandledofold。\"
QuintusCalaber,moreusuallycalledQuintusSmyrnaeus,isawriterofperhapsthefourthcenturyofourera。Abouthimnothing,ornexttonothing,isknown。Hetold,insolateanage,theconclusionoftheTaleofTroy,andinthewriter\'sopinionhasbeenundulyneglectedanddisdained。Hismanner,Iventuretothink,ismoreHomericthanthatofthemorefamousanddoubtlessgreaterAlexandrianpoetoftheArgonauticcycle,ApolloniusRhodius,hisseniorbyfivecenturies。HismaterialswereprobablytheancientandlostpoemsoftheEpicCycle,andthestoryofthedeathofOEnonemaybefromtheLittleIliadofLesches。PossiblypartsofhisworkmaybetextuallyderivedfromtheCyclics,butthetopicisveryobscure。InQuintus,Paris,afterencounteringevilomensonhisway,makesalongspeech,imploringthepardonofthedesertedOEnone。Shereplies,notwiththeTennysonianbrevity;shesendshimbacktothehelplessarmsofherrival,Helen。Parisdiesonthehills;neverdidHelenseehimreturning。Thewood-nymphsbewailParis,andaherdsmanbringsthebitternewstoHelen,whochantsherlament。ButremorsefallsonOEnone。Shedoesnotgo\"SlowlydownBythelongtorrent\'sever-deepenedroar,\"
butrushes\"swiftasthewindtoseekandspringuponthepyreofherlord。\"FateandAphroditedriveherheadlong,andinheavenSelene,rememberingEndymion,bewailsthelotofhersisterinsorrow。
OEnonereachesthefuneralflame,andwithoutawordoracryleapsintoherhusband\'sarms,thewildNymphswondering。Theloversaremingledinoneheapofashes,andthesearebestowedinonevesselofgoldandburiedinahowe。Thisisthestorywhichthepoetrehandledinhisoldage,completingtheworkofhishappyyouthwhenhewalkedwithHallaminthePyreneanhills,thatweretohimasIda。
TheromanceofOEnoneandherdeathcondone,asevenHomerwasapttocondone,thesinsofbeautifulParis,whomthenymphslament,despitetheevilthathehaswrought。ThesilenceoftheveiledOEnone,asshespringsintoherlover\'slastembrace,isperhapsmoreaffectingandmorenaturalthanTennyson\'s\"SheliftedupavoiceOfshrillcommand,\'Whoburnsuponthepyre?\'\"
TheStTelemachushastheoldsplendourandvigourofverse,and,thoughwrittensolateinlife,isworthyofthepoet\'sprime:-
\"EveafterevethathaggardanchoriteWouldhauntthedesolatedfane,andthereGazeattheruin,oftenmutterlow\'VicistiGalilaee\';louderagain,Spurningashatter\'dfragmentoftheGod,\'VicistiGalilaee!\'but——whennowBathedinthatluridcrimson——ask\'d\'IsearthOnfiretotheWest?oristheDemon-godWrothathisfall?\'andheardananswer\'WakeThoudeedlessdreamer,lazyingoutalifeOfself-suppression,notofselflesslove。\'
AndonceaflightofshadowyfighterscrostThedisk,andonce,hethought,ashapewithwingsCamesweepingbyhim,andpointedtotheWest,Andathisearheheardawhisper\'Rome,\'
Andinhishearthecried\'ThecallofGod!\'
Andcall\'darose,and,slowlyplungingdownThro\'thatdisastrousglory,sethisfaceBywasteandfieldandtownofalientongue,Followingahundredsunsets,andthesphereOfwestward-wheelingstars;andeverydawnStruckfromhimhisownshadowontoRome。
Foot-sore,way-worn,atlengthhetouch\'dhisgoal,TheChristiancity。\"
Akbar\'sDreammaybetaken,moreorless,torepresentthepoet\'sowntheologyofaraceseekingafterGod,ifperchancetheymayfindHim,andtheclosingHymnwasafavouritewithTennyson。Hesaid,\"Itisamagnificentmetre\":-
\"HYMN。
I。
Onceagainthouflamestheavenward,onceagainweseetheerise。
Everymorningisthybirthdaygladdeninghumanheartsandeyes。
Everymorningherewegreetit,bowinglowlydownbeforethee,TheetheGodlike,theethechangelessinthineever-changingskies。
II。
Shadow-maker,shadow-slayer,arrowinglightfromclimetoclime,Hearthymyriadlaureateshailtheemonarchintheirwoodlandrhyme。
Warblebird,andopenflower,and,men,belowthedomeofazureKneeladoringHimtheTimelessintheflamethatmeasuresTime!\"
InthisfinalvolumethepoetcasthishandfulofincenseonthealtarofScott,versifyingthetaleofIlBizarro,whichthedyingSirWalterrecordsinhisJournalinItaly。TheChurchwardenandtheCurateisnotinferiortotheearlierpeasantpoemsinitsexpressionofshrewdness,humour,andsuperstition。AverseofPoetsandCriticsmaybetakenasthepoet\'slastwordontheoldfutilequarrel:-
\"Thisthing,thatthingistherage,Helter-skelterrunstheage;
MindsonthisroundearthofoursVaryliketheleavesandflowers,Fashion\'daftercertainlaws;
Singthouloworloudorsweet,Allatallpointsthoucanstnotmeet,Somewillpassandsomewillpause。
Whatistrueatlastwilltell:
Fewatfirstwillplacetheewell;
Sometoolowwouldhavetheeshine,Sometoohigh——nofaultofthine-
Holdthineown,andworkthywill!
