alfred tennyson-第18章

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I　have　been　lying　back　in　the　chair　and　thinking　of　those　delightful
Idylls；　my　thoughts　being　turned　to　you：　　what　could　I　do　but　be
grateful　to　that　surprising　genius　which　has　made　me　so　happy？　　Do
you　understand　that　what　I　mean　is　all　true；　and　that　I　should　break
out　were　you　sitting　opposite　with　a　pipe　in　your　mouth？　　Gold　and
purple　and　diamonds；　I　say；　gentlemen；　and　glory　and　love　and　honour；
and　if　you　haven't　given　me　all　these　why　should　I　be　in　such　an
ardour　of　gratitude？　　But　I　have　had　out　of　that　dear　book　the
greatest　delight　that　has　ever　come　to　me　since　I　was　a　young　man；　to
write　and　think　about　it　makes　me　almost　young；　and　this　I　suppose　is
what　I'm　doing；　like　an　after…dinner　speech。

P。S。I　thought　the　〃Grandmother〃　quite　as　fine。　　How　can　you　at　50
be　doing　things　as　well　as　at　35？

October　16th。（I　should　think　six　weeks　after　the　writing　of　the
above。）

The　rhapsody　of　gratitude　was　never　sent；　and　for　a　peculiar　reason：
just　about　the　time　of　writing　I　came　to　an　arrangement　with　Smith　&
Elder　to　edit　their　new　magazine；　and　to　have　a　contribution　from　T。
was　the　publishers'　and　editor's　highest　ambition。　　But　to　ask　a　man
for　a　favour；　and　to　praise　and　bow　down　before　him　in　the　same　page；
seemed　to　be　so　like　hypocrisy；　that　I　held　my　hand；　and　left　this
note　in　my　desk；　where　it　has　been　lying　during　a　little　French…
Italian…Swiss　tour　which　my　girls　and　their　papa　have　been　making。

Meanwhile　S。　E。　&　Co。　have　been　making　their　own　proposals　to　you；
and　you　have　replied　not　favourably；　I　am　sorry　to　hear；　but　now
there　is　no　reason　why　you　should　not　have　my　homages；　and　I　am　just
as　thankful　for　the　Idylls；　and　love　and　admire　them　just　as　much；　as
I　did　two　months　ago　when　I　began　to　write　in　that　ardour　of　claret
and　gratitude。　　If　you　can't　write　for　us　you　can't。　　If　you　can　by
chance　some　day；　and　help　an　old　friend；　how　pleased　and　happy　I
shall　be！　　This　however　must　be　left　to　fate　and　your　convenience：　　I
don't　intend　to　give　up　hope；　but　accept　the　good　fortune　if　it
comes。　　I　see　one；　two；　three　quarterlies　advertised　to…day；　as　all
bringing　laurels　to　laureatus。　　He　will　not　refuse　the　private
tribute　of　an　old　friend；　will　he？　　You　don't　know　how　pleased　the
girls　were　at　Kensington　t'other　day　to　hear　you　quote　their　father's
little　verses；　and　he　too　I　daresay　was　not　disgusted。　　He　sends　you
and　yours　his　very　best　regards　in　this　most　heartfelt　and　artless

（note　of　admiration）！
Always　yours；　my　dear　Alfred；
W。　M。　THACKERAY。


Naturally　this　letter　gave　Tennyson　more　pleasure　than　all　the
converted　critics　with　their　favourable　reviews。　　The　Duke　of　Argyll
announced　the　conversion　of　Macaulay。　　The　Master　found　Elaine　〃the
fairest；　sweetest；　purest　love　poem　in　the　English　language。〃　　As　to
the　whole；　〃The　allegory　in　the　distance　GREATLY　STRENGTHENS；　ALSO
ELEVATES；　THE　MEANING　OF　THE　POEM。〃

Ruskin；　like　some　other　critics；　felt　〃the　art　and　finish　in　these
poems　a　little　more　than　I　like　to　feel　it。〃　　Yet　Guinevere　and
Elaine　had　been　rapidly　written　and　little　corrected。　　I　confess　to
the　opinion　that　what　a　man　does　most　easily　is；　as　a　rule；　what　he
does　best。　　We　know　that　the　〃art　and　finish〃　of　Shakespeare　were
spontaneous；　and　so　were　those　of　Tennyson。　　Perfection　in　art　is
sometimes　more　sudden　than　we　think；　but　then　〃the　long　preparation
for　it；that　unseen　germination；　THAT　is　what　we　ignore　and　forget。〃
But　he　wisely　kept　his　pieces　by　him　for　a　long　time；　restudying　them
with　a　fresh　eye。　　The　〃unreality〃　of　the　subject　also　failed　to
please　Ruskin；　as　it　is　a　stumbling…block　to　others。　　He　wanted　poems
on　〃the　living　present；〃　a　theme　not　selected　by　Homer；　Shakespeare；
Spenser；　Milton；　Virgil；　or　the　Greek　dramatists；　except　（among
surviving　plays）　in　the　Persae　of　AEschylus。　　The　poet　who　can
transfigure　the　hot　present　is　fortunate；　but　most；　and　the　greatest；
have　visited　the　cool　quiet　purlieus　of　the　past。



