alfred tennyson-第13章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


and　paint；　because　our　Celtic　or　Pictish　ancestors；　if　we　had　any；
practised　the　one　and　wore　the　other。　　However；　petulances　like　the
verse　on　the　greater　ape　are　rare　in　In　Memoriam。　　To　declare　that　〃I
would　not　stay〃　in　life　if　science　proves　us　to　be　〃cunning　casts　in
clay；〃　is　beneath　the　courage　of　the　Stoical　philosophy。

Theologically；　the　poem　represents　the　struggle　with　doubts　and　hopes
and　fears；　which　had　been　with　Tennyson　from　his　boyhood；　as　is
proved　by　the　volume　of　1830。　　But　the　doubts　had　exerted；　probably；
but　little　influence　on　his　happiness　till　the　sudden　stroke　of　loss
made　life　for　a　time　seem　almost　unbearable　unless　the　doubts　were
solved。　　They　WERE　solved；　or　stoically　set　aside；　in　the　Ulysses；
written　in　the　freshness　of　grief；　with　the　conclusion　that　we　must
be


　　　　　　〃Strong　in　will
To　strive；　to　seek；　to　find；　and　not　to　yield。〃


But　the　gnawing　of　grief　till　it　becomes　a　physical　pain；　the　fever
fits　of　sorrow；　the　aching　desiderium；　bring　back　in　many　guises　the
old　questions。　　These　require　new　attempts　at　answers；　and　are
answered；　〃the　sad　mechanic　exercise〃　of　verse　allaying　the　pain。
This　is　the　genesis　of　In　Memoriam；　not　originally　written　for
publication　but　produced　at　last　as　a　monument　to　friendship；　and　as
a　book　of　consolation。

No　books　of　consolation　can　console　except　by　sympathy；　and　in　In
Memoriam　sympathy　and　relief　have　been　found；　and　will　be　found；　by
many。　　Another；　we　feel；　has　trodden　our　dark　and　stony　path；　has
been　shadowed　by　the　shapes　of　dread　which　haunt　our　valley　of
tribulation：　　a　mind　almost　infinitely　greater　than　ours　has　been　our
fellow…sufferer。　　He　has　emerged　from　the　darkness　of　the　shadow　of
death　into　the　light；　whither；　as　it　seems　to　us；　we　can　scarcely
hope　to　come。　　It　is　the　sympathy　and　the　example；　I　think；　not　the
speculations；　mystical　or　scientific；　which　make　In　Memoriam；　in　more
than　name；　a　book　of　consolation：　　even　in　hours　of　the　sharpest
distress；　when　its　technical　beauties　and　wonderful　pictures　seem
shadowy　and　unreal；　like　the　yellow　sunshine　and　the　woods　of　that
autumn　day　when　a　man　learned　that　his　friend　was　dead。　　No；　it　was
not　the　speculations　and　arguments　that　consoled　or　encouraged　us。
We　did　not　listen　to　Tennyson　as　to　Mr　Frederic　Harrison's　glorified
Anglican　clergyman。　　We　could　not　murmur；　like　the　Queen　of　the　May　…


〃That　good　man；　the　Laureate；　has　told　tis　words　of　peace。〃


What　we　valued　was　the　poet's　companionship。　　There　was　a　young
reader　to　whom　All　along　the　Valley　came　as　a　new　poem　in　a　time　of
recent　sorrow。


〃The　two…and…thirty　years　were　a　mist　that　rolls　away；〃


said　the　singer　of　In　Memoriam；　and　in　that　hour　it　seemed　as　if　none
could　endure　for　two…and…thirty　years　the　companionship　of　loss。　　But
the　years　have　gone　by；　and　have　left


　　　〃Ever　young　the　face　that　dwells
With　reason　cloister'd　in　the　brain。〃　｛10｝


In　this　way　to　many　In　Memoriam　is　almost　a　life…long　companion：　　we
walk　with　Great…heart　for　our　guide　through　the　valley　Perilous。

In　this　respect　In　Memoriam　is　unique；　for　neither　to　its　praise　nor
dispraise　is　it　to　be　compared　with　the　other　famous　elegies　of　the
world。　　These　are　brief　outbursts　of　griefreal；　as　in　the　hopeless
words　of　Catullus　over　his　brother's　tomb；　or　academic；　like　Milton's
Lycidas。　　We　are　not　to　suppose　that　Milton　was　heart…broken　by　the
death　of　young　Mr　King；　or　that　Shelley　was　greatly　desolated　by　the
death　of　Keats；　with　whom　his　personal　relations　had　been　slight；　and
of　whose　poetry　he　had　spoken　evil。　　He　was　nobly　stirred　as　a　poet
by　a　poet's　deathlike　Mr　Swinburne　by　the　death　of　Charles
Baudelaire；　but　neither　Shelley　nor　Mr　Swinburne　was　lamenting
dimidium　animae　suae；　or　mourning　for　a　friend