Yearwillgrazetheheelofyear,Butseldomcomesthepoethere,AndtheCritic\'srarerstill。\"
Stillthelinesholdgood-
\"Sometoolowwouldhavetheeshine,Sometoohigh——nofaultofthine。\"
Theendwasnowathand。AsenseofweaknesswasfeltbythepoetonSeptember3,1892:onthe28thhisfamilysentforSirAndrewClark;
butthepatientgraduallyfadedoutoflife,andexpiredonThursday,October6,at1。35A。M。TotheverylasthehadShakespearebyhim,andhiswindowswereopentothesun;onthelastnighttheywerefloodedbythemoonlight。ThedescriptionofthefinalscenesmustbereadintheBiographybythepoet\'sson。\"Hispatienceandquietstrengthhadpoweruponthosewhowerenearestanddearesttohim;wefeltthankfulfortheloveandtheutterpeaceofitall。\"\"Thelifeafterdeath,\"Tennysonhadsaidjustbeforehisfatalillness,\"isthecardinalpointofChristianity。IbelievethatGodrevealsHimselfineveryindividualsoul;andmyideaofHeavenistheperpetualministryofonesoultoanother。\"Hehadlivedthelifeofheavenuponearth,beinginallhisworkaministerofthingshonourable,lovely,consoling,andennoblingtothesoulsofothers,withaministrywhichcannotdie。Hisbodysleepsnexttothatofhisfriendandfellow-poet,RobertBrowning,infrontofChaucer\'smonumentintheAbbey。
CHAPTERXI——LASTCHAPTER。
\"O,thatPresswillgetholdofmenow,\"Tennysonsaidwhenheknewthathislasthourwasathand。Hehadahorrorofpersonaltattle,asevenhisearlypoemsdeclare-
\"FornowthePoetcannotdie,Norleavehismusicasofold,ButroundhimerehescarcebecoldBeginsthescandalandthecry。\"
Butno\"carrion-vulture\"haswaited\"Totearhisheartbeforethecrowd。\"
AboutTennyson,doubtless,thereismuchanecdotage:mostoftheanecdotesturnonhisshyness,hisreallyexaggeratedhatredofpersonalnotoriety,andtheoddandbrusquethingswhichhewouldsaywhenalarmedbyeffusivestrangers。Ithasnotseemedworthwhiletorepeatmorethanoneortwooftheselegends,norhaveIsoughtoutsidetheBiographybyhissonformorethanthebiographerchosetotell。Thereaderswhoareleastinterestedinpoetryaremostinterestedintattleaboutthepoet。Itistheprivilegeofgeniustoretainthefreshnessandsimplicity,withsomeofthefoibles,ofthechild。WhenTennysonreadhispoemsaloudhewasapttobemovedbythem,andtoexpressfranklyhisapprobationwherehethoughtitdeserved。Onlyveryrudimentarypsychologistsrecognisedconceitinthisfreedom;andonlythesamesetofpersonsmistookshynessforarrogance。EffusivenessofpraiseorcuriosityinastrangerisapttoproducebluntnessofreplyinaBriton。\"Don\'ttalkd-dnonsense,sir,\"saidtheDukeofWellingtontothegushingpersonwhopilotedhim,inhisoldage,acrossPiccadilly。OfTennysonMrPalgravesays,\"Ihaveknownhimsilenced,almostfrozen,beforetheeagerunintentionaleyesofagirloffifteen。Andunderthestressofthisnervousimpulsecompelledtocontradicthisinnerselfespeciallywhenundertheterrorofleonisation……,hewasdoubtlessattimesbetrayedintoanabruptphrase,acoldunsympatheticexterior;amoment\'s\'defectoftherose。\'\"Hadhenotbeensensitiveinallthings,hewouldhavebeenlessofapoet。ThechiefcriticismdirectedagainsthismodeoflifeisthatheWAS
sensitiveandreserved,buthecouldanddidmakehimselfpleasantinthesocietyoflespauvresd\'esprit。Curiosityalarmedhim,anddrovehimintohisshell:strangerswhomethiminthatmoodcarriedawayfalseimpressions,whichdevelopedintomyths。AstheMasterofBalliolhasrecorded,despitehisshyness\"hewasextremelyhospitable,ofteninvitingnotonlyhisfriends,butthefriendsofhisfriends,andgivingthemaheartywelcome。Forunderneathasensitiveexteriorhewasthoroughlygenialifhewasunderstood。\"
Inthesepointshewasunlikehisgreatcontemporary,Browning;forinstance,TennysonneverIthinkwastheMaster\'sguestatBalliol,mingling,likeBrowning,withtheundergraduates,towhomtheMaster\'shospitalitywasfreelyextended。Yet,wherehewasfamiliar,Tennysonwasagaycompanion,notshunningjestorevenparadox。\"AsDrJohnsonsays,everymanmaybejudgedofbyhislaughter\":butnoBoswellhaschronicledthelaughtersofTennyson。
\"Henever,orhardlyever,madepunsorwitticisms\"thoughonepun,atleast,enduresintradition,\"butalwayslivedinanattitudeofhumour。\"MrJowettwritesandnodescriptionofthepoetisbetterthanhis-
