第12章

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，ityieldsreluctantly(cunctantem)，contrarytowhattheSibylhasforetold。MrConington，therefore，thoughtthephraseasliponthepartofVirgil。\"PeopleaccusedVirgilofplagiarising，\"hesaid，\"butifamanmadeithisowntherewasnoharminthat(lookatthegreatpoets，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。RobinHood(aswelearnfromMarkTwain)isafavouriteherowiththeyouthofAmerica。MrTomSawyerhimselftook，inMarkTwain\'stale，thepartoftheboldoutlaw。 TheDeathofOEnonewaspublishedin1892，withthededicationtotheMasterofBalliol- \"ReadaGreciantaleretoldWhich，castinlaterGrecianmould，QuintusCalaberSomewhatlazilyhandledofold。\" QuintusCalaber，moreusuallycalledQuintusSmyrnaeus，isawriterofperhapsthefourthcenturyofourera。Abouthimnothing，ornexttonothing，isknown。Hetold，insolateanage，theconclusionoftheTaleofTroy，and(inthewriter\'sopinion)hasbeenundulyneglectedanddisdained。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。Andunderthestressofthisnervousimpulsecompelledtocontradicthisinnerself(especiallywhenundertheterrorofleonisation……)，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，Tennysonnever(Ithink)wastheMaster\'sguestatBalliol，mingling，likeBrowning，withtheundergraduates，towhomtheMaster\'shospitalitywasfreelyextended。Yet，wherehewasfamiliar，Tennysonwasagaycompanion，notshunningjestorevenparadox。\"AsDrJohnsonsays，everymanmaybejudgedofbyhislaughter\":butnoBoswellhaschronicledthelaughtersofTennyson。 \"Henever，orhardlyever，madepunsorwitticisms\"(thoughonepun，atleast，enduresintradition)，\"butalwayslivedinanattitudeofhumour。\"MrJowettwrites(andnodescriptionofthepoetisbetterthanhis)- 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，whoseconversation(totaketheoldfigure)either\"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，orevenversifiers(fiercertheythanpoetsare)，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。 MrJowett(whohadafirmbeliefinthe\"greatwork\")regrettedthechangeofplanastotheArthuriantopic，regretteditthemorefromhisowninterestintheHistoryofReligion。Butweneednotsharetheregrets。TheearlyplanfortheArthur(whichMrJowettneversaw)hasbeenpublished，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，oftenaroseinakindofpointderepere(likethoseformsandlandscapeswhichseemtospringfromafloatingpointoflight，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\'sMirror(howlittleknown!)，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\"(thereadingpublic)intermsborrowedfromPlato。HehadnohigheresteemformobsthanShakespeareorJohnKnoxprofessed，whilehistheoryoftyrants(inthecaseofNapoleonIII。about1852)wasthatofLiberalslikeMrSwinburneandVictorHugo。ThoughtomodernenlightenmentTennysonmayseemasgreataToryasDrJohnson，yethehadspokenhiswordin1852forthefreedomofFrance，andforsecuringEnglandagainstthesupposeddesignsofausurper(nowfallen)。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!\" Heundeniablydidwriteverses(whetherpoetryorjournalism)tendingtomakereaderstakeanunfavourableviewofhonestinvaders。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。Hislaterwork(astheVoyageofMaeldune)showsajustappreciationofancientCelticliterature。Agreatcritic，F。 T。Palgrave，hasexpressedperhapsthesoundestappreciationofTennyson:- Itisfor\"thedaysthatremain\"tobearwitnesstohisrealplaceinthegreathierarchy，amongstwhomDanteboldlyyetjustlyrankedhimself。ButifwelookatTennyson\'sworkinatwofoldaspect，—— HERE，ontheexquisiteartinwhich，throughout，hisverseisclothed，thelucidbeautyoftheform，themelodyalmostaudibleasmusic，themysteriousskillbywhichthewordsusedconstantlystrikeastheINEVITABLEwords(andhence，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。