alfred tennyson-第4章

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as　remarkable　in　its　stately　dignity；　while　Recollections　of　the
Arabian　Nights　attest　the　power　of　refined　luxury　in　romantic
description；　and　herald　the　unmatched　beauty　of　The　Lotos…Eaters。
The　Poet；　again；　is　a　picture　of　that　which　Tennyson　himself　was　to
fulfil；　and　Oriana　is　a　revival　of　romance；　and　of　the　ballad；　not
limited　to　the　ballad　form　as　in　its　prototype；　Helen　of　Kirkconnell。
Curious　and　exquisite　experiment　in　metre　is　indicated　in　the　Leonine
Elegiacs；　in　Claribel；　and　several　other　poems。　　Qualities　which　were
not　for　long　to　find　public　expression；　speculative　powers　brooding；
in　various　moods；　on　ultimate　and　insoluble　questions；　were　attested
by　The　Mystic；　and　Supposed　Confessions　of　a　Second…rate　Sensitive
Mind　not　in　Unity　with　Itself；　an　unlucky　title　of　a　remarkable
performance。　　〃In　this；　the　most　agitated　of　all　his　poems；　we　find
the　soul　urging　onward


'Thro'　utter　dark　a　full…sail'd　skiff；
Unpiloted　i'　the　echoing　dance
Of　reboant　whirlwinds；'


and　to　the　question；　'Why　not　believe；　then？'　we　have　as　answer　a
simile　of　the　sea；　which　cannot　slumber　like　a　mountain　tarn；　or


'Draw　down　into　his　vexed　pools
All　that　blue　heaven　which　hues　and　paves'


the　tranquil　inland　mere。〃　｛3｝

The　poet　longs　for　the　faith　of　his　infant　days　and　of　his　mother　…


〃Thy　mild　deep　eyes　upraised；　that　knew
The　beauty　and　repose　of　faith；
And　the　clear　spirit　shining　thro'。〃


That　faith　is　already　shaken；　and　the　long　struggle　for　belief　has
already　begun。

Tennyson；　according　to　Matthew　Arnold；　was　not　un　esprit　puissant。
Other　and　younger　critics；　who　have　attained　to　a　cock…certain　mood
of　negation；　are　apt　to　blame　him　because；　in　fact；　he　did　not
finally　agree　with　their　opinions。　　If　a　man　is　necessarily　a
weakling　or　a　hypocrite　because；　after　trying　all　things；　he　is　not
an　atheist　or　a　materialist；　then　the　reproach　of　insincerity　or　of
feebleness　of　mind　must　rest　upon　Tennyson。　　But　it　is　manifest　that；
almost　in　boyhood；　he　had　already　faced　the　ideas　which；　to　one　of
his　character；　almost　meant　despair：　　he　had　not　kept　his　eyes
closed。　　To　his　extremely　self…satisfied　accusers　we　might　answer；　in
lines　from　this　earliest　volume　（The　Mystic）：…


〃Ye　scorn　him　with　an　undiscerning　scorn；
Ye　cannot　read　the　marvel　in　his　eye；
The　still　serene　abstraction。〃


He　would　behold


〃One　shadow　in　the　midst　of　a　great　light；
One　reflex　from　eternity　on　time；
One　mighty　countenance　of　perfect　calm；
Awful　with　most　invariable　eyes。〃


His　mystic　of　these　boyish　years　…


　　　〃Often　lying　broad　awake；　and　yet
Remaining　from　the　body；　and　apart
In　intellect　and　power　and　will；　hath　heard
Time　flowing　in　the　middle　of　the　night；
And　all　things　creeping　to　a　day　of　doom。〃


In　this　poem；　never　republished　by　the　author；　is　an　attempt　to
express　an　experience　which　in　later　years　he　more　than　once
endeavoured　to　set　forth　in　articulate　speech；　an　experience　which
was　destined　to　colour　his　finial　speculations　on　ultimate　problems
of　God　and　of　the　soul。　　We　shall　later　have　to　discuss　the　opinion
of　an　eminent　critic；　Mr　Frederic　Harrison；　that　Tennyson's　ideas；
theological；　evolutionary；　and　generally　speculative；　〃followed；
rather　than　created；　the　current　ideas　of　his　time。〃　　〃The　train　of
thought〃　（in　In　Memoriam）；　writes　Mr　Harrison；　〃is　essentially　that
with　which　ordinary　English　readers　had　been　made　familiar　by　F。　D。
Maurice；　Professor　Jowett；　Dr　Martineau；　Ecce　Homo；　Hypatia。〃　　Of
these　influences　only　Maurice；　and　Maurice　only　orally；　could　have
reached　the　author　of　The　Mystic　and　the　Supposed　Confessions。　　Ecce
Homo；　Hypatia；　Mr　Jowett；　were　all　in　the　bosom　of　the　future　when　In
Memoriam　was　written。　　Now；　The　Mystic　and　the　Supposed　Confessions
are　prior　to　In　Memoriam；　earlier　than　1830。　　Yet　they　already
contain　the　chief　speculative　tendencies　of　In　Memoriam；　the　growing
doubts　caused　by　evolutionary　ideas　（then　familiar　to　Tennyson；
though　not　to　〃ordinary　English　readers〃）；　the　longing　for　a　return
to　childlike　faith；　and　the　mystical　experiences　which　helped
Tennyson　to　recover　a　faith　that　abode　with　him。　　In　these　things　he
was　original。　　Even　as　an　undergraduate　he　was　not　following　〃a　train
of　thought　made　familiar〃　by　authors　who　had　not　yet　written　a　line；
and　by　books　which　had　not　yet　been　published。