IfIweretodescribehisoutwardappearance,IshouldsaythathewascertainlyunlikeanyoneelsewhomIeversaw。AglanceatsomeofWatts\'portraitsofhimwillgive,betterthananydescriptionwhichcanbeexpressedinwords,aconceptionofhisnoblemienandlook。Hewasamagnificentman,whostoodbeforeyouinhisnativerefinementandstrength。Theunconventionalityofhismannerswasinkeepingwiththeoriginalityofhisfigure。Hewouldsometimessaynothing,orawordortwoonly,tothestrangerwhoapproachedhim,outofshyness。Hewouldsometimescomeintothedrawing-roomreadingabook。Atothertimes,especiallytoladies,hewassingularlygraciousandbenevolent。Hewouldtalkabouttheaccidentsofhisownlifewithanextraordinaryfreedom,asatthemomenttheyappearedtopresentthemselvestohismind,thedaysofhisboyhoodthatwerepassedatSomersby,andtheoldschoolofmannerswhichhecameacrossinhisownneighbourhood:thedaysofthe\"apostles\"atCambridge:theyearswhichhespentinLondon;theeveningsenjoyedattheCockTavern,andelsewhere,whenhesawanothersideoflife,notwithoutakindlyandhumoroussenseoftheridiculousinhisfellow-creatures。Hisrepertoryofstorieswasperfectlyinexhaustible;theywereoftenaboutslightmattersthatwouldscarcelybearrepetition,butweretoldwithsuchlifelikereality,thattheyconvulsedhishearerswithlaughter。Likemoststory-tellers,heoftenrepeatedhisfavourites;but,likechildren,hisaudiencelikedhearingthemagainandagain,andheenjoyedtellingthem。Itmightbesaidofhimthathetoldmorestoriesthananyone,butwasbynomeanstheregularstory-teller。Inthecommonestconversationheshowedhimselfamanofgenius。
TothisdescriptionmaybeaddedanotherbyMrF。T。Palgrave:-
Everyonewillhaveseenmen,distinguishedinsomelineofwork,whoseconversationtotaketheoldfigureeither\"smelttoostronglyofthelamp,\"orlayquiteapartfromtheirartorcraft。
What,throughalltheseyears,struckmeaboutTennyson,wasthatwhilstheneverdeviatedintopoeticallanguageassuch,whetherinrhetoricorhighlycolouredphrase,yetthroughoutthesubstanceofhistalkthesamemodeofthought,thesameimaginativegraspofnature,thesamefinenessandgentlenessinhisviewofcharacter,thesameforbearanceandtoleration,theaureamediocritasdespisedbyfoolsandfanatics,whicharestampedonhispoetry,wereconstantlyperceptible:whilstintheeasyandasitwereunsoughtchoiceness,theconscientiousandtruth-lovingprecisionofhiswords,thesamepersonalidentityrevealeditself。Whatastrangecharmlayhere,howdeeplyilluminatingthewholecharacter,asinprolongedintercourseitgraduallyrevealeditself!Artistandman,Tennysonwasinvariablytruetohimself,orrather,inWordsworth\'sphrase,he\"movedaltogether\";hisnatureandhispoetrybeingharmoniousaspectsofthesamesoul;asbotaniststellusthatflowerandfruitarebuttransformationsofrootandstemandleafage。Wereadhow,inmediaevaldays,conduitsweremadetoflowwithclaret。
Butthiswasongreatoccasionsonly。Tennyson\'sfountainalwaysranwine。
Oncemore:InMme。Recamier\'ssalon,Ihaveread,atthetimewhenconversationwasyetafineartinParis,guestsfamousforespritwouldsitinthetwilightroundthestove,whilsteachinturnletflysomesparklinganecdoteorbon-mot,whichroseandshoneanddiedoutintosilence,tillthenextoftheelectpyrotechnistswasready。
Goodthingsofthiskind,asIhavesaid,wereplentifulinTennyson\'srepertory。Butwhat,topassfromthematerialstothemethodofhisconversation,eminentlymarkeditwasthecontinuityoftheelectriccurrent。Hespoke,andwassilent,andspokeagain:
butthecircuitwasunbroken;therewasnoeffortintakingupthethread,nosenseofdisjunction。OftenIthought,hadheneverwrittenalineofthepoemssodeartous,hisconversationalonewouldhavemadehimthemostinterestingcompanionknowntome。Fromthisgreatandgraciousstudentofhumanity,whatless,indeed,couldbeexpected?Andif,asaconverser,IweretocomparehimwithSocrates,asfiguredforusinthedialoguesofhisgreatdisciple,I
thinkthatIshouldhavetheassentofthateminentlyvaluedfriendofTennyson\'s,whoselonglabouroflovehasconferredEnglishcitizenshipuponPlato。
