alfred tennyson-第6部分

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FitzGerald；　and；　coming　from　Coventry；　wrote　Godiva。　　His　engagement
with　Miss　Sellwood　seemed　to　be　adjourned　sine　die；　as　they　were
forbidden　to　correspond。

By　1841　Tennyson　was　living　at　Mablethorpe　on　the　Lincolnshire　coast；
working　at　his　volumes　of　1842；　much　urged　by　FitzGerald　and　American
admirers；　who　had　heard　of　the　poet　through　Emerson。　　Moxon　was　to　be
the　publisher；　himself　something　of　a　poet；　but　early　in　1842　he　had
not　yet　received　the　MS。　　Perhaps　Emerson　heard　of　Tennyson　through
Carlyle；　who；　says　Sterling；　〃said　more　in　your　praise　than　in　any
one's　except　Cromwell；　and　an　American　backwoodsman　who　has　killed
thirty　or　forty　people　with　a　bowie…knife。〃　　Carlyle　at　this　time　was
much　attached　to　Lockhart；　editor　of　the　Quarterly　Review；　and　it　may
have　been　Carlyle　who　converted　Lockhart　to　admiration　of　his　old
victim。　　Carlyle　had　very　little　more　appreciation　of　Keats　than　had
Byron；　or　（in　early　days）　Lockhart；　and　it　was　probably　as　much　the
man　of　heroic　physical　mould；　〃a　life…guardsman　spoilt　by　making
poetry；〃　and　the　unaffected　companion　over　a　pipe；　as　the　poet；　that
attracted　him　in　Tennyson。　　As　we　saw；　when　the　two　triumphant
volumes　of　1842　did　appear；　Lockhart　asked　Sterling　to　review
whatever　book　he　pleased　（meaning　the　Poems）　in　the　Quarterly。　　The
praise　of　Sterling　may　seem　lukewarm　to　us；　especially　when　compared
with　that　of　Spedding　in　the　Edinburgh。　　But　Sterling；　and　Lockhart
too；　were　obliged　to　〃gang　warily。〃　　Lockhart　had；　to　his　constant
annoyance；　〃a　partner；　Mr　Croker；〃　and　I　have　heard　from　the　late
Dean　Boyle　that　Mr　Croker　was　much　annoyed　by　even　the　mild　applause
yielded　in　the　Quarterly　to　the　author　of　the　Morte　d'Arthur。

While　preparing　the　volumes　of　1842　at　Boxley；　Tennyson's　life　was
divided　between　London　and　the　society　of　his　brother…in…law；　Mr
Edmund　Lushington；　the　great　Greek　scholar　and　Professor　of　Greek　at
Glasgow　University。　　There　was　in　Mr　Lushington's　personal　aspect；
and　noble　simplicity　of　manner　and　character；　something　that　strongly
resembled　Tennyson　himself。　　Among　their　common　friends　were　Lord
Houghton　（Monckton　Milnes）；　Mr　Lear　of　the　Book　of　Nonsense　（〃with
such　a　pencil；　such　a　pen〃）；　Mr　Venables　（who　at　school　modified　the
profile　of　Thackeray）；　and　Lord　Kelvin。　　In　town　Tennyson　met　his
friends　at　The　Cock；　which　he　rendered　classic；　among　them　were
Thackeray；　Forster；　Maclise；　and　Dickens。　　The　times　were　stirring：
social　agitation；　and　〃Carol　philosophy〃　in　Dickens；　with　growls　from
Carlyle；　marked　the　period。　　There　was　also　a　kind　of　optimism　in　the
air；　a　prophetic　optimism；　not　yet　fulfilled。


〃Fly；　happy　happy　sails；　and　bear　the　Press！〃


That　mission　no　longer　strikes　us　as　exquisitely　felicitous。　　〃The
mission　of　the　Cross；〃　and　of　the　missionaries；　means　international
complications；　and　〃the　markets　of　the　Golden　Year〃　are　precisely　the
most　fruitful　causes　of　wars　and　rumours　of　wars：…


　　　〃Sea　and　air　are　dark
With　great　contrivances　of　Power。〃


Tennyson's　was　not　an　unmitigated　optimism；　and　had　no　special
confidence　in


〃The　herd；　wild　hearts　and　feeble　wings
　　　That　every　sophister　can　lime。〃


His　political　poetry；　in　fact；　was　very　unlike　the　socialist　chants
of　Mr　William　Morris；　or　Songs　before　Sunrise。　　He　had　nothing　to　say
about


