第1章

InwritingthisbriefsketchoftheLifeofTennyson，andthisattempttoappreciatehiswork，IhaverestedalmostentirelyontheBiographybyLordTennyson(withhiskindpermission)andonthetextofthePoems。AstotheLife，doubtlesscurrentanecdotes，notgivenintheBiography，areknowntome，andtomostpeople。ButastheymustalsobefamiliartotheauthoroftheBiography，Ihavenotthoughtitdesirabletoincludewhatherejected。Theworksofthe\"localisers\"Ihavenotread:Tennysondislikedtheseresearches，asarule，andtheyappeartobeunessential，andoftenhazardous。 TheprofessedcommentatorsIhavenotconsulted。Itappearedbettertogiveone\'sownimpressionsofthePoems，unaffectedbytheimpressionsofothers，exceptinoneortwocaseswheremattersoffactratherthanoftasteseemedtobeinquestion。ThusontwoorthreepointsIhaveventuredtodifferfromadistinguishedlivingcritic，andhavegiventhereasonsformydissent。ProfessorBradley\'sCommentaryonInMemoriam{1}cameoutafterthissketchwasinprint。ManyofthecommentscitedbyMrBradleyfromhispredecessorsappeartojustifymyneglectofthesecuriousinquirers。 The\"difficulties\"whichtheyraisearenotlikely，asarule，topresentthemselvestopersonswhoreadpoetry\"forhumanpleasure。\" Ihavenotoftendweltonparallelstobefoundintheworksofearlierpoets。InmanycasesTennysondeliberatelyreproducedpassagesfromGreek，Latin，andoldItalianwriters，justasVirgildidinthecaseofHomer，Theocritus，ApolloniusRhodius，andothers。 Thereare，doubtless，instancesinwhichaphraseisunconsciouslyreproducedbyautomaticmemory，fromanEnglishpoet。ButIamlessinclinedthanMrBradleytothinkthatunconsciousreminiscenceismorecommoninTennysonthaninthepoetsgenerally。IhavenotcloselyexaminedKeatsandShelley，forexample，toseehowfartheywereinfluencedbyunconsciousmemory。ButScott，confessedly，wasapttoreproducethephrasesofothers，andonceunwittinglyborrowedfromapoembythevaletofoneofhisfriends!IbelievethatmanyoftheallegedborrowingsinTennysonareeithernotrueparallelsatalloraretheunavoidablecoincidencesofexpressionwhichmustinevitablyoccur。Thepoethimselfstated，inalivelyphrase，hisopinionofthehuntersafterparallels，andIconfessthatIammuchofhismind。TheyoftenremindmeofMrPunch\'sparodyonanunfriendlyreviewofAlexanderSmith- \"MostWOMENhaveNOCHARACTERatall。\"——POPE。 \"NoCHARACTERthatservantWOMANasked。\"——SMITH。 IhavetothankMrEdmundGosseandMrVernonRendallfortheirkindnessinreadingmyproof-sheets。Theyhavesavedmefromsomeerrors，butImayhaveoccasionallyretainedmatterwhich，foronereasonoranother，didnotrecommenditselftothem。Innocasearetheyresponsiblefortheopinionsexpressed，orforthecriticalestimates。TheyarethoseofaTennysonian，and，nodoubt，wouldbeotherthantheyareifthewriterwereyoungerthanheis。Itdoesnotfollowthattheywouldnecessarilybemorecorrect，thoughprobablytheywouldbemoreinvogue。Thepointofviewmustshiftwitheachgenerationofreaders，asideasorbeliefsgoinoroutoffashion，areaccepted，rejected，orrehabilitated。TooneageTennysonmayseemweaklysuperstitious；toanotherneedlesslysceptical。Afterall，whathemustlivebyis，nothisopinions，buthispoetry。ThepoetryofMiltonsurviveshisideas；whatevermaybethefateoftheideasofTennysonhispoetrymustendure。 CHAPTERI——BOYHOOD——CAMBRIDGE——EARLYPOEMS。 ThelifeandworkofTennysonpresentsomethinglikethenormaltypeofwhat，incircumstancesasfortunateasmortalsmayexpect，thelifeandworkofamodernpoetoughttobe。Amodernpoet，onesays，becauseevenpoetryisnowaffectedbythedivisionoflabour。Wedonotlooktothepoetforalargeshareinthepracticalactivitiesofexistence:wedonotexpecthim，likeAEschylusandSophocles，TheognisandAlcaeus，totakeaconspicuouspartinpoliticsandwar； oreven，asintheAgeofAnne，toshineamongwitsandinsociety。 