Wehavecalledhimshyandsensitiveindailyintercoursewithstrangers,andastocriticism,hefreelyconfessedthatamidgeofdispraisecouldsting,whileapplausegavehimlittlepleasure。Yetnopoetalteredhisversessomuchinobediencetocensureunjustlyorirritatinglystated,yetinessencejust。Hereadilyrejectedsomeofhis\"Juvenilia\"onMrPalgrave\'ssuggestion。Thesamefriendtellshowwellhetookaratherfierceattackonanunpublishedpiece,whenMrPalgrave\"ownedthathecouldnotfindonegoodlineinit。\"Veryfewpoets,orevenversifiersfiercertheythanpoetsare,wouldhavecontinuedtoshowtheirvirginnumberstoafriendsocandid,asTennysondid。Perhapsmostofthegenusirritabilewillgrantthatspokencriticism,ifunfavourable,somehowannoysandstirsoppositioninanauthor;probablybecauseitconfirmshisownsuspicionsabouthiswork。Suchcriticismisalmostinvariablyjust。
ButCampbell,whenRogersofferedacorrection,\"bouncedoutoftheroom,witha\'Hangit!Ishouldliketoseethemanwhowoulddaretocorrectme。\'\"
MrJowettjustlyrecognisedinthelifeofTennysontwocircumstanceswhichmadehimotherthan,butforthese,hewouldhavebeen。HehadintendedtodowiththeArthuriansubjectwhatheneverdid,\"insomewayorothertohaverepresentedinitthegreatreligionsoftheworld……ItisaproofofTennyson\'sgeniusthatheshouldhavethusearlygraspedthegreathistoricalaspectofreligion。\"Hisintentionwasfoiled,hisearlydreamwasbroken,bythedeathofArthurHallam,andbythecoldnessandcontemptwithwhich,atthesameperiod,hisearlypoemswerereceived。
MrJowettwhohadafirmbeliefinthe\"greatwork\"regrettedthechangeofplanastotheArthuriantopic,regretteditthemorefromhisowninterestintheHistoryofReligion。Butweneednotsharetheregrets。TheearlyplanfortheArthurwhichMrJowettneversawhasbeenpublished,andcertainlytheschemecouldnothavebeenexecutedontheselines。{18}Moreover,astheMasterobserved,theworkwouldhavebeenprematureinTennyson\'syouth,and,indeed,itwouldstillbepremature。Thecomparativescienceofreligiousevolutionisevennowverytentative,anddoesnotyieldmaterialsofsufficientstabilityforanepic,evenifsuchanepiccouldbeforcedintothemouldoftheArthurlegends,afeatperhapsimpossible,andcertainlyundesirable。Atrulyfantasticallegorymusthavebeentheresult,anditisfortunatethatthepoetabandonedtheideainfavourofmorehumanthemes。Moreover,herecognisedveryearlythathiswasnotaMusedelonguehaleine;thathemustbe\"short。\"Wemaythereforefeelcertainthathisearlysorrowanddiscouragementweresalutarytohimasapoet,andasaman。Hebecamemoresympathetic,moretender,andwasobligedtoputforththatstoicalself-control,andstrenuouscourageandendurance,throughwhichalonehispoeticcareerwasrenderedpossible。\"Hehadthesusceptibilityofachildorawoman,\"sayshisfriend;\"hehadalso\"itwasastrangecombination\"thestrengthofagiantorofagod。\"Withoutthesequalitieshemusthavebrokendownbetween1833
and1842intoahypochondriac,oramorose,ifmajestic,failure。
Poor,obscure,andunhappy,heovercametheworld,andpassedfromdarknessintolight。The\"poetictemperament\"inanothernotgiftedwithhisenduranceandpersistentstrengthwouldhaveachievedruin。
MostofusrememberTaine\'sparallelbetweenTennysonandAlfreddeMusset。TheFrenchcritichasnohighapprovalofTennyson\'s\"respectability\"andlongpeacefullife,ascomparedwiththewreckedlifeandgeniusofMusset,l\'enfantperduoflove,wine,andsong。
Thisisatheorylikeanother,andisperhapsattractivetotheyoung。Thepoetmusthavestrongpassions,orhowcanhesingofthem:hemustbetossedandwhirledinthestressofthings,likeShelley\'sautumnleaves;-
\"Ghostsfromanenchanterfleeing。\"
LookingatBurns,Byron,Musset,orevenatShelley\'searlieryears,youthseesinthemthetruepoets,\"sacredthings,\"butalso\"light,\"
