alfred tennyson-第23部分

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insert　it　in　the　volumes　of　1842！　　Nobody　knows　how　many　poems　of
Tennyson's　never　even　saw　pen　and　ink；　being　composed　unwritten；　and
forgotten。　　At　this　time　we　find　him　recommending　Mr　Browning's　Men
and　Women　to　the　Duke；　who；　like　many　Tennysonians；　does　not　seem　to
have　been　a　ready　convert　to　his　great　contemporary。　　The　Duke　and
Duchess　urged　the　Laureate　to　attempt　the　topic　of　the　Holy　Grail；
but　he　was　not　in　the　mood。　　Indeed　the　vision　of　the　Grail　in　the
early　Sir　Galahad　is　doubtless　happier　than　the　allegorical　handling
of　a　theme　so　obscure；　remote；　and　difficult；　in　the　Idylls。　　He
wrote　his　Boadicea；　a　piece　magnificent　in　itself；　but　of　difficult
popular　access；　owing　to　the　metrical　experiment。

In　the　autumn　of　1860　he　revisited　Cornwall　with　F。　T。　Palgrave；　Mr
Val　Prinsep；　and　Mr　Holman　Hunt。　　They　walked　in　the　rain；　saw
Tintagel　and　the　Scilly　Isles；　and　were　feted　by　an　enthusiastic
captain　of　a　little　river　steamer；　who　was　more　interested　in　〃Mr
Tinman　and　Mr　Pancake〃　than　the　Celtic　boatman　of　Ardtornish。　　The
winter　was　passed　at　Farringford；　and　the　Northern　Farmer　was　written
there；　a　Lincolnshire　reminiscence；　in　the　February　of　1861。　　In
autumn　the　Pyrenees　were　visited　by　Tennyson　in　company　with　Arthur
Clough　and　Mr　Dakyns　of　Clifton　College。　　At　Cauteretz　in　August；　and
among　memories　of　the　old　tour　with　Arthur　Hallam；　was　written　All
along　the　Valley。　　The　ways；　however；　in　Auvergne　were　〃foul；〃　and
the　diet　〃unhappy。〃　　The　dedication　of　the　Idylls　was　written　on　the
death　of　the　Prince　Consort　in　December；　and　in　January　1862　the　Ode
for　the　opening　of　an　exhibition。　　The　poet　was　busy　with　his
〃Fisherman；〃　Enoch　Arden。　　The　volume　was　published　in　1864；　and　Lord
Tennyson　says　it　has　been；　next　to　In　Memoriam；　the　most　popular　of
his　father's　works。　　One　would　have　expected　the　one　volume
containing　the　poems　up　to　1842　to　hold　that　place。　　The　new　book；
however；　mainly　dealt　with　English；　contemporary；　and　domestic
themes〃the　poetry　of　the　affections。〃　　An　old　woman；　a　district
visitor　reported；　regarded　Enoch　Arden　as　〃more　beautiful〃　than　the
other　tracts　which　were　read　to　her。　　It　is　indeed　a　tender　and
touching　tale；　based　on　a　folk…story　which　Tennyson　found　current　in
Brittany　as　well　as　in　England。　　Nor　is　the　unseen　and　unknown
landscape　of　the　tropic　isle　less　happily　created　by　the　poet's
imagination　than　the　familiar　English　cliffs　and　hazel　copses：…


　　　〃The　mountain　wooded　to　the　peak；　the　lawns
And　winding　glades　high　up　like　ways　to　Heaven；
The　slender　coco's　drooping　crown　of　plumes；
The　lightning　flash　of　insect　and　of　bird；
The　lustre　of　the　long　convolvuluses
That　coil'd　around　the　stately　stems；　and　ran
Ev'n　to　the　limit　of　the　land；　the　glows
And　glories　of　the　broad　belt　of　the　world；
All　these　he　saw；　but　what　he　fain　had　seen
He　could　not　see；　the　kindly　human　face；
Nor　ever　hear　a　kindly　voice；　but　heard
The　myriad　shriek　of　wheeling　ocean…fowl；
The　league…long　roller　thundering　on　the　reef；
The　moving　whisper　of　huge　trees　that　branch'd
And　blossom'd　in　the　zenith；　or　the　sweep
Of　some　precipitous　rivulet　to　the　wave；
As　down　the　shore　he　ranged；　or　all　day　long
Sat　often　in　the　seaward…gazing　gorge；
A　shipwreck'd　sailor；　waiting　for　a　sail：
No　sail　from　day　to　day；　but　every　day
The　sunrise　broken　into　scarlet　shafts
Among　the　palms　and　ferns　and　precipices；
The　blaze　upon　the　waters　to　the　east；
The　blaze　upon　his　island　overhead；
The　blaze　upon　the　waters　to　the　west；
Then　the　great　stars　that　globed　themselves　in　Heaven；
The　hollower…bellowing　ocean；　and　again
The　scarlet　shafts　of　sunrisebut　no　sail。〃