Lifehasbecome，perhaps，toospecialisedforsuchmultifariousactivities。Indeed，eveninancientdays，asaCelticproverbandasthepictureoflifeintheHomericepicsprove，thepoetwasalreadyamanapart——notforemostamongstatesmenandratherbackwardamongwarriors。Ifweagreewithanotunpopularopinion，thepoetoughttobeakindof\"Titanic\"force，wreckinghimselfonhisownpassionsandonthenatureofthings，asdidByron，Burns，Marlowe，andMusset。ButTennyson\'scareerfollowedlinesreallymorenormal，thelinesofthelifeofWordsworth，wisdomandself-controldirectingthecourseofalong，sane，sound，andfortunateexistence。ThegreatphysicalstrengthwhichiscommonlythebasisofgreatmentalvigourwasnotruinedinTennysonbypovertyandpassion，asinthecaseofBurns，norinforcedliterarylabour，asinthoseofScottandDickens。Forlonghewaspoor，likeWordsworthandSouthey，butneverdestitute。Hemadehisearlyeffort:hehadhistimeofgreatsorrow，andtrial，andapparentfailure。Withpracticalwisdomheconqueredcircumstances；hebecameeminent；heoutlivedreactionagainsthisgenius；hediedinthefulnessofahappyageandofrenown。Thisfull-orbedlife，withnotafewyearsofsorrowandstress，iswhatNatureseemstointendforthecareerofadivineminstrel。IfTennysonmissedthe\"onecrowdedhourofgloriouslife，\"hehadnottobecontentin\"anagewithoutaname。\" ItwasnotTennyson\'slottoillustrateanymoderntheoryoftheoriginofgenius。Bornin1809ofaLincolnshirefamily，longconnectedwiththesoilbutinconspicuousinhistory，TennysonhadnothingCelticinhisblood，asfaraspedigreesprove。Thisisunfortunateforoneschooloftheorists。Hismother(geniusispresumedtobederivedfrommothers)hadageniusmerelyformoralexcellenceandforreligion。SheisdescribedinthepoemofIsabel，andwas\"aremarkableandsaintlywoman。\"Inthemaleline，thefamilywasnot(asthefamiliesofgeniusoughttobe)briefoflifeandunhealthy。\"TheTennysonsneverdie，\"saidthesisterwhowasbetrothedtoArthurHallam。Thefather，aclergyman，was，sayshisgrandson，\"amanofgreatability，\"andhis\"excellentlibrary\"wasanelementintheeducationofhisfamily。\"Myfatherwasapoet，\" Tennysonsaid，\"andcouldwriteregularverseveryskilfully。\"Inphysicaltypethesonsweretall，strong，andunusuallydark: Tennyson，whenabroad，wasnottakenforanEnglishman；athome，strangersthoughthim\"foreign。\"Mostofthechildrenhadthetemperament，andseveralofthesonshadsomeoftheaccomplishments，ofgenius:whencederivedbywayofheredityisaquestionbeyondconjecture，forthefather\'saccomplishmentwasnotunusual。AsWaltonsaysofthepoetandtheangler，they\"wereborntobeso\": weknownomore。 TheregioninwhichthepaternalhamletofSomersbylies，\"alandofquietvillages，largefields，greyhillsides，andnobletall-toweredchurches，onthelowerslopeofaLincolnshirewold，\"doesnotappeartohavebeenrichinromanticlegendandtradition。Thefolk-loreofLincolnshire，ofwhichexampleshavebeenpublished，doesseemtohaveapeculiarpoetryofitsown，butitwasratherthehumorousthanthepoeticalaspectofthecountry-peoplethatTennysonappearstohaveknown。Inbrief，wehavenothingtoinformusastohowgeniuscameintothatgenerationofTennysonswhichwasbornbetween1807and1819。Asourceandacausetheremusthavebeen，butthesethingsarehidden，exceptfrompopularscience。 Precocityisnotasignofgenius，butgeniusisperhapsalwaysaccompaniedbyprecocity。Thisisespeciallynotableinthecasesofpainting，music，andmathematics；butinthematterofliteraturegeniusmaychieflyshowitselfinacquisition，asinSirWalterScott，whowhenaboyknewmuch，butdidlittlethatwouldattractnotice。