asPlatosays,inspiredtobreaktheirwingsagainstthenatureofexistence,andtheflammantiamaeniamundi。Butthisisalmostaboyishidea,thisideathatthetruepoetistheslaveofthepassions,andthatthepoetwhodominatesthemhasnone,andisbutastaiddomesticanimal,anassbrowsingthecommon,assomebodyhaswrittenaboutWordsworth。CertainlyTennyson\'swasno\"passionlessperfection。\"He,likeothers,wastemptedtobeatwithineffectualwingsagainsttheinscrutablenatureoflife。He,too,hadhisdarkhour,andwasassubjecttotemptationastheywhoyieldedtothestressanddied,orbecameunhappywaifs,\"youngmenwithasplendidpast。\"Hemusthaveknown,nolessthanMusset,theattractionsofmanyaparadisartificiel,withitsbrightvisions,itshouris,itsoffersofoblivionofpain。\"Hehadthelookofonewhohadsufferedgreatly,\"MrPalgravewritesinhisrecordoftheirfirstmeetingin1842。Buthe,likeGoethe,Scott,andVictorHugo,hadstrengthaswellaspassionandemotion;hecameunscorchedthroughthefirethathasburnedawaythewingsofsomanyothergreatpoets。Thiswasnolessfortunatefortheworldthanforhimself。Ofhisprolongeddarkhourweknowlittleindetail,butwehaveseenthatfromthefirstheresistedtheTempter;UlyssesishisRetroSathanas!
About\"themechanismofgenius\"inTennysonMrPalgravehastoldusalittle;moreappearsincidentallyinhisbiography。\"Itwashiswaythatwhenwehadenteredonsomesceneofspecialbeautyorgrandeur,afterenjoyingittogether,heshouldalwayswithdrawwhollyfromsight,andstudytheview,asitwere,inalittleartificialsolitude。\"
Tennyson\'spoems,MrPalgravesays,oftenaroseinakindofpointdereperelikethoseformsandlandscapeswhichseemtospringfromafloatingpointoflight,beheldwithclosedeyesjustbeforewesleep。\"Morethanoncehesaidthathispoemssprangoftenfroma\'nucleus,\'someoneword,maybe,orbriefmelodiousphrase,whichhadfloatedthroughthebrain,asitwere,unbidden。Andperhapsatoncewhilewalkingtheywerepresentlywroughtintoalittlesong。Butifhedidnotwriteitdownatoncethelyricfledfromhimirrecoverably。\"Hebelievedhimselfthustohavelostpoemsasgoodashisbest。Itseemsprobablethatthisisacommongenesisofverses,goodorbad,amongallwhowrite。LikeDickens,andlikemostmenofgeniusprobably,hesawallthescenesofhispoems\"inhismind\'seye。\"Manyauthorsdothis,withoutthepowerofmakingtheirreaderssharethevision;butprobablyfewcanimpartthevisionwhodonotthemselves\"visualise\"withdistinctness。Wehaveseen,inthecasesofTheHolyGrailandotherpieces,thatTennyson,afterlongmeditatingasubject,oftenwroteveryrapidly,andwithlittleneedofcorrection。Hewasbornwith\"style\";itwasagiftofhisgeniusratherthantheresultofconsciouselaboration。Yethediduse\"thefile,\"ofwhichmuchisnowwritten,especiallyforthepurposeofpolishingawaythesibilants,socommoninourlanguage。Inthenineyearsofsilencewhichfollowedthelittlebookof1833hispoemsmatured,andhenceforthitisprobablethathealteredhisverseslittle,ifweexceptthemodificationsinThePrincess。Manyslightverbaltouchesweremade,oroldreadingswererestored,butimportantchanges,inthewayofomissionoraddition,becamerare。
OfnatureTennysonwasscrupulouslyobservanttillhisverylatestdays,eagerlynoting,notonly\"effects,\"asapainterdoes,buttheircauses,botanicalorgeological。Hadmanbeenscientificfromthebeginninghewouldprobablyhaveevolvednopoetryatall;
materialthingswouldnothavebeenendowedbyhimwithlifeandpassion;hewouldhavetoldhimselfnostoriesoftheoriginsofstarsandflowers,cloudsandfire,windsandrainbows。Modernpoetshaveresented,likeKeatsandWordsworth,thedestructionoftheoldprehistoricdreamsbythegeologistandbyotherscientificcharacters。ButitwaspartofTennyson\'spoeticoriginalitytoseethebeautifulthingsofnatureatoncewiththevisionofearlypoeticmen,andofmodernsaccustomedtothemicroscope,telescope,spectrumanalysis,andsoforth。ThusTennysonreceivedadoubledelightfromthesensibleuniverse,anditisadoubledelightthathecommunicatestohisreaders。Hisintellectwasthusalwaysactive,eveninapparentrepose。Hiseyesrestednotfromobserving,orhismindfromrecordingandcomparing,thebeautifulfamiliarphenomenaofearthandsky。InthematterofthestudyofbookswehaveseenhowdeeplyversedhewasincertainoftheGreek,Roman,andItalianclassics。MrJowettwrites:\"Hewaswhatmightbecalledagoodscholarintheuniversityorpublic-schoolsenseoftheterm,……yetIseemtorememberthathehadhisfavouriteclassics,suchasHomer,andPindar,andTheocritus……HewasalsoaloverofGreekfragments。ButIamnotsurewhether,inlaterlife,heeversatdowntoreadconsecutivelythegreatestworksofAEschylusandSophocles,althoughheusedoccasionallytodipintothem。\"TheGreekdramatists,infact,seemtohaveaffectedTennyson\'sworkbutslightly,whileheconstantlyremindsusofVirgil,Homer,Theocritus,andevenPersiusandHorace。MediaevalFrench,whetherinpoetryorprose,andthepoetryofthe\"Pleiad\"
