alfred tennyson-第7章

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loyalty　Tennyson　maintained；　even　under　the　temptation　to　make　money
in　recognised　ways　presented　by　his　new…born　love　for　his　future
wife；　Miss　Emily　Sellwood。　　They　had　first　met　in　1830；　when　she；　a
girl　of　seventeen；　seemed　to　him　like　〃a　Dryad　or　an　Oread　wandering
here。〃　　But　admiration　became　the　affection　of　a　lifetime　when
Tennyson　met　Miss　Sellwood　as　bridesmaid　to　her　sister；　the　bride　of
his　brother　Charles；　in　1836。　　The　poet　could　not　afford　to　marry；
and；　like　the　hero　of　Locksley　Hall；　he　may　have　asked　himself；　〃What
is　that　which　I　should　do？〃　　By　1840　he　had　done　nothing　tangible　and
lucrative；　and　correspondence　between　the　lovers　was　forbidden。　　That
neither　dreamed　of　Tennyson's　deserting　poetry　for　a　more　normal
profession　proved　of　great　benefit　to　the　world。　　The　course　is　one
which　could　only　be　justified　by　the　absolute　certainty　of　possessing
genius。



CHAPTER　III。1837…1842。



In　1837　the　Tennysons　left　the　old　rectory；　till　1840　they　lived　at
High　Beech　in　Epping　Forest；　and　after　a　brief　stay　at　Tunbridge
Wells　went　to　Boxley；　near　Maidstone。

It　appears　that　at　last　the　poet　had　〃beat　his　music　out；〃　though　his
friends　〃still　tried　to　cheer　him。〃　　But　the　man　who　wrote　Ulysses
when　his　grief　was　fresh　could　not　be　suspected　of　declining　into　a
hypochondriac。　　〃If　I　mean　to　make　my　mark　at　all；　it　must　be　by
shortness；〃　he　said　at　this　time；　〃for　the　men　before　me　had　been　so
diffuse；　and　most　of　the　big　things；　except　King　Arthur；　had　been
done。〃　　The　age　had　not　la　tete　epique：　　Poe　had　announced　the
paradox　that　there　is　no　such　thing　as　a　long　poem；　and　even　in
dealing　with　Arthur；　Tennyson　followed　the　example　of　Theocritus　in
writing；　not　an　epic；　but　epic　idylls。　　Long　poems　suit　an　age　of
listeners；　for　which　they　were　originally　composed；　or　of　leisure　and
few　books。　　At　present　epics　are　read　for　duty's　sake；　not　for　the
only　valid　reason；　〃for　human　pleasure；〃　in　FitzGerald's　phrase。

Between　1838　and　1840　Tennyson　made　some　brief　tours　in　England　with
FitzGerald；　and；　coming　from　Coventry；　wrote　Godiva。　　His　engagement
with　Miss　Sellwood　seemed　to　be　adjourned　sine　die；　as　they　were
forbidden　to　correspond。

By　1841　Tennyson　was　living　at　Mablethorpe　on　the　Lincolnshire　coast；
working　at　his　volumes　of　1842；　much　urged　by　FitzGerald　and　American
admirers；　who　had　heard　of　the　poet　through　Emerson。　　Moxon　was　to　be
the　publisher；　himself　something　of　a　poet；　but　early　in　1842　he　had
not　yet　received　the　MS。　　Perhaps　Emerson　heard　of　Tennyson　through
Carlyle；　who；　says　Sterling；　〃said　more　in　your　praise　than　in　any
one's　except　Cromwell；　and　an　American　backwoodsman　who　has　killed
thirty　or　forty　people　with　a　bowie…knife。〃　　Carlyle　at　this　time　was
much　attached　to　Lockhart；　editor　of　the　Quarterly　Review；　and　it　may
have　been　Carlyle　who　converted　Lockhart　to　admiration　of　his　old
victim。　　Carlyle　had　very　little　more　appreciation　of　Keats　than　had
Byron；　or　（in　early　days）　Lockhart；　and　it　was　probably　as　much　the
man　of　heroic　physical　mould；　〃a　life…guardsman　spoilt　by　making
poetry；〃　and　the　unaffected　companion　over　a　pipe；　as　the　poet；　that
attracted　him　in　Tennyson。　　As　we　saw；　when　the　two　triumphant
volumes　of　1842　did　appear；　Lockhart　asked　Sterling　to　review
whatever　book　he　pleased　（meaning　the　Poems）　in　the　Quarterly。　　The
praise　of　Sterling　may　seem　lukewarm　to　us；　especially　when　compared
with　that　of　Spedding　in　the　Edinburgh。　　But　Sterling；　and　Lockhart
too；　were　obliged　to　〃gang　warily。〃　　Lockhart　had；　to　his　constant
annoyance；　〃a　partner；　Mr　Croker；〃　and　I　have　heard　from　the　late
Dean　Boyle　that　Mr　Croker　was　much　annoyed　by　even　the　mild　applause
yielded　in　the　Quarterly　to　the　author　of　the　Morte　d'Arthur。