Aylmer's　Field　somewhat　recalls　the　burden　of　Maud；　the　curse　of
purse…proud　wealth；　but　is　too　gloomy　to　be　a　fair　specimen　of
Tennyson's　art。　　In　Sea　Dreams　（first　published　in　1860）　the　awful
vision　of　crumbling　faiths　is　somewhat　out　of　harmony　with　its
environment：…


　　　〃But　round　the　North；　a　light；
A　belt；　it　seem'd；　of　luminous　vapour；　lay；
And　ever　in　it　a　low　musical　note
Swell'd　up　and　died；　and；　as　it　swell'd；　a　ridge
Of　breaker　issued　from　the　belt；　and　still
Grew　with　the　growing　note；　and　when　the　note
Had　reach'd　a　thunderous　fulness；　on　those　cliffs
Broke；　mixt　with　awful　light　（the　same　as　that
Living　within　the　belt）　whereby　she　saw
That　all　those　lines　of　cliffs　were　cliffs　no　more；
But　huge　cathedral　fronts　of　every　age；
Grave；　florid；　stern；　as　far　as　eye　could　see；
One　after　one：　　and　then　the　great　ridge　drew；
Lessening　to　the　lessening　music；　back；
And　past　into　the　belt　and　swell'd　again
Slowly　to　music：　　ever　when　it　broke
The　statues；　king　or　saint　or　founder　fell；
Then　from　the　gaps　and　chasms　of　ruin　left
Came　men　and　women　in　dark　clusters　round；
Some　crying；　'Set　them　up！　they　shall　not　fall！'
And　others；　'Let　them　lie；　for　they　have　fall'n。'
And　still　they　strove　and　wrangled：　　and　she　grieved
In　her　strange　dream；　she　knew　not　why；　to　find
Their　wildest　wailings　never　out　of　tune
With　that　sweet　note；　and　ever　as　their　shrieks
Ran　highest　up　the　gamut；　that　great　wave
Returning；　while　none　mark'd　it；　on　the　crowd
Broke；　mixt　with　awful　light；　and　show'd　their　eyes
Glaring；　and　passionate　looks；　and　swept　away
The　men　of　flesh　and　blood；　and　men　of　stone；
To　the　waste　deeps　together。

　　　　　　'Then　I　fixt
My　wistful　eyes　on　two　fair　images；
Both　crown'd　with　stars　and　high　among　the　stars；　…
The　Virgin　Mother　standing　with　her　child
High　up　on　one　of　those　dark　minster…fronts　…
Till　she　began　to　totter；　and　the　child
Clung　to　the　mother；　and　sent　out　a　cry
Which　mixt　with　little　Margaret's；　and　I　woke；
And　my　dream　awed　me：　wellbut　what　are　dreams？〃


The　passage　is　rather　fitted　for　a　despairing　mood　of　Arthur；　in　the
Idylls；　than　for　the　wife　of　the　city　clerk　ruined　by　a　pious　rogue。

The　Lucretius；　later　published；　is　beyond　praise　as　a　masterly　study
of　the　great　Roman　sceptic；　whose　heart　is　at　eternal　odds　with　his
Epicurean　creed。　　Nascent　madness；　or　fever　of　the　brain　drugged　by
the　blundering　love　philtre；　is　not　more　cunningly　treated　in　the　mad
scenes　of　Maud。　　No　prose　commentary　on　the　De　Rerum　Natura；　however
long　and　learned；　conveys　so　clearly　as　this　concise　study　in　verse
the　sense　of　magnificent　mingled　ruin　in　the　mind　and　poem　of　the
Roman。

The　〃Experiments　in　Quantity〃　were；　perhaps；　suggested　by　Mr　Matthew
Arnold's　Lectures　on　the　Translating　of　Homer。　　Mr　Arnold　believed　in
a　translation　into　English　hexameters。　　His　negative　criticism　of
other　translators　and　translations　was　amusing　and　instructive：　　he
had　an　easy　game　to　play　with　the　Yankee…doodle　metre　of　F。　W。
Newman；　the　ponderous　blank　verse　of　Cowper；　the　tripping　and
clipping　couplets　of　Pope；　the　Elizabethan　fantasies　of　Chapman。　　But
Mr　Arnold's　hexameters　were　neither　musical　nor　rapid：　　they　only
exhibited　a　new　form　of　failure。　　As　the　Prince　of　Abyssinia　said　to
his　tutor；　〃Enough；　you　have　convinced　me　that　no　man　can　be　a　poet；〃
so　Mr　Arnold　went　some　way　to　prove　that　no　man　can　translate　Homer。