seemstohaveoccupiedlittleofhisattention。Intotheorientalliteratureshedipped——prettydeeplyforhisAkbar;andevenhisLocksleyHallowedsomethingtoSirWilliamJones\'sversionof\"theoldArabianMoallakat。\"Thedebtappearstobeinfinitesimal。HeseemstohavebeenlesscloselyfamiliarwithElizabethanpoetrythanmighthavebeenexpected:anumberofhisobiterdictaonallkindsofliterarypointsarerecordedintheLifebyMrPalgrave。\"SirWalterScott\'sshorttale,MyAuntMargaret\'sMirrorhowlittleknown!,heoncespokeofasthefinestofallghostormagicalstories。\"LordTennysonadds,\"TheTapestriedChamberalsohegreatlyadmired。\"BotharelostfrommodernviewamongtheshortpiecesofthelastvolumesoftheWaverleynovels。Ofthepoet\'sinterestinandattitudetowardsthemoreobscurepyschologicalandpsychicalproblems——topopularsciencefoolishness——enoughhasbeensaid,buttheremarksofProfessorTyndallhavenotbeencited:-
Myspecialpurposeinintroducingthispoem,however,wastocallyourattentiontoapassagefurtheronwhichgreatlyinterestedme。
Thepoemis,throughout,adiscussionbetweenabelieverinimmortalityandonewhoisunabletobelieve。Themethodpursuedisthis。TheSagereadsaportionofthescroll,whichhehastakenfromthehandsofhisfollower,andthenbringshisownargumentstobearuponthatportion,withaviewtoneutralisingthescepticismoftheyoungerman。LetmehereremarkthatIreadthewholeseriesofpoemspublishedunderthetitle\"Tiresias,\"fullofadmirationfortheirfreshnessandvigour。SevenyearsafterIhadfirstreadthemyourfatherdied,andyou,hisson,askedmetocontributeachaptertothebookwhichyoucontemplatepublishing。IknewthatIhadsomesmallstoreofreferencestomyinterviewwithyourfathercarefullywritteninancientjournals。Onthereceiptofyourrequest,I
lookeduptheaccountofmyfirstvisittoFarringford,andthere,tomyprofoundastonishment,Ifounddescribedthatexperienceofyourfather\'swhich,inthemouthoftheAncientSage,wasmadethegroundofanimportantargumentagainstmaterialismandinfavourofpersonalimmortalityeight-and-twentyyearsafterwards。Innootherpoemduringalltheseyearsis,tomyknowledge,thisexperienceoncealludedto。Ihadcompletelyforgottenit,buthereitwasrecordedinblackandwhite。Ifyouturntoyourfather\'saccountofthewonderfulstateofconsciousnesssuperinducedbythinkingofhisownname,andcompareitwiththeargumentoftheAncientSage,youwillseethattheyrefertooneandthesamephenomenon。
Andmore,myson!formorethanoncewhenI
Satallalone,revolvinginmyselfThewordthatisthesymbolofmyself,ThemortallimitoftheSelfwasloosed,AndpastintotheNameless,asacloudMeltsintoheaven。Itouch\'dmylimbs,thelimbsWerestrange,notmine——andyetnoshadeofdoubt,Bututterclearness,andthro\'lossofSelfThegainofsuchlargelifeasmatch\'dwithoursWereSuntospark——unshadowableinwords,Themselvesbutshadowsofashadow-world。
AnywordsaboutTennysonasapoliticianareapttoexcitethesleeplessprejudicewhichhauntsthepoliticalfield。Heprobably,ifforcedto\"putanametoit,\"wouldhavecalledhimselfaLiberal。
Buthewasnotasocialagitator。Heneversetarickonfire。\"Heheldaloof,inasomewhatdetachedposition,fromthegreatsocialseethingsofhisage\"MrFredericHarrison。Butinyouthhehelpedtoextinguishsomeflamingricks。Hespokeofthe\"many-headedbeast\"thereadingpublicintermsborrowedfromPlato。HehadnohigheresteemformobsthanShakespeareorJohnKnoxprofessed,whilehistheoryoftyrantsinthecaseofNapoleonIII。about1852wasthatofLiberalslikeMrSwinburneandVictorHugo。ThoughtomodernenlightenmentTennysonmayseemasgreataToryasDrJohnson,yethehadspokenhiswordin1852forthefreedomofFrance,andforsecuringEnglandagainstthesupposeddesignsofausurpernowfallen。Hereallybelieved,obsoleteasthefaithmaybe,inguardingourown,bothonlandandsea。PerhapsnoContinentalorAmericancritichaseveryetdispraisedapoeticalfellow-countrymanmerelyforurgingthedutiesofnationalunionandnationaldefence。
Acritic,however,writesthusofTennyson:\"Whenourpoetdescendsintothearenaofpartypolemics,insuchthingsasRiflemen,Form!
