alfred tennyson-第6章

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strikes　a　note　rather　resembling　the　Tennysonian　parody　of　Wordsworth
…


〃A　Mr　Wilkinson；　a　clergyman。〃


The　Lotos…Eaters；　of　course；　is　at　the　opposite　pole　of　the　poet's
genius。　　A　few　plain　verses　of　the　Odyssey；　almost　bald　in　their
reticence；　are　the　point　de　repere　of　the　most　magical　vision
expressed　in　the　most　musical　verse。　　Here　is　the　languid　charm　of
Spenser；　enriched　with　many　classical　memories；　and　pictures　of
natural　beauty　gorgeously　yet　delicately　painted。　　After　the　excision
of　some　verses；　rather　fantastical；　in　1842；　the　poem　became　a
flawless　masterpiece；one　of　the　eternal　possessions　of　song。

On　the　other　hand；　the　opening　of　The　Dream　of　Fair　Women　was　marred
in　1833　by　the　grotesque　introductory　verses　about　〃a　man　that　sails
in　a　balloon。〃　　Young　as　Tennyson　was；　these　freakish　passages　are　a
psychological　marvel　in　the　work　of　one　who　did　not　lack　the　saving
sense　of　humour。　　The　poet；　wafted　on　the　wing　and　〃pinion　that　the
Theban　eagle　bear；〃　cannot　conceivably　be　likened　to　an　aeronaut
waving　flags　out　of　a　balloonexcept　in　a　spirit　of　self…mockery
which　was　not　Tennyson's。　　His　remarkable　self…discipline　in　excising
the　fantastic　and　superfluous；　and　reducing　his　work　to　its　classical
perfection　of　thought　and　form；　is　nowhere　more　remarkable　than　in
this　magnificent　vision。　　It　is　probably　by　mere　accidental
coincidence　of　thought　that；　in　the　verses　To　J。　S。　（James　Spedding）；
Tennyson　reproduces　the　noble　speech　on　the　warrior's　death　which　Sir
Walter　Scott　places　in　the　lips　of　the　great　Dundee：　　〃It　is　the
memory　which　the　soldier　leaves　behind　him；　like　the　long　train　of
light　that　follows　the　sunken　sun；　THAT　is　all　that　is　worth　caring
for；〃　the　light　which　lingers　eternally　on　the　hills　of　Atholl。
Tennyson's　lines　are　a　close　parallel：…


〃His　memory　long　will　live　alone
　　　In　all　our　hearts；　as　mournful　light
That　broods　above　the　fallen　sun；
　　　And　dwells　in　heaven　half　the　night。〃


Though　Tennyson　disliked　the　exhibition　of　〃the　chips　of　the
workshop；〃　we　have　commented　on　them；　on　the　early　readings　of　the
early　volumes。　　They　may　be　regarded　more　properly　as　the　sketches　of
a　master　than　as　〃chips；〃　and　do　more　than　merely　engage　the　idle
curiosity　of　the　fanatics　of　first　editions。　　They　prove　that　the
poet　was　studious　of　perfection；　and　wisely　studious；　for　his
alterations；　unlike　those　of　some　authors；　were　almost　invariably　for
the　better；　the　saner；　the　more　mature　in　taste。　　The　early　readings
are　also　worth　notice；　because　they　partially　explain；　by　their
occasionally　fantastic　and　humourless　character；　the　lack　of　early
and　general　recognition　of　the　poet's　genius。　　The　native　prejudice
of　mankind　is　not　in　favour　of　a　new　poet。　　Of　new　poets　there　are
always　so　many；　most　of　them　bad；　that　nature　has　protected　mankind
by　an　armour　of　suspiciousness。　　The　world；　and　Lockhart；　easily
found　good　reasons　for　distrusting　this　new　claimant　of　the　ivy　and
the　bays：　　moreover；　since　about　1814　there　had　been　a　reaction
against　new　poetry。　　The　market　was　glutted。　　Scott　had　set　everybody
on　reading；　and　too　many　on　writing；　novels。　　The　great　reaction　of
the　century　against　all　forms　of　literature　except　prose　fiction　had
begun。　　Near　the　very　date　of　Tennyson's　first　volume　Bulwer　Lytton；
as　we　saw；　had　frankly　explained　that　he　wrote　novels　because　nobody
would　look　at　anything　else。　　Tennyson　had　to　overcome　this
universal；　or　all　but　universal；　indifference　to　new　poetry；　and；
after　being　silent　for　ten　years；　overcome　it　he　dida　remarkable
victory　of　art　and　of　patient　courage。　　Times　were　even　worse　for
poets　than　to…day。　　Three　hundred　copies　of　the　new　volume　were　sold！
But　Tennyson's　friends　were　not　puffers　in　league　with　pushing
publishers。

Meanwhile　the　poet　in　1833　went　on　quietly　and　undefeated　with　his
work。　　He　composed　The　Gardener's　Daughter；　and　was　at　work　on　the
Morte　d'Arthur；　suppressed　till　the　ninth　year；　on　the　Horatian　plan。
Many　poems　were　produced　（and　even　written　out；　which　a　number　of　his
pieces　never　were）；　and　were　left　in　manuscript　till　they　appeared　in
the　Biography。　　Most　of　these　are　so　little　worthy　of　the　author　that
the　marvel　is　how　he　came　to　write　themin　what　uninspired　hours。
Unlike　Wordsworth；　he　could　weed　the　tares　from　his　wheat。　　His
studies　were　in　Greek；　German；　Italian；　history　（a　little）；　and
chemistry；　botany；　and　electricity〃cross…grained　Muses；〃　these
last。