CHAPTER　VII。THE　IDYLLS　OF　THE　KING。



The　Idylls　may　probably　be　best　considered　in　their　final　shape：
they　are　not　an　epic；　but　a　series　of　heroic　idyllia　of　the　same
genre　as　the　heroic　idyllia　of　Theocritus。　　He　wrote　long　after　the
natural　age　of　national　epic；　the　age　of　Homer。　　He　saw　the　later
literary　epic　rise　in　the　Argonautica　of　Apollonius　Rhodius；　a　poem
with　many　beauties；　if　rather　an　archaistic　and　elaborate　revival　as
a　whole。　　The　time　for　long　narrative　poems；　Theocritus　appears　to
have　thought；　was　past；　and　he　only　ventured　on　the　heroic　idyllia　of
Heracles；　and　certain　adventures　of　the　Argonauts。　　Tennyson；　too；
from　the　first　believed　that　his　pieces　ought　to　be　short。
Therefore；　though　he　had　a　conception　of　his　work　as　a　whole；　a
conception　long　mused　on；　and　sketched　in　various　lights；　he　produced
no　epic；　only　a　series　of　epic　idyllia。　　He　had　a　spiritual
conception；　〃an　allegory　in　the　distance；〃　an　allegory　not　to　be
insisted　upon；　though　its　presence　was　to　be　felt。　　No　longer；　as　in
youth；　did　Tennyson　intend　Merlin　to　symbolise　〃the　sceptical
understanding〃　（as　if　one　were　to　〃break　into　blank　the　gospel　of〃
Herr　Kant）；　or　poor　Guinevere　to　stand　for　the　Blessed　Reformation；
or　the　Table　Round　for　Liberal　Institutions。　　Mercifully　Tennyson
never　actually　allegorised　Arthur　in　that　fashion。　　Later　he　thought
of　a　musical　masque　of　Arthur；　and　sketched　a　scenario。　　Finally
Tennyson　dropped　both　the　allegory　of　Liberal　principles　and　the
musical　masque　in　favour　of　the　series　of　heroic　idylls。　　There　was
only　a　〃parabolic　drift〃　in　the　intention。　　〃There　is　no　single　fact
or　incident　in　the　Idylls；　however　seemingly　mystical；　which　cannot
be　explained　without　any　mystery　or　allegory　whatever。　　The　Idylls
ought　to　be　read　（and　the　right　readers　never　dream　of　doing　anything
else）　as　romantic　poems；　just　like　Browning's　Childe　Roland；　in　which
the　wrong　readers　（the　members　of　the　Browning　Society）　sought　for
mystic　mountains　and　marvels。　　Yet　Tennyson　had　his　own
interpretation；　〃a　dream　of　man　coming　into　practical　life　and　ruined
by　one　sin。〃　　That　was　his　〃interpretation；〃　or　〃allegory　in　the
distance。〃

People　may　be　heard　objecting　to　the　suggestion　of　any　spiritual
interpretation　of　the　Arthur　legends；　and　even　to　the　existence　of
elementary　morality　among　the　Arthurian　knights　and　ladies。　　There
seems　to　be　a　notion　that　〃bold　bawdry　and　open　manslaughter；〃　as
Roger　Ascham　said；　are　the　staple　of　Tennyson's　sources；　whether　in
the　mediaeval　French；　the　Welsh；　or　in　Malory's　compilation；　chiefly
from　French　sources。　　Tennyson　is　accused　of　〃Bowdlerising〃　these；
and　of　introducing　gentleness；　courtesy；　and　conscience　into　a
literature　where　such　qualities　were　unknown。　　I　must　confess　myself
ignorant　of　any　early　and　popular；　or　〃primitive〃　literature；　in
which　human　virtues；　and　the　human　conscience；　do　not　play　their
part。　　Those　who　object　to　Tennyson's　handling　of　the　great　Arthurian
cycle；　on　the　ground　that　he　is　too　refined　and　too　moral；　must
either　never　have　read　or　must　long　have　forgotten　even　Malory's
romance。　　Thus　we　read；　in　a　recent　novel；　that　Lancelot　was　an　homme
aux　bonnes　fortunes；　whereas　Lancelot　was　the　most　loyal　of　lovers。

Among　other　critics；　Mr　Harrison　has　objected　that　the　Arthurian
world　of　Tennyson　〃is　not　quite　an　ideal　world。　　Therein　lies　the
difficulty。　　The　scene；　though　not　of　course　historic；　has　certain
historic　suggestions　and　characters。〃　　It　is　not　apparent　who　the
historic　characters　are；　for　the　real　Arthur　is　but　a　historic
phantasm。　　〃But　then；　in　the　midst　of　so　much　realism；　the　knights；
from　Arthur　downwards；　talk　and　act　in　ways　with　which　we　are
familiar　in　modern　ethical　and　psychological　novels；　but　which　are　as
impossible　in　real　mediaeval　knights　as　a　Bengal　tiger　or　a　Polar
bear　would　be　in　a　drawing…room。〃　　I　confess　to　little　acquaintance
with　modern　ethical　novels；　but　real　mediaeval　knights；　and　still
more　the　knights　of　mediaeval　romance；　were　capable　of　very　ethical
actions。　　To　halt　an　army　for　the　protection　and　comfort　of　a
laundress　was　a　highly　ethical　action。　　Perhaps　Sir　Redvers　Buller
would　do　it：　　Bruce　did。