AsachildandaboyyoungTennysonwasremarkedbothforacquisitionandperformance。Hisownreminiscencesofhischildhoodvariedsomewhatindetail。InoneplacewelearnthatattheageofeighthecoveredaslatewithblankverseinthemannerofJamieThomson，theonlypoetwithwhomhewasthenacquainted。Inanotherpassagehesays，\"Thefirstpoetrythatmovedmewasmyownatfiveyearsold。WhenIwaseightIremembermakingalineIthoughtgranderthanCampbell，orByron，orScott。Irolleditout，itwasthis- \'Withslaughteroussonsofthunderrolledtheflood\'- greatnonsense，ofcourse，butIthoughtitfine!\" ItWASfine，andwasthoroughlyTennysonian。Scott，Campbell，andByronprobablyneverproducedalinewiththequalitiesofthisnonsenseverse。\"BeforeIcouldreadIwasinthehabitonastormydayofspreadingmyarmstothewindandcryingout，\'Ihearavoicethat\'sspeakinginthewind，\'andthewords\'far，faraway\'hadalwaysastrangecharmforme。\"Alatelyrichasthisoverword，FAR，FARAWAY! Aboyofeightwhoknewthecontemporarypoetswasmoreorlessprecocious。TennysonalsoknewPope，andwrotehundredsoflinesinPope\'smeasure。Attwelvetheboyproducedanepic，inScott\'smanner，ofsomesixthousandlines。He\"neverfelthimselfmoretrulyinspired，\"forthesenseof\"inspiration\"(asthelateMrMyershasarguedinanessayonthe\"MechanismofGenius\")haslittletodowiththeactualvalueoftheproduct。AtfourteenTennysonwroteadramainblankverse。Achorusfromthisplay(asoneguesses)，apiecefrom\"anunpublisheddramawrittenveryearly，\"ispublishedinthevolumeof1830:- \"Thevariedearth，themovingheaven，Therapidwasteofrovingsea，Thefountain-pregnantmountainsrivenToshapesofwildestanarchy，BysecretfireandmidnightstormsThatwanderroundtheirwindycones。\" TheselinesarealreadyTennysonian。Thereistheclassicaltranscript，\"thevariedearth，\"daedalatellus。Thereisthegeologicalinterestintheforcesthatshapethehills。Thereistheuseofthefavouriteword\"windy，\"andlaterinthepiece- \"Thetroublousautumn\'sSALLOWgloom。\" Theyoungpoetfromboyhoodwasoriginalinhismanner。 Byronmadehimblaseatfourteen。ThenByrondied，andTennysonscratchedonarock\"Byronisdead，\"on\"adaywhenthewholeworldseemeddarkenedforme。\"LaterheconsideredByron\'spoetry\"toomuchakintorhetoric。\"\"Byronisnotanartistorathinker，oracreatorinthehighersense，butastrongpersonality；heisendlesslyclever，andisnowundulydepreciated。\"He\"didgivetheworldanotherheartandnewpulses，andsowearekeptgoing。\"But\"hewasdominatedbyByrontillhewasseventeen，whenheputhimawayaltogether。\" Inhisboyhood，despitethesufferingswhichheenduredforawhileatschoolatLouth；despitebullyingfrombigboysandmasters，Tennysonwould\"shouthisversestotheskies。\"\"Well，Arthur，I meantobefamous，\"heusedtosaytooneofhisbrothers。Heobservednatureverycloselybythebrookandthethunderingsea- shores:hewasneverasportsman，andhisanglingwasinthemanneroftheloverofTheMiller\'sDaughter。Hewasseventeen(1826)whenPoemsbyTwoBrothers(himselfandhisbrotherFrederick)waspublishedwiththedate1827。Thesepoemscontain，asfarasIhavebeenabletodiscover，nothingreallyTennysonian。Whathehaddoneinhisownmannerwasomitted，\"beingthoughttoomuchoutofthecommonforthepublictaste。\"Theyoungpoethadalreadysavingcommon-sense，andunderstoodthepublic。Fragmentsofthetruegoldarefoundinthevolumeof1830，othersarepreservedintheBiography。TheballadsuggestedbyTheBrideofLammermoorwasnotunworthyofBeddoes，andthatnovel，onecannotbutthink，suggestedtheopeningsituationinMaud，wheretheheroisamodernMasterofRavenswoodinhisrelationtotherichinterlopingfamilyandthebeautifuldaughter。Tothispointweshallreturn。