While　preparing　the　volumes　of　1842　at　Boxley；　Tennyson's　life　was
divided　between　London　and　the　society　of　his　brother…in…law；　Mr
Edmund　Lushington；　the　great　Greek　scholar　and　Professor　of　Greek　at
Glasgow　University。　　There　was　in　Mr　Lushington's　personal　aspect；
and　noble　simplicity　of　manner　and　character；　something　that　strongly
resembled　Tennyson　himself。　　Among　their　common　friends　were　Lord
Houghton　（Monckton　Milnes）；　Mr　Lear　of　the　Book　of　Nonsense　（〃with
such　a　pencil；　such　a　pen〃）；　Mr　Venables　（who　at　school　modified　the
profile　of　Thackeray）；　and　Lord　Kelvin。　　In　town　Tennyson　met　his
friends　at　The　Cock；　which　he　rendered　classic；　among　them　were
Thackeray；　Forster；　Maclise；　and　Dickens。　　The　times　were　stirring：
social　agitation；　and　〃Carol　philosophy〃　in　Dickens；　with　growls　from
Carlyle；　marked　the　period。　　There　was　also　a　kind　of　optimism　in　the
air；　a　prophetic　optimism；　not　yet　fulfilled。


〃Fly；　happy　happy　sails；　and　bear　the　Press！〃


That　mission　no　longer　strikes　us　as　exquisitely　felicitous。　　〃The
mission　of　the　Cross；〃　and　of　the　missionaries；　means　international
complications；　and　〃the　markets　of　the　Golden　Year〃　are　precisely　the
most　fruitful　causes　of　wars　and　rumours　of　wars：…


　　　〃Sea　and　air　are　dark
With　great　contrivances　of　Power。〃


Tennyson's　was　not　an　unmitigated　optimism；　and　had　no　special
confidence　in


〃The　herd；　wild　hearts　and　feeble　wings
　　　That　every　sophister　can　lime。〃


His　political　poetry；　in　fact；　was　very　unlike　the　socialist　chants
of　Mr　William　Morris；　or　Songs　before　Sunrise。　　He　had　nothing　to　say
about


〃The　blood　on　the　hands　of　the　King；
　　　And　the　lie　on　the　lips　of　the　Priest。〃


The　hands　of　Presidents　have　not　always　been　unstained；　nor　are
statements　of　a　mythical　nature　confined　to　the　lips　of　the　clergy。
The　poet　was　anxious　that　freedom　should　〃broaden　down；〃　but
〃slowly；〃　not　with　indelicate　haste。　　Persons　who　are　more　in　a　hurry
will　never　care　for　the　political　poems；　and　it　is　certain　that
Tennyson　did　not　feel　sympathetically　inclined　towards　the　Iberian
patriot　who　said　that　his　darling　desire　was　〃to　cut　the　throats　of
all　the　cures；〃　like　some　Covenanters　of　old。　　〃Mais　vous　connaissez
mon　coeur〃〃and　a　pretty　black　one　it　is；〃　thought　young　Tennyson。
So　cautious　in　youth；　during　his　Pyrenean　tour　with　Hallam　in　1830；
Tennyson　could　not　become　a　convinced　revolutionary　later。　　We　must
accept　him　with　his　limitations：　　nor　must　we　confuse　him　with　the
hero　of　his　Locksley　Hall；　one　of　the　most　popular；　and　most
parodied；　of　the　poems　of　1842：　　full　of　beautiful　images　and
〃confusions　of　a　wasted　youth；〃　a　youth　dramatically　conceived；　and
in　no　way　autobiographical。

In　so　marvellous　a　treasure　of　precious　things　as　the　volumes　of
1842；　perhaps　none　is　more　splendid；　perfect；　and　perdurable　than　the
Morte　d'Arthur。　　It　had　been　written　seven　years　earlier；　and
pronounced　by　the　poet　〃not　bad。〃　　Tennyson　was　never；　perhaps；　a
very　deep　Arthurian　student。　　A　little　cheap　copy　of　Malory　was　his
companion。　｛4｝　　He　does　not　appear　to　have　gone　deeply　into　the
French　and　German　〃literature　of　the　subject。〃　　Malory's　compilation
（1485）　from　French　and　English　sources；　with　the　Mabinogion　of　Lady
Charlotte　Guest；　sufficed　for　him　as　materials。　　The　whole　poem；
enshrined　in　the　memory　of　all　lovers　of　verse；　is　richly　studded；　as
the　hilt　of　Excalibur；　with　classical　memories。　　〃A　faint　Homeric
echo〃　it　is　not；　nor　a　Virgilian　echo；　but　the　absolute　voice　of　old
romance；　a　thing　that　might　have　been　chanted　by


〃The　lonely　maiden　of　the　Lake〃


when


〃Nine　years　she　wrought　it；　sitting　in　the　deeps；
Upon　the　hidden　bases　of　the　hills。〃


Perhaps　the　most　exquisite　adaptation　of　all　are　the　lines　from　the
Odyssey　…


〃Where　falls　not　hail　nor　rain；　nor　any　snow。〃


〃Softly　through　the　flutes　of　the　Grecians〃　came　first　these　Elysian
numbers；　then　through　Lucretius；　then　through　Tennyson's　own
Lucretius；　then　in　Mr　Swinburne's　Atalanta　in　Calydon：…


〃Lands　indiscoverable　in　the　unheard…of　west
Round　which　the　strong　stream　of　a　sacred　sea
Rolls　without　wind　for　ever；　and　the　snow
There　shows　not　her　white　wings　and　windy　feet；
Nor　thunder　nor　swift　rain　saith　anything；
Nor　the　sun　burns；　but　all　things　rest　and　thrive。〃


So　fortunate　in　their　transmission　through　poets　have　been　the　lines
of　〃the　Ionian　father　of　th