HandsallRound,……TheFleet,andothertopicalpiecesdeartotheJingosoul,itisnotpoetrybutjournalism。\"IdoubtwhetherthedesirablenessoftheexistenceofavolunteerforceandofafleetreallyiswithinthearenaofPARTYpolemics。Ifanypartythinksthatweoughttohavenovolunteers,andthatitisourdutytostarvethefleet,whatisthatparty\'sname?Whocries,\"DownwiththeFleet!DownwithNationalDefence!HoorayfortheDisintegrationoftheEmpire!\"?
Tennysonwasnotapartyman,buthecertainlywouldhaveopposedanysuchparty。IftodefendourhomesandthisEnglandbe\"Jingoism,\"
Tennyson,likeShakespeare,wasaJingo。But,alas!IdonotknowthenameofthepartywhichopposesTennyson,andwhichwishestheinvadertotrampledownEngland——anyinvaderwilldoforsophilanthropicapurpose。Exceptwhenresistingthisunnamedparty,thepoetseldomorneverentered\"thearenaofpartypolemics。\"
Tennysoncouldnothaveexclaimed,likeSquireWestern,\"HurrahforoldEngland!TwentythousandhonestFrenchmenhavelandedinKent!\"
Heundeniablydidwriteverseswhetherpoetryorjournalismtendingtomakereaderstakeanunfavourableviewofhonestinvaders。Iftodothatistobea\"Jingo,\"andifsuchconducthurtsthefeelingsofanygreatEnglishparty,thenTennysonwasaJingoandapartisan,andwas,sofar,arhymester,likeMrKipling。IndeedweknowthatTennysonapplaudedMrKipling\'sTheEnglishFlag。Sotheworstisout,asweinEnglandcounttheworst。InAmericaandonthecontinentofEurope,however,apoetmaybeproudofhiscountry\'sflagwithoutincurringrebukefromhiscountrymen。Tennysondidnotreckonhimselfapartyman;hebelievedmoreinpoliticalevolutionthaninpoliticalrevolution,withcataclysms。HewasneitheranAnarchistnoraHomeRuler,norapoliticiansogenerousastowishEnglandtobelaiddefencelessatthefeetofherfoes。
Ifthesesentimentsdeservecensure,inTennyson,atleast,theyclaimourtolerance。HewasnotborninagenerationlateenoughtobetrulyLiberal。Oldprejudicesabout\"thisEngland,\"oldwordsfromHenryV。andKingJohn,hauntedhismemoryanddarkenedhisvisionofthetrueproportionsofthings。Wedrawinprejudicewithourmother\'smilk。ThemotherofTennysonhadnotbeenanAgnosticoraComtist;hisfatherhadnotbeenastaunchtrue-blueanti-
Englander。Thusheinheritedacertainbiasinfavouroffaithandfatherland,abiasfromwhichhecouldneveremancipatehimself。Buttoutcomprendrec\'esttoutpardonner。HadTennyson\'sbirthbeenlater,wemightfindinhimamorecompleterealisationofourpoeticideal——mighthavedetectedlesstoblameortoforgive。
WiththatapologywemustleavethefameofTennysonasapoliticiantotheclementconsiderationofanenlightenedposterity。Idonotdefendhisnarrowinsularities,hisJingoism,ortheappreciablepercentageoffaithwhichblushinganalysismaydetectinhishonestdoubt:thesethingsImayregretorcondemn,butweoughtnottoletthemobscureourviewofthePoet。Hewasledawaybybadexamples。
OfallJingoesShakespeareisthemostunashamed,andnexttohimareDrayton,Scott,andWordsworth,withhis\"Oh,foronehourofthatDundee!\"
IntheyearswhichfollowedtheuntowardaffairofWaterlooyoungTennysonfellmuchundertheinfluenceofShakespeare,Wordsworth,andtheotheroffenders,andtheseareextenuatingcircumstances。Byacuriouspracticalparadox,wheretherealmsofpoetryandpoliticsmeet,theTorycriticsseemmilderofmoodandmoreLiberalthantheLiberalcritics。ThusMrWilliamMorriswascertainlyaveryadvancedpoliticaltheorist;andintheologyMrSwinburnehaswrittenthingsnoteasilyreconcilablewithorthodoxy。YetwefindDivine-
