alfred tennyson-第10节

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moved　slowly　from　edition　to　revised　and　improved　edition；　bringing
neither　money　nor　much　increase　of　fame。　　The　poet　was　living　with
his　family　at　Cheltenham；　where　among　his　new　acquaintances　were
Sydney　Dobell；　the　poet　of　a　few　exquisite　pieces；　and　F。　W。
Robertson；　later　so　popular　as　a　preacher　at　Brighton。　　Meeting　him
for　the　first　time；　and　knowing　Robertson's　〃wish　to　pluck　the　heart
from　my　mystery；　from　pure　nervousness　I　would　only　talk　of　beer。〃
This　kind　of　shyness　beset　Tennyson。　　A　lady　tells　me　that　as　a　girl
（and　a　very　beautiful　girl）　she　and　her　sister；　and　a　third；　nec
diversa；　met　the　poet；　and　expected　high　discourse。　　But　his　speech
was　all　of　that　wingless　insect　which　〃gets　there；　all　the　same；〃
according　to　an　American　lyrist；　the　insect　which　fills　Mrs　Carlyle's
letters　with　bulletins　of　her　success　or　failure　in　domestic
campaigns。

Tennyson　kept　visiting　London；　where　he　saw　Thackeray　and　the　despair
of　Carlyle；　and　at　Bath　House　he　was　too　modest　to　be　introduced　to
the　great　Duke　whose　requiem　he　was　to　sing　so　nobly。　　Oddly　enough
Douglas　Jerrold　enthusiastically　assured　Tennyson；　at　a　dinner　of　a
Society　of　Authors；　that　〃you　are　the　one　who　will　live。〃　　To　that
end；　humanly　speaking；　he　placed　himself　under　the　celebrated　Dr
Gully　and　his　〃water…cure；〃　a　foible　of　that　period。　　In　1848　he　made
a　tour　to　King　Arthur's　Cornish　bounds；　and　another　to　Scotland；
where　the　Pass　of　Brander　disappointed　him：　　perhaps　he　saw　it　on　a
fine　day；　and；　like　Glencoe；　it　needs　tempest　and　mist　lit　up　by　the
white　fires　of　many　waterfalls。　　By　bonny　Doon　he　〃fell　into　a
passion　of　tears；〃　for　he　had　all　of　Keats's　sentiment　for　Burns：
〃There　never　was　immortal　poet　if　he　be　not　one。〃　　Of　all　English
poets；　the　warmest　in　the　praise　of　Burns　have　been　the　two　most
unlike　himselfTennyson　and　Keats。　　It　was　the　songs　that　Tennyson
preferred；　Wordsworth　liked　the　Cottar's　Saturday　Night。



CHAPTER　V。IN　MEMORIAM。



In　May　1850　a　few；　copies　of　In　Memoriam　were　printed　for　friends；
and　presently　the　poem　was　published　without　author's　name。　　The
pieces　had　been　composed　at　intervals；　from　1833　onwards。　　It　is　to
be　observed　that　the　〃section　about　evolution〃　was　written　some　years
before　1844；　when　the　ingenious　hypotheses　of　Robert　Chambers；　in
Vestiges　of　Creation；　were　given　to　the　world；　and　caused　a　good　deal
of　talk。　　Ten　years；　again；　after　In　Memoriam；　came　Darwin's　Origin
of　Species。　　These　dates　are　worth　observing。　　The　theory　of
evolution；　of　course　in　a　rude　mythical　shape；　is　at　least　as　old　as
the　theory　of　creation；　and　is　found　among　the　speculations　of　the
most　backward　savages。　　The　Arunta　of　Central　Australia；　a　race
remote　from　the　polite；　have　a　hypothesis　of　evolution　which
postulates　only　a　few　rudimentary　forms　of　life；　a　marine
environment；　and　the　minimum　of　supernormal　assistance　in　the　way　of
stimulating　the　primal　forms　in　the　direction　of　more　highly
differentiated　developments。　　〃The　rudimentary　forms；　Inapertwa；　were
in　reality　stages　in　the　transformation　of　various　plants　and　animals
into　human　beings。　。　。　。　　They　had　no　distinct　limbs　or　organs　of
sight；　hearing；　or　smell。〃　　They　existed　in　a　kind　of　lumps；　and　were
set　free　from　the　cauls　which　enveloped　them　by　two　beings　called
Ungambikula；　〃a　word　which　means　'out　of　nothing；'　or　'self…
existing。'　　Men　descend　from　lower　animals　thus　evolved。〃　｛7｝