It　was　on　September　15；　1833；　that　Arthur　Hallam　died。　　Unheralded　by
sign　or　symptom　of　disease　as　it　was；　the　news　fell　like　a
thunderbolt　from　a　serene　sky。　　Tennyson's　and　Hallam's　love　had　been
〃passing　the　love　of　women。〃　　A　blow　like　this　drives　a　man　on　the
rocks　of　the　ultimate；　the　insoluble　problems　of　destiny。　　〃Is　this
the　end？〃　　Nourished　as　on　the　milk　of　lions；　on　the　elevating　and
strengthening　doctrines　of　popular　science；　trained　from　childhood　to
forego　hope　and　attend　evening　lectures；　the　young　critics　of　our
generation　find　Tennyson　a　weakling　because　he　had　hopes　and　fears
concerning　the　ultimate　renewal　of　what　was　more　than　half　his　life
his　friendship。


〃That　faith　I　fain　would　keep；
　　　That　hope　I'll　not　forego：
Eternal　be　the　sleep　…
　　　Unless　to　waken　so；〃


wrote　Lockhart；　and　the　verses　echoed　ceaselessly　in　the　widowed
heart　of　Carlyle。　　These　men；　it　is　part　of　the　duty　of　critics　later
born　to　remember；　were　not　children　or　cowards；　though　they　dreamed；
and　hoped；　and　feared。　　We　ought　to　make　allowance　for　failings
incident　to　an　age　not　yet　fully　enlightened　by　popular　science；　and
still　undivorced　from　spiritual　ideas　that　are　as　old　as　the　human
race；　and　perhaps　not　likely　to　perish　while　that　race　exists。　　Now
and　then　even　scientific　men　have　been　mistaken；　especially　when　they
have　declined　to　examine　evidence；　as　in　this　problem　of　the
transcendental　nature　of　the　human　spirit　they　usually　do。　　At　all
events　Tennyson　was　unconvinced　that　death　is　the　end；　and　shortly
after　the　fatal　tidings　arrived　from　Vienna　he　began　to　write
fragments　in　verse　preluding　to　the　poem　of　In　Memoriam。　　He　also
began；　in　a　mood　of　great　misery；　The　Two　Voices；　or；　Thoughts　of　a
Suicide。　　The　poem　seems　to　have　been　partly　done　by　September　1834；
when　Spedding　commented　on　it；　and　on　the　beautiful　Sir　Galahad；
〃intended　for　something　of　a　male　counterpart　to　St　Agnes。〃　　The
Morte　d'Arthur　Tennyson　then　thought　〃the　best　thing　I　have　managed
lately。〃　　Very　early　in　1835　many　stanzas　of　In　Memoriam　had　taken
form。　　〃I　do　not　wish　to　be　dragged　forward　in　any　shape　before　the
reading　public　at　present；〃　wrote　the　poet；　when　he　heard　that　Mill
desired　to　write　on　him。　　His　OEnone　he　had　brought　to　its　new
perfection；　and　did　not　desire　comments　on　work　now　several　years
old。　　He　also　wrote　his　Ulysses　and　his　Tithonus。

If　ever　the　term　〃morbid〃　could　have　been　applied　to　Tennyson；　it
would　have　been　in　the　years　immediately　following　the　death　of
Arthur　Hallam。　　But　the　application　would　have　been　unjust。　　True；
the　poet　was　living　out　of　the　world；　he　was　unhappy；　and　he　was；　as
people　say；　〃doing　nothing。〃　　He　was　so　poor　that　he　sold　his
Chancellor's　prize　gold　medal；　and　he　did　not


　　　〃Scan　his　whole　horizon
In　quest　of　what　he　could　clap　eyes　on；〃


in　the　way　of　money…making；　which　another　poet　describes　as　the
normal　attitude　of　all　men　as　well　as　of　pirates。　　A　careless
observer　would　have　thought　that　the　poet　was　dawdling。　　But　he　dwelt
in　no　Castle　of　Indolence；　he　studied；　he　composed；　he　corrected　his
verses：　　like　Sir　Walter　in　Liddesdale；　〃he　was　making　himsel'　a'　the
time。〃　　He　did　not　neglect　the　movements　of　the　great　world　in　that
dawn　of　discontent　with　the　philosophy　of　commercialism。　　But　it　was
not　his　vocation　to　plunge　into　the　fray；　and　on　to　platforms。

It　is　a　very　rare　thing　anywhere；　especially　in　England；　for　a　man
deliberately　to　choose　poetry　as　the　duty　of　his　life；　and　to　remain
loyal；　as　a　consequence；　to　the　bride　of　St　FrancisPoverty。　　This
loyalty　Tennyson　maintained；　even　under　the　temptation　to　make　money
in　recognised　ways　presented　by　his　new…born　love　f