alfred tennyson-第33章

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〃Je　lis　avec　emotion　vos　vers　superbes；　c'est　un　reflet　de　gloire　que
vous　m'envoyez。〃　　Mr　Matthew　Arnold's　compliment　was　very　like　Mr
Arnold's　humour：　　〃Your　father　has　been　our　most　popular　poet　for
over　forty　years；　and　I　am　of　opinion　that　he　fully　deserves　his
reputation〃：　　such　was　〃Mat's　sublime　waggery。〃　　Tennyson　heaped
coals　of　fire　on　the　other　poet；　bidding　him；　as　he　liked　to　be
bidden；　to　write　more　poetry；　not　〃prose　things。〃　　Tennyson　lived
much　in　the　society　of　Browning　and　George　Eliot；　and　made　the
acquaintance　of　Renan。　　In　December　1879　Mr　and　Mrs　Kendal　produced
The　Falcon；　which　ran　for　sixty…seven　nights；　it　is　〃an　exquisite
little　poem　in　action；〃　as　Fanny　Kemble　said。　　During　a　Continental
tour　Tennyson　visited　Catullus's　Sirmio：　　〃here　he　made　his　Frater
Ave　atque　Vale；〃　and　the　poet　composed　his　beautiful　salutation　to
the


〃Tenderest　of　Roman　poets　nineteen　hundred　years　ago。〃


In　1880　Ballads　and　other　Poems　proved　that；　like　Titian；　the　great
poet　was　not　to　be　defeated　by　the　years。　　The　First　Quarrel　was　in
his　most　popular　English　style。　　Rizpah　deserved　and　received　the
splendid　panegyric　of　Mr　Swinburne。　　The　Revenge　is　probably　the
finest　of　the　patriotic　pieces；　and　keeps　green　the　memory　of　an
exploit　the　most　marvellous　in　the　annals　of　English　seamen。　　The
Village　Wife　is　a　pendant　worthy　of　The　Northern　Farmer。　　The　poem　In
the　Children's　Hospital　caused　some　irritation　at　the　moment；　but
there　was　only　one　opinion　as　to　the　Defence　of　Lucknow　and　the
beautiful　re…telling　of　the　Celtic　Voyage　of　Maeldune。　　The　fragment
of　Homeric　translation　was　equally　fortunate　in　choice　of　subject　and
in　rendering。

In　the　end　of　1880　the　poet　finished　The　Cup；　which　had　been　worked
on　occasionally　since　he　completed　The　Falcon　in　1880。　　The　piece　was
read　by　the　author　to　Sir　Henry　Irving　and　his　company；　and　it　was
found　that　the　manuscript　copy　needed　few　alterations　to　fit　it　for
the　stage。　　The　scenery　and　the　acting　of　the　protagonists　are　not
easily　to　be　forgotten。　　The　play　ran　for　a　hundred　and　thirty
nights。　　Sir　Henry　Irving　had　thought　that　Becket　（then　unpublished）
would　prove　too　expensive；　and　could　only　be　a　succes　d'estime。
Tennyson　had　found　out　that　〃the　worst　of　writing　for　the　stage　is；
you　must　keep　some　actor　always　in　your　mind。〃　　To　this　necessity
authors　like　Moliere　and　Shakespeare　were；　of　course；　resigned　and
familiar；　they　knew　exactly　how　to　deal　with　all　their　means。　　But
this　part　of　the　business　of　play…writing　must　always　be　a　cross　to
the　poet　who　is　not　at　one　with　the　world　of　the　stage。

In　The　Cup　Miss　Ellen　Terry　made　the　strongest　impression；　her　part
being　noble　and　sympathetic；　while　Sir　Henry　Irving　had　the
ungrateful　part　of　the　villain。　　To　be　sure；　he　was　a　villain　of　much
complexity；　and　Tennyson　thought　that　his　subtle　blend　of　Roman
refinement　and　intellectuality；　and　barbarian；　self…satisfied
sensuality；　was　not　〃hit　off。〃　　Synorix　is；　in　fact；　half…Greek；
half…Celt；　with　a　Roman　education；　and　the　〃blend〃　is　rather　too
remote　for　successful　representation。　　The　traditional　villain；　from
Iago　downwards；　is　not　apt　to　utter　such　poetry　as　this：…


〃O　Thou；　that　dost　inspire　the　germ　with　life；
The　child；　a　thread　within　the　house　of　birth；
And　give　him　limbs；　then　air；　and　send　him　forth
The　glory　of　his　fatherThou　whose　breath
Is　balmy　wind　to　robe　our　bills　with　grass；
And　kindle　all　our　vales　with　myrtle…blossom；
And　roll　the　golden　oceans　of　our　grain；
And　sway　the　long　grape…bunches　of　our　vines；
And　fill　all　hearts　with　fatness　and　the　lust
Of　plentymake　me　happy　in　my　marriage！〃


