alfred tennyson-第9章

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would　think　such　a　fact〃　（his　pleasure　in　the　book）　〃surprising。〃
Carlyle　had　been　living　（as　Mrs　Carlyle　too　well　knew）　in　Oliver
Cromwell；　a　hero　who　probably　took　no　delight　in　Lycidas　or　Comus；　in
Lovelace　or　Carew。　　〃I　would　give　all　my　poetry　to　have　made　one　song
like　that；〃　said　Tennyson　of　Lovelace's　Althea。　　But　Noll　would　have
disregarded　them　all　alike；　and　Carlyle　was　full　of　the　spirit　of　the
Protector。　　To　conquer　him　was　indeed　a　victory　for　Tennyson；　while
Dickens；　not　a　reading　man；　expressed　his　〃earnest　and　sincere
homage。〃

But　Tennyson　was　not　successful　in　the　modern　way。　　Nobody
〃interviewed〃　him。　　His　photograph；　of　course；　with　disquisitions　on
his　pipes　and　slippers；　did　not　adorn　the　literary　press。　　His
literary　income　was　not　magnified　by　penny…a…liners。　　He　did　not
become　a　lion；　he　never　would　roar　and　shake　his　mane　in　drawing…
rooms。　　Lockhart　held　that　Society　was　the　most　agreeable　form　of　the
stage：　　the　dresses　and　actresses　incomparably　the　prettiest。　　But
Tennyson　liked　Society　no　better　than　did　General　Gordon。　　He　had
friends　enough；　and　no　desire　for　new　acquaintances。　　Indeed；　his
fortune　was　shattered　at　this　time　by　a　strange　investment　in　wood…
carving　by　machinery。　　Ruskin　had　only　just　begun　to　write；　and　wood…
carving　by　machinery　was　still　deemed　an　enterprise　at　once
philanthropic　and　aesthetic。　　〃My　father's　worldly　goods　were　all
gone；〃　says　Lord　Tennyson。　　The　poet's　health　suffered　extremely：　　he
tried　a　fashionable　〃cure〃　at　Cheltenham；　where　he　saw　miracles　of
healing；　but　underwent　none。　　In　September　1845　Peel　was　moved　by
Lord　Houghton　to　recommend　the　poet　for　a　pension　（200　pounds
annually）。　　〃I　have　done　nothing　slavish　to　get　it：　　I　never　even
solicited　for　it　either　by　myself　or　others。〃　　Like　Dr　Johnson；　he
honourably　accepted　what　was　offered　in　honour。　　For　some　reason　many
persons　who　write　in　the　press　are　always　maddened　when　such　good
fortune；　however　small；　however　well　merited；　falls　to　a　brother　in
letters。　　They；　of　course；　were　〃causelessly　bitter。〃　　〃Let　them
rave！〃

If　few　of　the　rewards　of　literary　success　arrived；　the　penalties　at
once　began；　and　only　ceased　with　the　poet's　existence。　　〃If　you　only
knew　what　a　nuisance　these　volumes　of　verse　are！　　Rascals　send　me
theirs　per　post　from　America；　and　I　have　more　than　once　been　knocked
up　out　of　bed　to　pay　three　or　four　shillings　for　books　of　which　I
can't　get　through　one　page；　for　of　all　books　the　most　insipid　reading
is　second…rate　verse。〃

Would　that　versifiers　took　the　warning！　　Tennyson　had　not　sent　his
little　firstlings　to　Coleridge　and　Wordsworth：　　they　are　only　the
hopeless　rhymers　who　bombard　men　of　letters　with　their　lyrics　and
tragedies。

Mr　Browning　was　a　sufferer。　　To　one　young　twitterer　he　replied　in　the
usual　way。　　The　bard　wrote　acknowledging　the　letter；　but　asking　for　a
definite　criticism。　　〃I　do　not　think　myself　a　Shakespeare　or　a
Milton；　but　I　KNOW　I　am　better　than　Mr　Coventry　Patmore　or　Mr　Austin
Dobson。〃　　Mr　Browning　tried　to　procrastinate：　　he　was　already　deeply
engaged　with　earlier　arrivals　of　volumes　of　song。　　The　poet　was　hurt；
not　angry；　he　had　expected　other　things　from　Mr　Browning：　　HE　ought
to　know　his　duty　to　youth。　　At　the　intercession　of　a　relation　Mr
Browning　now　did　his　best；　and　the　minstrel；　satisfied　at　last；
repeated　his　conviction　of　his　superiority　to　the　authors　of　The
Angel　in　the　House　and　Beau　Brocade。　　Probably　no　man；　not　even　Mr
Gladstone；　ever　suffered　so　much　from　minstrels　as　Tennyson。　　He　did
not　suffer　them　gladly。

In　1846　the　Poems　reached　their　fourth　edition。　　Sir　Edward　Bulwer
Lytton　（bitten　by　what　fly　who　knows？）　attacked　Tennyson　in　The　New
Timon；　a　forgotten　satire。　　We　do　not　understand　the　ways　of　that
generation。　　The　cheap　and　spiteful　genre　of　satire；　its　forged
morality；　its　sham　indignation；　its　appeal　to　the　ape…like　passions；
has　gone　out。　　Lytton　had　suffered　many　things　（not　in　verse）　from
Jeames　Yellowplush：　　I　do　not　know　that　he　hit　back　at　Thackeray；　but
he　〃passed　it　on〃　to　Thackeray's　old　college　companion。　　Tennyson；
for　once；　replied　（in　Punch：　　the　verses　were　sent　thither　by　John
Forster）；　the　answer　was　one　of　magnificent　contempt。　　But　he　soon
decided　that