　　　　　　〃Dear　as　the　mother　to　the　son；
More　than　my　brothers　are　to　me。〃


The　passion　of　In　Memoriam　is　personal；　is　acute；　is　life…long；　and
thus　it　differs　from　the　other　elegies。　　Moreover；　it　celebrates　a
noble　object；　and　thus　is　unlike　the　ambiguous　affection；　real　or
dramatic；　which　informs　the　sonnets　of　Shakespeare。　　So　the　poem
stands　alone；　cloistered；　not　fiery　with　indignation；　not　breaking
into　actual　prophecy；　like　Shelley's　Adonais；　not　capable；　by　reason
even　of　its　meditative　metre；　of　the　organ　music　of　Lycidas。　　Yet　it
is　not　to　be　reckoned　inferior　to　these　because　its　aim　and　plan　are
other　than　theirs。

　It　is　far　from　my　purpose　to　〃class〃　Tennyson；　or　to　dispute　about
his　relative　greatness　when　compared　with　Wordsworth　or　Byron；
Coleridge；　Shelley；　or　Burns。　　He　rated　one　song　of　Lovelace　above
all　his　lyrics；　and；　in　fact；　could　no　more　have　written　the
Cavalier's　To　Althea　from　Prison　than　Lovelace　could　have　written　the
Morte　d'Arthur。　　〃It　is　not　reasonable；　it　is　not　fair；〃　says　Mr
Harrison；　after　comparing　In　Memoriam　with　Lycidas；　〃to　compare
Tennyson　with　Milton；〃　and　it　is　not　reasonable　to　compare　Tennyson
with　any　poet　whatever。　　Criticism　is　not　the　construction　of　a　class
list。　　But　we　may　reasonably　say　that　In　Memoriam　is　a　noble　poem；　an
original　poem；　a　poem　which　stands　alone　in　literature。　　The
wonderful　beauty；　ever　fresh；　howsoever　often　read；　of　many　stanzas；
is　not　denied　by　any　critic。　　The　marvel　is　that　the　same　serene
certainty　of　art　broods　over　even　the　stanzas　which　must　have　been
conceived　while　the　sorrow　was　fresh。　　The　second　piece；


〃Old　yew；　which　graspest　at　the　stones；〃


must　have　been　composed　soon　after　the　stroke　fell。　　Yet　it　is　as
perfect　as　the　proem　of　1849。　　As　a　rule；　the　poetical　expression　of
strong　emotion　appears　usually　to　clothe　the　memory　of　passion　when
it　has　been　softened　by　time。　　But　here　already　〃the　rhythm；
phrasing；　and　articulation　are　entirely　faultless；　exquisitely　clear；
melodious；　and　rare。〃　｛11｝　　It　were　superfluous　labour　to　point　at
special　beauties；　at　the　exquisite　rendering　of　nature；　and　copious
commentaries　exist　to　explain　the　course　of　the　argument；　if　a　series
of　moods　is　to　be　called　an　argument。　　One　may　note　such　a　point　as
that　（xiv。）　where　the　poet　says　that；　were　he　to　meet　his　friend　in
life；


〃I　should　not　feel　it　to　be　strange。〃


It　may　have　happened　to　many　to　mistake；　for　a　section　of　a　second；
the　face　of　a　stranger　for　the　face　seen　only　in　dreams；　and　to　find
that　the　recognition　brings　no　surprise。

Pieces　of　a　character　apart　from　the　rest；　and　placed　in　a　designed
sequence；　are　xcii。；　xciii。；　xcv。　　In　the　first　the　poet　says　…


〃If　any　vision　should　reveal
　　　Thy　likeness；　I　might　count　it　vain
　　　As　but　the　canker　of　the　brain；
Yea；　tho'　it　spake　and　made　appeal

To　chances　where　our　lots　were　cast
　　　Together　in　the　days　behind；
　　　I　might　but　say；　I　hear　a　wind
Of　memory　murmuring　the　past。

Yea；　tho'　it　spake　and　bared　to　view
　　　A　fact　within　the　coming　year；
　　　And　tho'　the　months；　revolving　near；
Should　prove　the　phantom…warning　true；

They　might　not　seem　thy　prophecies；
　　　But　spiritual　presentiments；
　　　And　such　refraction　of　events
As　often　rises　ere　they　rise。〃


The　author　thus　shows　himself　difficile　as　to　recognising　the
personal　identity　of　a　phantasm；　nor　is　it　easy　to　see　what　mode　of
proving　his　identity　would　be　left　to　a　spirit。　　The　poet；　therefore；
appeals　to　some　perhaps　less　satisfactory　experience：…


〃Descend；　and　touch；　and　enter；　hear
　　　The　wish　too　strong　for　words　to　name；
　　　That　in　this　blindness　of　the　frame
My　Ghost　may　feel　that　thine　is　near。〃


The　third　poem　is　the　crown　of　In　Memoriam；　expressing　almost　such
things　as　are　not　given　to　man　to　utter：…


　　　And　all　at　once　it　seem'd　at　last
The　living　soul　was　flash'd　on　mine；

And　mine　in　this　was　wound；　and　whirl'd
　　　About　empyreal　heights　of　thought；
　　　And　came　on　that　which　is；　and　caught
The　deep　pulsations　of　the　world；

AEonian　music　measuring　out
　　　The　steps　of　Timethe　shocks　of　Chance　…
　　　The　blows　of　Death。　　At　length　my　trance
Was　cancell'd；　stricken　thro'　with　doubt。

Vague　words！　but　ah；　how　hard　to　frame
　　　In　matter…moulded　forms　of　speech；
　　　Or　ev'n　for　intellect　to　reach
Thro'　memory　that　which　I　became。〃


Experien