alfred tennyson-第5部分

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whom　Sir　Barnes　Newcome　delivered　his　famous　lecture。　　The　seventh
stanza　perhaps　hardly　deserved　to　be　altered；　as　it　is；　so　as　to
bring　in　〃minnows〃　where　〃fish〃　had　been　the　reading；　and　where
〃trout〃　would　best　recall　an　English　chalk　stream。　　To　the　angler　the
rising　trout；　which　left　the　poet　cold；　is　at　least　as　welcome　as　the
〃reflex　of　a　beauteous　form。〃　　〃Every　woman　seems　an　angel　at　the
water…side；〃　said　〃that　good　old　angler；　now　with　God；〃　Thomas　Todd
Stoddart；　and　so　〃the　long　and　listless　boy〃　found　it　to　be。　　It　is
no　wonder　that　the　mother　was　〃SLOWLY　brought　to　yield　consent　to　my
desire。〃　　The　domestic　affections；　in　fact；　do　not　adapt　themselves
so　well　to　poetry　as　the　passion；　unique　in　Tennyson；　of　Fatima。　　The
critics　who　hunt　for　parallels　or　plagiarisms　will　note　…


〃O　Love；　O　fire！　once　he　drew
With　one　long　kiss　my　whole　soul　thro'
My　lips；〃


and　will　observe　Mr　Browning's


　　　〃Once　he　kissed
My　soul　out　in　a　fiery　mist。〃


As　to　OEnone；　the　scenery　of　that　earliest　of　the　classical　idylls　is
borrowed　from　the　Pyrenees　and　the　tour　with　Hallam。　　〃It　is　possible
that　the　poem　may　have　been　suggested　by　Beattie's　Judgment　of
Paris；〃　says　Mr　Collins；　it　is　also　possible　that　the　tale　which


　　　〃Quintus　Calaber
Somewhat　lazily　handled　of　old〃


may　have　reached　Tennyson's　mind　from　an　older　writer　than　Beattie。
He　is　at　least　as　likely　to　have　been　familiar　with　Greek　myth　as
with　the　lamented　〃Minstrel。〃　　The　form　of　1833；　greatly　altered　in
1842；　contained　such　unlucky　phrases　as　〃cedar　shadowy；〃　and
〃snowycoloured；〃　〃marblecold；〃　〃violet…eyed〃easy　spoils　of
criticism。　　The　alterations　which　converted　a　beautiful　but　faulty
into　a　beautiful　and　flawless　poem　perhaps　obscure　the　significance
of　OEnone's　〃I　will　not　die　alone；〃　which　in　the　earlier　volume
directly　refers　to　the　foreseen　end　of　all　as　narrated　in　Tennyson's
late　piece；　The　Death　of　OEnone。　　The　whole　poem　brings　to　mind　the
glowing　hues　of　Titian　and　the　famous　Homeric　lines　on　the　divine
wedlock　of　Zeus　and　Hera。

The　allegory　or　moral　of　The　Palace　of　Art　does　not　need　explanation。
Not　many　of　the　poems　owe　more　to　revision。　　The　early　stanza　about
Isaiah；　with　fierce　Ezekiel；　and　〃Eastern　Confutzee；〃　did　undeniably
remind　the　reader；　as　Lockhart　said；　of　The　Groves　of　Blarney。


〃With　statues　gracing　that　noble　place　in；
　　　All　haythen　goddesses　most　rare；
Petrarch；　Plato；　and　Nebuchadnezzar；
　　　All　standing　naked　in　the　open　air。〃


In　the　early　version　the　Soul；　being　too　much　〃up　to　date；〃


〃Lit　white　streams　of　dazzling　gas；〃


like　Sir　Walter　Scott　at　Abbotsford。


〃Thus　her　intense；　untold　delight；
In　deep　or　vivid　colour；　smell；　and　sound；
　　　Was　flattered　day　and　night。〃


Lockhart　was　not　fond　of　Sir　Walter's　experiments　in　gas；　the　〃smell〃
gave　him　no　〃deep；　untold　delight；〃　and　his　〃infamous　review〃　was
biassed　by　these　circumstances。

The　volume　of　1833　was　in　nothing　more　remarkable　than　in　its　proof
of　the　many…sidedness　of　the　author。　　He　offered　mediaeval　romance；
and　classical　perfection　touched　with　the　romantic　spirit；　and
domestic　idyll；　of　which　The　May　Queen　is　probably　the　most　popular
example。　　The　〃mysterious　being；〃　conversant　with　〃the　spiritual
world；〃　might　have　been　expected　to　disdain　topics　well　within　the
range　of　Eliza　Cook。　　He　did　not　despise　but　elevated　them；　and
thereby　did　more　to　introduce　himself　to　the　wide　English　public　than
he　could　have　done　by　a　century　of　Fatimas　or　Lotos…Eaters。　　On　the
other　hand；　a　taste　more　fastidious；　or　more　perverse；　will　scarcely
be　satisfied　with　pathos　which　in　process　of　time　has　come　to　seem
〃obvious。〃　　The　pathos　of　early　death　in　the　prime　of　beauty　is　less
obvious　in　Homer；　where　Achilles　is　to　be　the　victim；　or　in　the
laments　of　the　Anthology；　where　we　only　know　that　the　dead　bride　or
maiden　was　fair；　but　the　poor　May　Queen　is　of　her　nature　rather
commonplace。


〃That　good　man；　the　clergyman；　has　told　me　words　of　peace；〃


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