〃The　blood　on　the　hands　of　the　King；
　　　And　the　lie　on　the　lips　of　the　Priest。〃


The　hands　of　Presidents　have　not　always　been　unstained；　nor　are
statements　of　a　mythical　nature　confined　to　the　lips　of　the　clergy。
The　poet　was　anxious　that　freedom　should　〃broaden　down；〃　but
〃slowly；〃　not　with　indelicate　haste。　　Persons　who　are　more　in　a　hurry
will　never　care　for　the　political　poems；　and　it　is　certain　that
Tennyson　did　not　feel　sympathetically　inclined　towards　the　Iberian
patriot　who　said　that　his　darling　desire　was　〃to　cut　the　throats　of
all　the　cures；〃　like　some　Covenanters　of　old。　　〃Mais　vous　connaissez
mon　coeur〃〃and　a　pretty　black　one　it　is；〃　thought　young　Tennyson。
So　cautious　in　youth；　during　his　Pyrenean　tour　with　Hallam　in　1830；
Tennyson　could　not　become　a　convinced　revolutionary　later。　　We　must
accept　him　with　his　limitations：　　nor　must　we　confuse　him　with　the
hero　of　his　Locksley　Hall；　one　of　the　most　popular；　and　most
parodied；　of　the　poems　of　1842：　　full　of　beautiful　images　and
〃confusions　of　a　wasted　youth；〃　a　youth　dramatically　conceived；　and
in　no　way　autobiographical。

In　so　marvellous　a　treasure　of　precious　things　as　the　volumes　of
1842；　perhaps　none　is　more　splendid；　perfect；　and　perdurable　than　the
Morte　d'Arthur。　　It　had　been　written　seven　years　earlier；　and
pronounced　by　the　poet　〃not　bad。〃　　Tennyson　was　never；　perhaps；　a
very　deep　Arthurian　student。　　A　little　cheap　copy　of　Malory　was　his
companion。　｛4｝　　He　does　not　appear　to　have　gone　deeply　into　the
French　and　German　〃literature　of　the　subject。〃　　Malory's　compilation
（1485）　from　French　and　English　sources；　with　the　Mabinogion　of　Lady
Charlotte　Guest；　sufficed　for　him　as　materials。　　The　whole　poem；
enshrined　in　the　memory　of　all　lovers　of　verse；　is　richly　studded；　as
the　hilt　of　Excalibur；　with　classical　memories。　　〃A　faint　Homeric
echo〃　it　is　not；　nor　a　Virgilian　echo；　but　the　absolute　voice　of　old
romance；　a　thing　that　might　have　been　chanted　by


〃The　lonely　maiden　of　the　Lake〃


when


〃Nine　years　she　wrought　it；　sitting　in　the　deeps；
Upon　the　hidden　bases　of　the　hills。〃


Perhaps　the　most　exquisite　adaptation　of　all　are　the　lines　from　the
Odyssey　…


〃Where　falls　not　hail　nor　rain；　nor　any　snow。〃


〃Softly　through　the　flutes　of　the　Grecians〃　came　first　these　Elysian
numbers；　then　through　Lucretius；　then　through　Tennyson's　own
Lucretius；　then　in　Mr　Swinburne's　Atalanta　in　Calydon：…


〃Lands　indiscoverable　in　the　unheard…of　west
Round　which　the　strong　stream　of　a　sacred　sea
Rolls　without　wind　for　ever；　and　the　snow
There　shows　not　her　white　wings　and　windy　feet；
Nor　thunder　nor　swift　rain　saith　anything；
Nor　the　sun　burns；　but　all　things　rest　and　thrive。〃


So　fortunate　in　their　transmission　through　poets　have　been　the　lines
of　〃the　Ionian　father　of　the　rest；〃　the　greatest　of　them　all。

In　the　variety　of　excellences　which　marks　Tennyson；　the　new　English
idylls　of　1842　hold　their　prominent　place。　　Nothing　can　be　more
exquisite　and　more　English　than　the　picture　of　〃the　garden　that　I
love。〃　　Theocritus　cannot　be　surpassed；　but　the　idyll　matches　to　the
seventh　of　his；　where　it　is　most　closely　followed；　and　possesses　such
a　picture　of　a　girl　as　the　Sicilian　never　tried　to　paint。

