At the age of 70. Etched from life by Paul Rajon. Copyrighted in 1888 by Frederick Keppel & Co., New York, London, and Paris. Фитусом ALFRED TENNYSON. 539. Pre-eminence.- For the greater part of the Victorian period Alfred Tennyson stood at the head of English poetry. His extraordinary poetic genius was supported by broad scholarship. He absorbed the deepest and best thought of his age; and instead of mere passing fancies, his poetry embodies a depth of thought and feeling that gives it inexhaustible richViewed from an artistic standpoint, his work is exquisite. He surpassed Pope in perfection of form; he equalled Wordsworth in natural expression; he excelled both Scott and Byron in romantic narrative; and he wrote the only great epic poem since the days of Milton. ness. 540. Consecration to His Art.- Few poets have been more fortunate than Tennyson. His life was one of easy competence. In the retirement of a cultivated home, and in a narrow circle of congenial friends, he steadily pursued his vocation. Never did a poet consecrate himself more entirely to his art. He wrote no prose. He did not entangle himself in business, which has fettered many a brilliant genius. He encumbered himself with no public office, by which his poetic labors might have been broken. His career, like an English river, quietly flowed on among fertile hills and blooming meadows. "From his boyhood," his son tells us, "he had felt the magic of Merlin-that spirit of poetry- which bade him know his power and follow throughout his work a pure and high ideal, with a simple and single devotedness and a desire to ennoble the life of the world, and which helped him through doubts and difficulties to endure as seeing Him who is invisible.'" In "Merlin and the Gleam," the poet has given us his literary history. 541. Youthful Period.—The principal events in the life of Tennyson are the publication of his successive volumes. He was born at Somersby, in Lincolnshire, in 1809, the son of a clergyman, and the third of twelve children. It was a gifted family, which Leigh Hunt called "a nest of nightingales." After a careful training in the parsonage under his father, Alfred was sent, with two brothers, to Trinity College, Cambridge. His appearance was impressive, indicating at the same time strength and refinement. He was genial, joyous, and full of humor, though suffering at intervals from despondency. He was a diligent student, with a taste not only for the classics, but also for natural science. He took a lively interest in the political questions of the day, and, while opposed to radical or revolutionary measures, was an advocate of freedom. In "In Memoriam " there is a pleasing reminiscence of his college days, beginning: "I passed beside the reverend walls "And heard once more in College fanes The prophets blazoned on the panes." The bent of his mind early showed itself; and in 1827, in connection with his brother Charles, he sent forth, as yet an undergraduate, a volume entitled "Poems, by Two Brothers." As in the case of Byron, this first volume gave no token of genius. The poetry was correct but unreadably dull. 542. Opening of His Literary Career. In 1829, in competition with Arthur Hallam, Tennyson won a medal with his prize poem on the subject of "Timbuctoo." This work contained some faint intimations of his latent powers. His literary career really opened in 1830 with a volume of "Poems, Chiefly Lyrical." With much that was faulty and immature - suppressed by the author in subsequent editions of his works this volume announced the presence of a genuine poet. He did not, however, receive the recognition he deserved. Christopher North, in Blackwood's Magazine, mingled censure and praise 66 his censure being of the positive kind then in vogue. Among the pleasing lyrics in this volume are "Lilian," "Recollections of the Arabian Nights," and especially Mariana." In "The Poet" Tennyson lays down his conception of the poetic character. The poet is preeminently a seer, whose message of truth, flying over the earth, brings freedom and wisdom to men: "The poet in a golden clime was born, With golden stars above; Dowered with the hate of hate, the scorn of scorn, "He saw thro' life and death, thro' good and ill, He saw thro' his own soul, The marvel of the everlasting will An open scroll." 543. The Volume of 1832.-At this period the poet's muse was very active. In 1832 appeared another volume, which exhibited more fully his poetic gifts and made a notable contribution to English verse. He easily took his place at the head of the younger race of singers. His lyrical power, his mastery of musical rhythm, his charm of felicitous expression, and his exquisite handling of form and color are everywhere apparent. His breadth of sympathy is shown by his successful treatment of ancient, mediæval, and modern themes. The May Queen," with its tender pathos, at once touched the popular heart. In "Lady Clara Vere de Vere" the nobility of character is presented in proud contrast with the nobility of birth: 66 "Howe'er it be, it seems to me, Tis only noble to be good. Kind hearts are more than coronets, And simple faith than Norman blood." In "The Lotus Eaters," how exquisitely the sound is wedded to the sense: “In the afternoon they came unto a land, In which it always seemèd afternoon. All around the coast the languid air did swoon, And like a downward smoke, the slender stream Along the cliff to fall and pause and fall did seem." 544. Blessedness of Love.- This volume of 1832 introduces us to one of the fundamental elements of Tennyson's poetry. It is the blessedness of love in all its simple, everyday forms. He teaches us that the human heart was made for love; and whenever, for any reason, love is shut out of life, indescribable loneliness and sorrow are the inevitable result. This is the truth presented in “The Palace of Art," an allegory wrought out with exceeding care: "And he that shuts Love out, in turn shall be The uplifting and sanctifying power of Love is beautifully expressed in the "Idyls of the King": "Indeed I know Of no more subtle master under heaven Not only to keep down the base in man, But teach high thought and amiable words, And courtliness and the desire of fame, And love of truth, and all that makes a man." 545. Silence and Study. For the next ten years Tennyson published nothing except a few pieces in periodicals. |