The　year　1881　brought　the　death　of　another　of　the　old　Cambridge
friends；　James　Spedding；　the　biographer　of　Bacon；　and　Carlyle　also
died；　a　true　friend；　if　rather　intermittent　in　his　appreciation　of
poetry。　　The　real　Carlyle　did　appreciate　it；　but　the　Carlyle　of
attitude　was　too　much　of　the　iron　Covenanter　to　express　what　he　felt。
The　poem　Despair　irritated　the　earnest　and　serious　readers　of　〃know…
nothing　books。〃　　The　poem　expressed；　dramatically；　a　mood　like
another；　a　human　mood　not　so　very　uncommon。　　A　man　ruined　in　this
world's　happiness　curses　the　faith　of　his　youth；　and　the　unfaith　of
his　reading　and　reflection；　and　tries　to　drown　himself。　　This　is　one
conclusion　of　the　practical　syllogism；　and　it　is　a　free　country。
However；　there　were　freethinkers　who　did　not　think　that　Tennyson's
kind　of　thinking　ought　to　be　free。　　Other　earnest　persons　objected　to
〃First　drink　a　health；〃　in　the　re…fashioned　song　of　Hands　all　Round。
They　might　have　remembered　a　royal　health　drunk　in　water　an　hour
before　the　drinkers　swept　Mackay　down　the　Pass　of　Killiecrankie。　　The
poet　did　not　specify　the　fluid　in　which　the　toast　was　to　be　carried；
and　the　cup　might　be　that　which　〃cheers　but　not　inebriates。〃　　〃The
common　cup；〃　as　the　remonstrants　had　to　be　informed；　〃has　in　all　ages
been　the　sacred　symbol　of　unity。〃

The　Promise　of　May　was　produced　in　November　1882；　and　the　poet　was
once　more　so　unfortunate　as　to　vex　the　susceptibilities　of　advanced
thinkers。　　The　play　is　not　a　masterpiece；　and　yet　neither　the　gallery
gods　nor　the　Marquis　of　Queensberry　need　have　felt　their　withers
wrung。　　The　hero；　or　villain；　Edgar；　is　a　perfectly　impossible
person；　and　represents　no　kind　of　political；　social；　or　economical
thinker。　　A　man　would　give　all　other　bliss　and　all　his　worldly　wealth
for　this；　to　waste　his　whole　strength　in　one　kick　upon　this　perfect
prig。　　He　employs　the　arguments　of　evolution　and　so　forth　to　justify
the　seduction　of　a　little　girl　of　fifteen；　and　later；　by　way　of
making　amends；　proposes　to　commit　incest　by　marrying　her　sister。
There　have　been　evolutionists；　to　be　sure；　who　believed　in
promiscuity；　like　Mr　Edgar；　as　preferable　to　monogamy。　　But　this　only
proves　that　an　evolutionist　may　fail　to　understand　evolution。　　There
be　also　such　folk　as　Stevenson　calls　〃squirradicals〃squires　who　say
that　〃the　land　is　the　people's。〃　　Probably　no　advocate　of
promiscuity；　and　no　squirradical；　was　present　at　the　performances　of
The　Promise　of　May。　　But　people　of　advanced　minds　had　got　it　into
their　heads　that　their　doctrines　were　to　be　attacked；　so　they　went
and　made　a　hubbub　in　the　sacred　cause　of　freedom　of　thought　and
speech。　　The　truth　is；　that　controversial　topics；　political　topics；
ought　not　to　be　brought　into　plays；　much　less　into　sermons。　　Tennyson
meant　Edgar　for　〃nothing　thorough；　nothing　sincere。〃　　He　is　that
venomous　thing；　the　prig…scoundrel：　　he　does　not　suit　the　stage；　and
his　place；　if　anywhere；　is　in　the　novel。　　Advocates　of　marriage　with
a　deceased　wife's　sister　might　have　applauded　Edgar　for　wishing　to
marry　the　sister　of　a　mistress　assumed　to　be　deceased；　but　no　other
party　in　the　State　wanted　anything　except　the　punching　of　Edgar's
head　by　Farmer　Dobson。

In　1883　died　Edward　FitzGerald；　the　most　kind；　loyal；　and；　as　he
said；　crotchety　of　old　and　dear　Cambridge　friends。　　He　did　not　live
to　see　the　delightful　poem　which　Tennyson　had　written　for　him。　　In
almost　his　latest　letter　he　had　remarked；　superfluously；　that　when　he
called　the　task　of　translating　The　Agamemnon　〃work　for　a　poet；〃　he
〃was　not　thinking　of　Mr　Browning。〃

In　the　autumn　of　1883　Tennyson　was　taken；　with　Mr　Gladstone；　by　Sir
Donald　Currie；　for　a　cruise　round　the　west　coast　of　Scotland；　to　the
Orkneys；　and　to　Copenhagen。　　The　people　of　Kirkwall　conferred　on　the
poet　and　the　statesman　the　freedom　of　the　burgh；　and　Mr　Gladstone；　in
an　interesting　speech；　compared　the　relative　chances　of　posthumous
fame　of　the　poet　and　the　politician。　　Pericles　is　not　less　remembered
than　Sophocles；　though　Shakespeare　is　more　in　men's　minds　than　Cecil。
Much　depends；　as　far　as　the　statesmen　are　considered；　on　contemporary
historians。　　It　is　Thucydides　who　immortalises　Pericles。　　But　it　is
improbable　that　the　things　which　Mr　Gladstone　did；　and　attempted；
will　be　forgotten　more　rapidly　than　the　conduct　and　characters　of；
say；　Burleigh　or　Lethington。

In　1884；　after　this　voyage；　with　its　royal　functions　and　celebrations
at　Copenhagen；　a　peerage　was　offered　to　the　poet。　　He　〃did　not　want
to　alter　hi