Dora　is　another　idyll；　resembling　the　work　of　a　Wordsworth　in　a　clime
softer　than　that　of　the　Fells。　　The　lays　of　Edwin　Morris　and　Edward
Bull　are　not　among　the　more　enduring　of　even　the　playful　poems。　　The
St　Simeon　Stylites　appears　〃made　to　the　hand〃　of　the　author　of　Men
and　Women　rather　than　of　Tennyson。　　The　grotesque　vanity　of　the
anchorite　is　so　remote　from　us；　that　we　can　scarcely　judge　of　the
truth　of　the　picture；　though　the　East　has　still　her　parallels　to　St
Simeon。　　From　the　almost；　perhaps　quite；　incredible　ascetic　the　poet
lightly　turns　to　〃society　verse〃　lifted　up　into　the　air　of　poetry；　in
the　charm　of　The　Talking　Oak；　and　the　happy　flitting　sketches　of
actual　history；　and　thence　to　the　strength　and　passion　of　Love　and
Duty。　　Shall


　　　　　　　　　〃Sin　itself　be　found
The　cloudy　porch　oft　opening　on　the　Sun？〃


That　this　is　the　province　of　sin　is　a　pretty　popular　modern　moral。
But　Honour　is　the　better　part；　and　here　was　a　poet　who　had　the
courage　to　say　so；　though；　to　be　sure；　the　words　ring　strange　in　an
age　when　highly　respectable　matrons　assure　us　that　〃passion；〃　like
charity；　covers　a　multitude　of　sins。　　Love　and　Duty；　we　must　admit；
is　〃early　Victorian。〃

The　Ulysses　is　almost　a　rival　to　the　Morte　d'Arthur。　　It　is　of　an
early　date；　after　Arthur　Hallam's　death；　and　Thackeray　speaks　of　the
poet　chanting　his


〃Great　Achilles　whom　we　knew；〃


as　if　he　thought　that　this　was　in　Cambridge　days。　　But　it　is　later
than　these。　　Tennyson　said；　〃Ulysses　was　written　soon　after　Arthur
Hallam's　death；　and　gave　my　feeling　about　the　need　of　going　forward；
and　braving　the　struggle　of　life；　perhaps　more　simply　than　anything
in　In　Memoriam。〃　　Assuredly　the　expression　is　more　simple；　and　more
noble；　and　the　personal　emotion　more　dignified　for　the　classic　veil。
When　the　plaintive　Pessimist　（〃'proud　of　the　title；'　as　the　Living
Skeleton　said　when　they　showed　him〃）　tells　us　that　〃not　to　have　been
born　is　best；〃　we　may　answer　with　Ulysses　…


　　　〃Life　piled　on　life
Were　all　too　little。〃


The　Ulysses　of　Tennyson；　of　course；　is　Dante's　Ulysses；　not　Homer's
Odysseus；　who　brought　home　to　Ithaca　not　one　of　his　mariners。　　His
last　known　adventure；　the　journey　to　the　land　of　men　who　knew　not　the
savour　of　salt；　Odysseus　was　to　make　on　foot　and　alone；　so　spake　the
ghost　of　Tiresias　within　the　poplar　pale　of　Persephone。

The　Two　Voices　expresses　the　contest　of　doubts　and　griefs　with　the
spirit　of　endurance　and　joy　which　speaks　alone　in　Ulysses。　　The　man
who　is　unhappy；　but　does　not　want　to　put　an　end　to　himself；　has
certainly　the　better　of　the　argument　with　the　despairing　Voice。　　The
arguments　of　〃that　barren　Voice〃　are；　indeed；　remarkably　deficient　in
cogency　and　logic；　if　we　can　bring　ourselves　to　strip　the　discussion
of　its　poetry。　　The　original　title；　Thoughts　of　a　Suicide；　was
inappropriate。　　The　suicidal　suggestions　are　promptly　faced　and
confuted；　and　the　mood　of　the　author　is　throughout　that　of　one　who
thinks　life　worth　living：…


〃Whatever　crazy　sorrow　saith；
No　life　that　breathes　with　human　breath
Has　ever　truly　long'd　for　death。

'Tis　life　whereof　our　nerves　are　scant；
Oh　life；　not　death；　for　which　we　pant；
More　life；　and　fuller；　that　I　want。〃


This　appears　to　be　a　satisfactory　reply　to　the　persons　who　eke　out　a
livelihood　by　publishing　pessimistic　books；　and　hooting；　as　the　great
Alexandre　Dumas　says；　at　the　great　drama　of　Life。

With　The　Day…Dream　（of　The　Sleeping　Beauty）　Tennyson　again　displays
his　matchless　range　of　powers。　　Verse　of　Society　rises　into　a　charmed
and　musical　fantasy；　passing　from　the　Berlin…wool　work　of　the　period