RightTories,whoinliteratureareferventadmirersofthesetwopoets,andleavetheirheterodoxiesoutofaccount。ButmanyLiberalcriticsappearunablequitetoforgiveTennysonbecausehedidnotwishtostarvethefleet,andbecauseheheldcertainveryancient,ifobsolete,beliefs。Perhapsageneralamnestyoughttobepassed,asfaraspoetsareconcerned,andtheirpoliticsandcreedsshouldbelefttosilence,where\"beyondthesevoicesthereispeace。\"
Oneremark,Ihope,canexcitenoprejudice。ThegreatestoftheGordonswasasoldier,andlivedinreligion。ButthepointatwhichTennyson\'smemoryisblendedwiththatofGordonisthepointofsympathywiththeneglectedpoor。Itistohiswiseadvice,andtoaffectionforGordon,thatweowetheGordontrainingschoolforpoorboys,——agoodschool,andgoodboyscomeoutofthatacademy。
ThequestionastoTennyson\'spreciserankinthegloriousrollofthePoetsofEnglandcanneverbedeterminedbyus,ifinanycaseoratanytimesuchdeterminationscanbemade。Wedonot,orshouldnot,askwhetherVirgilorLucretius,whetherAEschylusorSophocles,isthegreaterpoet。TheconsentofmankindseemstoplaceHomerandShakespeareandDantehighaboveall。Fortherestnoprize-listcanbesettled。Ifinfluenceamongaliensisthetest,Byronprobablytakes,amongourpoets,thenextrankafterShakespeare。Butprobablythereisnopossibletest。IncertainrespectsShelley,inmanyrespectsMilton,insomeColeridge,insomeBurns,intheopinionofanumberofpersonsBrowning,aregreaterpoetsthanTennyson。ButforexquisitevarietyandvariedexquisitenessTennysonisnotreadilytobesurpassed。Atonemomenthepleasestheuncriticalmassofreaders,inanothermoodhewinstheverdictoftheraffine。ItisasuccesswhichscarceanyEnglishpoetbutShakespearehasexcelled。Hisfaultshaverarely,ifever,beenthoseofflat-footed,\"thick-ankled\"dulness;ofrhetoric,ofcommon-
place;ratherhavehisdefectsbeentheexcessofhisqualities。A
kindofJohnBullishnessmayalsobenoted,especiallyinderogatoryreferencestoFrance,which,trueoruntrue,areoutoftasteandkeeping。Buttheseerrorscouldberemovedbytheexcisionofhalf-
a-dozenlines。HislaterworkastheVoyageofMaelduneshowsajustappreciationofancientCelticliterature。Agreatcritic,F。
T。Palgrave,hasexpressedperhapsthesoundestappreciationofTennyson:-
Itisfor\"thedaysthatremain\"tobearwitnesstohisrealplaceinthegreathierarchy,amongstwhomDanteboldlyyetjustlyrankedhimself。ButifwelookatTennyson\'sworkinatwofoldaspect,——
HERE,ontheexquisiteartinwhich,throughout,hisverseisclothed,thelucidbeautyoftheform,themelodyalmostaudibleasmusic,themysteriousskillbywhichthewordsusedconstantlystrikeastheINEVITABLEwordsandhence,unforgettable,thesubtleallusivetouches,bywhichasecondaryimageissuggestedtoenrichtheleadingthought,astheharmonic\"partials\"giverichnesstothenotestruckuponthestring;THERE,whenwethinkofthevastfertilityinsubjectandtreatment,unitedwithhappyselectionofmotive,thewiderangeofcharacter,thedramaticforceofimpersonation,thepathosineveryvariety,themasteryoverthecomicandthetragicalike,aboveall,perhaps,thosephrasesofluminousinsightwhichspringdirectfromimaginativeobservationofHumanity,trueforalltime,comingfromthehearttotheheart,——hisworkwillprobablybefoundtoliesomewherebetweenthatofVirgilandShakespeare:havingitsportion,ifImayventureonthephrase,intheinspirationofboth。
AprofessedenthusiastforTennysoncanaddnothingto,andtakenothingfrom,thesewordsofonewho,thoughhisfriend,wastootrulyacritictoentertaintheadmirationthatgoesbeyondidolatry。