ItdoesnotappearthatTennysonwasconsciousinMaudofthesuggestionfromScott，andthecoincidencemaybemerelyaccidental。 TheLover\'sTale，publishedin1879，wasmainlyaworkofthepoet\'snineteenthyear。Afewcopieshadbeenprintedforfriends。Oneofthese，witherrorsofthepress，andwithouttheintendedalterations，waspiratedbyanunhappymanin1875。InoldageTennysonbroughtouttheworkofhisboyhood。\"ItwaswrittenbeforeIhadeverseenShelley，thoughitiscalledShelleyan，\"hesaid；andindeedhebelievedthathisworkhadneverbeenimitative，afterhisearliesteffortsinthemannerofThomsonandofScott。TheonlythingsinTheLover\'sTalewhichwouldsuggestthatthepoetherefollowedShelleyaretheItaliansceneofthestory，thecharacteroftheversification，andtheextraordinaryluxurianceandexuberanceoftheimagery。{2}Asearlyas1868TennysonheardthatwrittencopiesofTheLover\'sTalewereincirculation。Hethenremarked，astotheexuberanceofthepiece:\"Allowancemustbemadeforabundanceofyouth。Itisrichandfull，buttherearemistakesinit……Thepoemisthebreathofyounglove。\" HowtrulyTennysonianthemannerismaybeunderstoodevenfromtheopeninglines，fulloftheoriginalcadenceswhichweretobecomesofamiliar:- \"Herefaraway，seenfromthetopmostcliff，FillingwithpurplegloomthevacanciesBetweenthetuftedhills，theslopingseasHunginmid-heaven，andhalfwaydownraresails，Whiteaswhiteclouds，floatedfromskytosky。\" Thenarrativeinpartsoneandtwo(whichalonewerewritteninyouth)issochokedwithimagesanddescriptionsastobealmostobscure。Itisthestory，practically，ofalovelikethatofPaulandVirginia，buttheloveisnotreturnedbythegirl，whoprefersthefriendofthenarrator。LiketheheroofMaud，thespeakerhasaperiodofmadnessandillusion；whilethethirdpart，\"TheGoldenSupper\"——suggestedbyastoryofBoccaccio，andwritteninmaturity—— isputinthemouthofanothernarrator，andisinadifferentstyle。 Thediscardedlover，visitingthevaultwhichcontainsthebodyofhislady，findsheralive，andrestoreshertoherhusband。Thewholefinishedlegendisnecessarilynotamongtheauthor\'smasterpieces。ButperhapsnotevenKeatsinhisearliestworkdisplayedmoreofpromise，andgavemoreassuranceofgenius。Hereandtherecometurnsandphrases，\"allthecharmofalltheMuses，\" whichremindareaderofthingslaterwellknowninpiecesmoremature。Suchlinesare- \"Strangetomeandsweet，Sweetthroughstrangeyears，\" and- \"Liketoalow-hungandafieryskyHungroundwithRAGGEDRIMSandburningfolds。\" And- \"Likesoundswithoutthetwilightrealmofdreams，Whichwanderroundthebasesofthehills。\" Wealsonotecloseobservationofnatureinthecuriousphrase- \"CriesofthepartridgelikearustykeyTurnedinalock。\" OfthiskindwasTennyson\'sadolescentvein，whenheleft\"ThepoplarsfourThatstoodbesidehisfather\'sdoor，\" theSomersbybrook，andthemillsandgranges，theseasoftheLincolnshirecoast，andthehillsanddalesamongthewolds，forCambridge。HewaswellreadinoldandcontemporaryEnglishliterature，andintheclassics。Alreadyhewasacquaintedwiththesingulartrance-likeconditiontowhichhispoemsoccasionallyallude，asubjectforcommentlater。HematriculatedatTrinity，withhisbrotherCharles，onFebruary20，1828，andhadaninterviewofanotquitefriendlysortwithaproctorbeforeheworethegown。 ThatTennysonshouldgotoCambridge，nottoOxford，waspartofthenatureofthings，bywhichCambridgeeducatesthemajorityofEnglishpoets，whereasOxfordhasonly\"turnedout\"afew——likeShelley。Atthattime，asinMacaulay\'sday，thepathofuniversityhonoursatCambridgelaythroughMathematics，and，exceptforhisprizepoemin1829，Tennysontooknohonoursatall。Hisclassicalreadingwaspursuedasliterature，notasacourseofgrammarandphilology。