Tennyson　had　the　lowest　opinion　of　hexameters　as　an　English　metre　for
serious　purposes。


〃These　lame　hexameters　the　strong…wing'd　music　of　Homer！〃


Lord　Tennyson　says；　〃German　hexameters　he　disliked　even　more　than
English。〃　　Indeed　there　is　not　much　room　for　preference。　　Tennyson's
Alcaics　（Milton）　were　intended　to　follow　the　Greek　rather　than　the
Horatian　model；　and　resulted；　at　all　events；　in　a　poem　worthy　of　the
〃mighty…mouth'd　inventor　of　harmonies。〃　　The　specimen　of　the　Iliad　in
blank　verse；　beautiful　as　it　is；　does　not；　somehow；　reproduce　the
music　of　Homer。　　It　is　entirely　Tennysonian；　as　in


〃Roll'd　the　rich　vapour　far　into　the　heaven。〃


The　reader；　in　that　one　line；　recognises　the　voice　and　trick　of　the
English　poet；　and　is　far　away　from　the　Chian：…


〃As　when　in　heaven　the　stars　about　the　moon
Look　beautiful；　when　all　the　winds　are　laid；
And　every　height　comes　out；　and　jutting　peak
And　valley；　and　the　immeasurable　heavens
Break　open　to　their　highest；　and　all　the　stars
Shine；　and　the　Shepherd　gladdens　in　his　heart：
So　many　a　fire　between　the　ships　and　stream
Of　Xanthus　blazed　before　the　towers　of　Troy；
A　thousand　on　the　plain；　and　close　by　each
Sat　fifty　in　the　blaze　of　burning　fire；
And　eating　hoary　grain　and　pulse　the　steeds；
Fixt　by　their　cars；　waited　the　golden　dawn。〃


This　is　excellent；　is　poetry；　escapes　the　conceits　of　Pope　（who　never
〃wrote　with　his　eye　on　the　object〃）；　but　is　pure　Tennyson。　　We　have
not　yet；　probably　we　never　shall　have；　an　adequate　rendering　of　the
Iliad　into　verse；　and　prose　translations　do　not　pretend　to　be
adequate。　　When　parents　and　dominies　have　abolished　the　study　of
Greek；　something；　it　seems；　will　have　been　lost　to　the　world；
something　which　even　Tennyson　could　not　restore　in　English。　　He
thought　blank　verse　the　proper　equivalent；　but　it　is　no　equivalent。
One　even　prefers　his　own　prose：…


Nor　did　Paris　linger　in　his　lofty　halls；　but　when　he　had　girt　on　his
gorgeous　armour；　all　of　varied　bronze；　then　he　rushed　thro'　the　city；
glorying　in　his　airy　feet。　　And　as　when　a　stall…kept　horse；　that　is
barley…fed　at　the　manger；　breaketh　his　tether；　and　dasheth　thro'　the
plain；　spurning　it；　being　wont　to　bathe　himself　in　the　fair…running
river；　rioting；　and　reareth　his　head；　and　his　mane　flieth　back　on
either　shoulder；　and　he　glorieth　in　his　beauty；　and　his　knees　bear
him　at　the　gallop　to　the　haunts　and　meadows　of　the　mares；　so　ran　the
son　of　Priam；　Paris；　from　the　height　of　Pergamus；　all　in　arms；
glittering　like　the　sun；　laughing　for　light…heartedness；　and　his
swift　feet　bare　him。


In　February　1865　Tennyson　lost　the　mother　whose　portrait　he　drew　in
Isabel；〃a　thing　enskied　and　sainted。〃

In　the　autumn　of　1865　the　Tennysons　went　on　a　Continental　tour；　and
visited　Waterloo；　Weimar；　and　Dresden；　in　September　they　entertained
Emma　I。；　Queen　of　the　Sandwich　Islands。　　The　months　passed　quietly　at
home　or　in　town。　　The　poet　had　written　his　Lucretius；　and；　to　please
Sir　George　Grove；　wrote　The　Song　of　the　Wrens；　for　music。　　Tennyson
had　not　that　positive　aversion　to　music　which　marked　Dr　Johnson；
Victor　Hugo；　T