〃The　noblest　answer　unto　such
Is　perfect　stillness　when　they　brawl。〃


Long　afterwards　the　poet　dedicated　a　work　to　the　son　of　Lord　Lytton。
He　replied　to　no　more　satirists。　｛5｝　　Our　difficulty；　of　course；　is
to　conceive　such　an　attack　coming　from　a　man　of　Lytton's　position　and
genius。　　He　was　no　hungry　hack；　and　could；　and　did；　do　infinitely
better　things　than　〃stand　in　a　false　following〃　of　Pope。　　Probably
Lytton　had　a　false　idea　that　Tennyson　was　a　rich　man；　a　branch　of　his
family　being　affluent；　and　so　resented　the　little　pension。　　The　poet
was　so　far　from　rich　in　1846；　and　even　after　the　publication　of　The
Princess；　that　his　marriage　had　still　to　be　deferred　for　four　years。

On　reading　The　Princess　afresh　one　is　impressed；　despite　old
familiarity；　with　the　extraordinary　influence　of　its　beauty。　　Here
are；　indeed；　the　best　words　best　placed；　and　that　curious　felicity　of
style　which　makes　every　line　a　marvel；　and　an　eternal　possession。　　It
is　as　if　Tennyson　had　taken　the　advice　which　Keats　gave　to　Shelley；
〃Load　every　rift　with　ore。〃　　To　choose　but　one　or　two　examples；　how
the　purest　and　freshest　impression　of　nature　is　re…created　in　mind
and　memory　by　the　picture　of　Melissa　with


　　　〃All　her　thoughts　as　fair　within　her　eyes；
As　bottom　agates　seen　to　wave　and　float
In　crystal　currents　of　clear　morning　seas。〃


The　lyric；　〃Tears；　idle　tears；〃　is　far　beyond　praise：　　once　read　it
seems　like　a　thing　that　has　always　existed　in　the　world　of　poetic
archetypes；　and　has　now　been　not　so　much　composed　as　discovered　and
revealed。　　The　many　pictures　and　similitudes　in　The　Princess　have　a
magical　gorgeousness：…


　　　　　　〃From　the　illumined　hall
Long　lanes　of　splendour　slanted　o'er　a　press
Of　snowy　shoulders；　thick　as　herded　ewes；
And　rainbow　robes；　and　gems　and　gem…like　eyes；
And　gold　and　golden　heads；　they　to　and　fro
Fluctuated；　as　flowers　in　storm；　some　red；　some　pale。〃


The　〃small　sweet　Idyll〃　from


〃A　volume　of　the　poets　of　her　land〃


pure　Theocritus。　　It　has　been　admirably　rendered　into　Greek　by　Mr
Gilbert　Murray。　　The　exquisite　beauties　of　style　are　not　less
exquisitely　blended　in　the　confusions　of　a　dream；　for　a　dream　is　the
thing　most　akin　to　The　Princess。　　Time　does　not　exist　in　the　realm　of
Gama；　or　in　the　ideal　university　of　Ida。　　We　have　a　bookless　North；
severed　but　by　a　frontier　pillar　from　a　golden　and　learned　South。
The　arts；　from　architecture　to　miniature…painting；　are　in　their
highest　perfection；　while　knights　still　tourney　in　armour；　and　the
quarrel　of　two　nations　is　decided　as　in　the　gentle　and　joyous　passage
of　arms　at　Ashby　de　la　Zouche。　　Such　confusions　are　purposefully
dream…like：　　the　vision　being　a　composite　thing；　as　dreams　are；
haunted　by　the　modern　scene　of　the　holiday　in　the　park；　the　〃gallant
glorious　chronicle；〃　the　Abbey；　and　that　〃old　crusading　knight
austere；〃　Sir　Ralph。　　The　seven　narrators　of　the　scheme　are　like　the
〃split　personalities〃　of　dreams；　and　the　whole　scheme　is　of　great
technical　skill。　　The　earlier　editions　lacked　the　beautiful　songs　of
the　ladies；　and　that　additional　trait　of　dream；　the　strange　trance…
like　seizures　of　the　Prince：　　〃fallings　from　us；　vanishings；〃　in
Wordsworthian　phrase；　instances　of　〃dissociation；〃　in　modern
psychological　terminology。　　Tennyson　himself；　like　Shelley　and
Wordsworth；　had　experience　of　this　kind　of　dreaming　awake　which　he
attributes　to　his　Prince；　to　strengthen　the　shadowy　yet　brilliant
character　of　his　romance。　　It　is　a　thing　of　normal　and　natural　points
de　repere；　of　daylight　suggestion；　touched　as　with　the　magnifying　and
intensifying　elements　of　haschish…begotten　phantasmagoria。　　In　the
same　way　opium　raised　into　the　region　of　brilliant　vision　that
passage　of　Purchas　which　Coleridge　was　reading　before　he　dreamed
Kubla　Khan。　　But　in　Tennyson　the　effects　were　deliberately　sought　and
secured。

　One　might　conjecture；　though　Lord　Tennyson　says　nothing