NoEnglishpoet，atleastsinceMilton，hadbeenbetterreadintheclassics；butTennyson\'sstudiesdidnotaimatthegainingofacademicdistinction。HisaspectwassuchthatThompson，laterMasterofTrinity，onfirstseeinghimcomeintohall，said，\"Thatmanmustbeapoet。\"LikeByron，Shelley，andprobablyColeridge，Tennysonlookedthepoetthathewas:\"Sixfeethigh，broad-chested，strong-limbed，hisfaceShakespearianandwithdeepeyelids，hisforeheadample，crownedwithdarkwavyhair，hisheadfinelypoised。\" NotmuchisrecordedofTennysonasanundergraduate。Inourdayseffortswouldhavebeenmadetoenlistsopromisingarecruitinoneofthecollegeboats；butrowingwasinitsinfancy。Itisapeculiarityoftheuniversitiesthatlittleflocksofmenofunusualabilitycomeupatintervalstogether，breakingthemonotonyofidlers，prizescholars，andhonoursmen。SuchagroupappearedatBalliolinMatthewArnold\'stime，andratherlater，atvariouscolleges，inthedawnofPre-Raphaelitism。TheTennysons——Alfred，Frederick，andCharles——weremembersofsuchaset。TherewasArthurHallam，sonofthehistorian，fromEton；therewasSpedding，theeditorandbiographerofBacon；Milnes(LordHoughton)，Blakesley(DeanofLincoln)，Thompson，Merivale，Trench(apoet，andlater，ArchbishopofDublin)，Brookfield，Buller，and，afterTennysonthegreatest，Thackeray，acontemporaryifnotan\"Apostle。\"CharlesBuller\'s，likeHallam\'s，wastobean\"unfulfilledrenown。\"OfHallam，whosenameisforeverlinkedwithhisown，Tennysonsaidthathewouldhavebeenagreatman，butnotagreatpoet；\"hewasasnearperfectionasmortalmancouldbe。\"HisscantyremainsarechieflynotableforhisdivinationofTennysonasagreatpoet；fortherest，wecanonlytrusttheauthorofInMemoriamandtheverdictoftradition。 ThestudiesofthepoetatthistimeincludedoriginalcompositioninGreekandLatinverse，history，andathemethathealonehasmadepoetical，naturalscience。Allpoetryhasitsrootsintheagebeforenaturalsciencewasmorethanaseriesofnature-myths。Thepoetshaveusually，likeKeats，regrettedthedayswhen\"Therewasanawfulrainbowonceinheaven，\" whenthehillsandstreamswerenotyet\"dispeopledoftheirdreams。\" Tennyson，ontheotherhand，wasalreadyfindingmaterialforpoetryintheworldasseenthroughmicroscopeandtelescope，andasdevelopedthrough\"aeonian\"processesofevolution。Inanotebook，mixedwithGreek，isapoemontheMoon——notthemoonofSelene，\"theorbedMaiden，\"butofastronomicalscience。InMemoriamrecallstheconversationsonlabourandpolitics，discussionsoftheageoftheReformBill，ofrick-burning(expectedto\"maketaterscheaper\")，andofCatholicemancipation；alsotheemancipationofsuchnegroesashadnotyettastedtheblessingsoffreedom。InpoliticsTennysonwaswhatheremained，apatriot，afriendoffreedom，afoeofdisorder。Hispolitics，hesaid，werethose\"ofShakespeare，Bacon，andeverysaneman。\"HewasoneoftheSocietyofApostles，andcharacteristicallycontributedanessayonGhosts。Onlytheprefacesurvives:itisnotwritteninascientificstyle；butbidsus\"notassumethatanyvisionISbaseless。\"Perhapstheauthorwentontodiscuss\"veridicalhallucinations，\"buthisideasaboutthesethingsmustbeconsideredlater。 Itwasbyhisfather\'swishthatTennysoncompetedfortheEnglishprizepoem。Thetheme，Timbuctoo，wasnotinspiring。ThackeraywroteagoodparodyoftheordinaryprizepoeminPope\'smetre:- \"Iseehersonsthehillofglorymount，Andselltheirsugarsontheirownaccount； Pronetoherfeettheprostratenationscome，Sueforherriceandbarterforherrum。\" Tennyson\'sworkwasnotmuchmoreserious:hemerelypatchedupanoldpiece，inblankverse，onthebattleofArmageddon。ThepoemisnotdestituteofTennysoniancadence，andends，notinappropriately，with\"Allwasnight。\"Indeed，allWASnight。 