So　much；　then；　of　the　poet　that　was　to　be　and　of　the　philosopher
existed　in　the　little　volume　of　the　undergraduate。　　In　The　Mystic　we
notice　a　phrase；　two　words　long；　which　was　later　to　be　made　familiar；
〃Daughters　of　time；　divinely　tall；〃　reproduced　in　the　picture　of
Helen：…


〃A　daughter　of　the　Gods；　divinely　tall；
　　　And　most　divinely　fair。〃


The　reflective　pieces　are　certainly　of　more　interest　now　（though　they
seem　to　have　satisfied　the　poet　less）　than　the　gallery　of　airy　fairy
Lilians；　Adelines；　Rosalinds；　and　Eleanores：…


〃Daughters　of　dreams　and　of　stories；〃


like


〃Faustine；　Fragoletta；　Dolores；
Felise；　and　Yolande；　and　Juliette。〃


Cambridge；　which　he　was　soon　to　leave；　did　not　satisfy　the　poet。
Oxford　did　not　satisfy　Gibbon；　or　later；　Shelley；　and　young　men　of
genius　are　not；　in　fact；　usually　content　with　universities　which；
perhaps；　are　doing　their　best；　but　are　neither　governed　nor　populated
by　minds　of　the　highest　and　most　original　class。


　　　〃You　that　do　profess　to　teach
And　teach　us　nothing；　feeding　not　the　heart。〃


The　universities；　in　fact；　teach　a　good　deal　of　that　which　can　be
learned；　but　the　best　things　cannot　be　taught。　　The　universities　give
men　leisure；　books；　and　companionship；　to　learn　for　themselves。　　All
tutors　cannot　be；　and　at　that　time　few　dreamed　of　being；　men　like
Jowett　and　T。　H。　Green；　Gamaliels　at　whose　feet　undergraduates　sat
with　enthusiasm；　〃did　EAGERLY　frequent；〃　like　Omar　Khayyam。　　In　later
years　Tennyson　found　closer　relations　between　dons　and
undergraduates；　and　recorded　his　affection　for　his　university。　　She
had　supplied　him　with　such　companionship　as　is　rare；　and　permitted
him　to　〃catch　the　blossom　of　the　flying　terms；〃　even　if　tutors　and
lecturers　were　creatures　of　routine；　terriblement　enfonces　dans　la
matiere；　like　the　sire　of　Madelon　and　Cathos；　that　honourable
citizen。

Tennyson　just　missed；　by　going　down；　a　visit　of　Wordsworth　to
Cambridge。　　The　old　enthusiast　of　revolution　was　justifying　passive
obedience：　　thirty　years　had　turned　the　almost　Jacobin　into　an　almost
Jacobite。　　Such　is　the　triumph　of　time。　　In　the　summer　of　1830
Tennyson；　with　Hallam；　visited　the　Pyrenees。　　The　purpose　was
politicalto　aid　some　Spanish　rebels。　　The　fruit　is　seen　in　OEnone
and　Mariana　in　the　South。

In　March　1831　Tennyson　lost　his　father。　　〃He　slept　in　the　dead　man's
bed；　earnestly　desiring　to　see　his　ghost；　but　no　ghost　came。〃　　〃You
see；〃　he　said；　〃ghosts　do　not　generally　come　to　imaginative　people；〃
a　remark　very　true；　though　ghosts　are　attributed　to　〃imagination。〃
Whatever　causes　these　phantasms；　it　is　not　the　kind　of　phantasia
which　is　consciously　exercised　by　the　poet。　　Coleridge　had　seen　far
too　many　ghosts　to　believe　in　them；　and　Coleridge　and　Donne　apart；
with　the　hallucinations　of　Goethe　and　Shelley；　who　met　themselves；
what　poet　ever　did　〃see　a　ghost〃？　　One　who　saw　Tennyson　as　he
wandered　alone　at　this　period　called　him　〃a　mysterious　being；
seemingly　lifted　high　above　other　mortals；　and　having　a　power　of
intercourse　with　the　spirit　world　not　granted　to　others。〃　　But　it　was
the　world　of　the　poet；　not　of　the　〃medium。〃

The　Tennysons　stayed　on　at　the　parsonage　for　six　years。　　But；
anticipating　their　removal；　Arthur　Hallam　in　1831　dealt　in　prophecy
about　the　identification　in　the　district　of　places　in　his　friend's
poems〃critic　after　critic　will　trace　the　wanderings　of　the　brook；〃
as；in　fact；　critic　after　critic　has　done。　　Tennyson　dislikedthese
〃localisers。〃　　The　poet's　walks　were　shared　by　Arthur　Hallam；　then
affianced　to　his　sister　Emily。



CHAPTER　II。POEMS　OF　1831…1833。



By　1832　most　of　the　poems　of　Tennyson's　second　volume　were
circulating　in　MS。　among　his　friends；　and　no　poet　ever　had　friends
more　encouraging。　　Perhaps　bards　of　to…day　do　not　find　an　eager