AningeniousmythaccountsforTennyson\'ssuccess:AtOxford，saysCharlesWordsworth，theauthorwasmorelikelytohavebeenrusticatedthanrewarded。Butalready(1829)ArthurHallamtoldMrGladstonethatTennyson\"promisedfairtobethegreatestpoetofourgeneration，perhapsofourcentury。\" In1830Tennysonpublishedthefirstvolumeofwhichhewassoleauthor。Browning\'sPaulinewasoftheyear1833。ItwastheverydeadhoursoftheMuses。ThegreatMrMurrayhadceased，asonedespairingofsong，topublishpoetry。BulwerLytton，intheprefacetoPaulClifford(1830)，announcedthatpoetry，witheveryotherformofliteratureexcepttheNovel，wasunremunerativeandunread。 ColeridgeandScottweresilent:indeedSirWalterwasnearhisdeath；Wordsworthhadshothisbolt，thoughanarrowortwowereleftinthequiver。Keats，Shelley，andByronweredead；Milman\'sbriefvoguewasdeparting。Itseemedasifnovelsalonecouldappealtoreaders，sogreatachangeintastehadbeenwroughtbythesixteenyearsofWaverleyromances。TheslimvolumeofTennysonwasnaturallyneglected，thoughLeighHuntrevieweditintheTatler。 Hallam\'scommentsintheEnglishman\'sMagazine，thoughenthusiastic(aswasrightandnatural)，werejudicious。\"Theauthorimitatesnoone。\"Coleridgedidnotreadallthebook，butnoted\"thingsofagooddealofbeauty。Themisfortuneisthathehasbeguntowriteverseswithoutverywellunderstandingwhatmetreis。\"AsTennysonsaidin1890，\"SoI，anoldman，whogetapoemorpoemseveryday，mightcastacasualglanceatabook，andseeingsomethingwhichI couldnotscanorunderstand，mightpossiblydecideagainstthebookwithoutfurtherconsideration。\"Asarule，thesaidbooksareworthless。Thenumberofversifiersmakesithard，indeed，forthepoettowinrecognition。Onelittlenewbookofrhymeissolikeanother，andalmostallareofsolittleinterest! Therarebookthatdiffersfromtheresthasabizarreriewithitsoriginality，andinthepoemsof1830therewas，assuredly，morethanenoughofthebizarre。Therewerenohyphensinthedoubleepithets，andwordslike\"tendriltwine\"seemedprovokinglyaffected。Akindoflusciousness，likethatofKeatswhenundertheinfluenceofLeighHunt，mayhereandtherebeobserved。Suchfaultsasthesecatchtheindifferenteyewhenanewbookisfirstopened，andthevolumeof1830wasprobablycondemnedbyalmosteveryreaderofthepreviousgenerationwhodeignedtoafforditaglance。Outoffifty-sixpiecesonlytwenty-threewerereprintedinthetwovolumesof1842，whichwonforTennysonthegeneralrecognitionoftheworldofletters。FiveorsixofthepiecesthenleftoutwereaddedasJuveniliainthecollectedworksof1871，1872。Thewholemassdeservestheattentionofstudentsofthepoet\'sdevelopment。 Thisearlyvolumemaybesaidtocontain，inthegerm，allthegreatoriginalqualitiesofTennyson，exceptthehumourofhisruralstudiesandtheelaborationofhisIdylls。Forexample，inMarianawefirstnotewhatmaybecalledhisperfectionandaccomplishment。 Theveryfewalterationsmadelaterareverbal。ThemoatedgrangeofMarianainMeasureforMeasure，andhermoodofdesertionanddespair，areelaboratedbyaprecisionoftruthandwithaperfectionofharmonyworthyofShakespearehimself，andminutelystudiedfromthenaturalscenesinwhichthepoetwasborn。IftheseversesalonesurvivedoutofthewreckofVictorianliterature，theywoulddemonstratethegreatnessoftheauthorasclearlyasdothefragmentsofSappho。Isabel(astudyofthepoet\'smother)isalmostasremarkableinitsstatelydignity；whileRecollectionsoftheArabianNightsattestthepowerofrefinedluxuryinromanticdescription，andheraldtheunmatchedbeautyofTheLotos-Eaters。 ThePoet，again，isapictureofthatwhichTennysonhimselfwastofulfil；andOrianaisarevivalofromance，andoftheballad，notlimitedtotheballadformasinitsprototype，HelenofKirkconnell。