This　example　of　the　doctrine　of　evolution　in　an　early　shape　is　only
mentioned　to　prove　that　the　idea　has　been　familiar　to　the　human　mind
from　the　lowest　known　stage　of　culture。　　Not　less　familiar　has　been
the　theory　of　creation　by　a　kind　of　supreme　being。　　The　notion　of
creation；　however；　up　to　1860；　held　the　foremost　place　in　modern
European　belief。　　But　Lamarck；　the　elder　Darwin；　Monboddo；　and　others
had　submitted　hypotheses　of　evolution。　　Now　it　was　part　of　the
originality　of　Tennyson；　as　a　philosophic　poet；　that　he　had　brooded
from　boyhood　on　these　early　theories　of　evolution；　in　an　age　when
they　were　practically　unknown　to　the　literary；　and　were　not
patronised　by　the　scientific；　world。　　In　November　1844　he　wrote　to　Mr
Moxon；　〃I　want　you　to　get　me　a　book　which　I　see　advertised　in　the
Examiner：　　it　seems　to　contain　many　speculations　with　which　I　have
been　familiar　for　years；　and　on　which　I　have　written　more　than　one
poem。〃　　This　book　was　Vestiges　of　Creation。　　These　poems　are　the
stanzas　in　In　Memoriam　about　〃the　greater　ape；〃　and　about　Nature　as
careless　of　the　type：　　〃all　shall　go。〃　　The　poetic　and　philosophic
originality　of　Tennyson　thus　faced　the　popular　inferences　as　to　the
effect　of　the　doctrine　of　evolution　upon　religious　beliefs　long
before　the　world　was　moved　in　all　its　deeps　by　Darwin's　Origin　of
Species。　　Thus　the　geological　record　is　inconsistent；　we　learned；
with　the　record　of　the　first　chapters　of　Genesis。　　If　man　is　a
differentiated　monkey；　and　if　a　monkey　has　no　soul；　or　future　life
（which　is　taken　for　granted）；　where　are　man's　title…deeds　to　these
possessions？　　With　other　difficulties　of　an　obvious　kind；　these
presented　themselves　to　the　poet　with　renewed　force　when　his　only
chance　of　happiness　depended　on　being　able　to　believe　in　a　future
life；　and　reunion　with　the　beloved　dead。　　Unbelief　had　always
existed。　　We　hear　of　atheists　in　the　Rig　Veda。　　In　the　early
eighteenth　century；　in　the　age　of　Swift　…


〃Men　proved；　as　sure　as　God's　in　Gloucester；
That　Moses　was　a　great　impostor。〃


distrust　of　Moses　increased　with　the　increase　of　hypotheses　of
evolution。　　But　what　English　poet；　before　Tennyson；　ever　attempted
〃to　lay　the　spectres　of　the　mind〃；　ever　faced　world…old　problems　in
their　most　recent　aspects？　　I　am　not　acquainted　with　any　poet　who
attempted　this　task；　and；　whatever　we　may　think　of　Tennyson's
success；　I　do　not　see　how　we　can　deny　his　originality。

Mr　Frederic　Harrison；　however；　thinks　that　neither　〃the　theology　nor
the　philosophy　of　In　Memoriam　are　new；　original；　with　an　independent
force　and　depth　of　their　own。〃　　〃They　are　exquisitely　graceful　re…
statements　of　the　theology　of　the　Broad　Churchman　of　the　school　of　F。
D。　Maurice　and　Jowetta　combination　of　Maurice's　somewhat　illogical
piety　with　Jowett's　philosophy　of　mystification。〃　　The　piety　of
Maurice　may　be　as　illogical　as　that　of　Positivism　is　logical；　and　the
philosophy　of　the　Master　of　Balliol　may　be　whatever　Mr　Harrison
pleases　to　call　it。　　But　as　Jowett's　earliest　work　（except　an　essay
on　Etruscan　religion）　is　of　1855；　one　does　not　see　how　it　could
influence　Tennyson　before　1844。　　And　what　had　the　Duke　of　Argyll
written　on　these　themes　some　years　before　1844？　　The　late　Duke；　to
whom　Mr　Harrison　refers　in　this　connection；　was　born　in　1823。　　His
philosophic　ideas；　if　they　were　to　influence　Tennyson's　In　Memoriam；
must　have　been　set　forth　by　him　at　the　tender　age　of　seventeen；　or
thereabouts。　　Mr　Harrison's　sentence　is；　〃But　does　In　Memoriam　teach
anything；　or　transfigure　any　idea　which　was　not　about　that　time〃　（the
time　of　writing　was　mainly　1833…1840）　〃common　form　with　F。　D。
Maurice；　with　Jowett；　C。　Kingsley；　F。　Robertson；　Stopford　Brooke；　Mr
Ruskin；　and　the　Duke　of　Argyll；　Bishops　Westcott　and　Boyd　Carpenter？〃

The　dates　answer　Mr　Harrison。　　Jowett　did　not　publish　anything　till
at　least　fifteen　years　after　Tennyson　wrote　his　poems　on　evolution
and　belief。　　Dr　Boyd　Carpenter's　works　previous　to　1840　are　unknown
to　bibliography。　　F。　W。　Robertson　was　a　young　parson　at　Cheltenham。
Ruskin　had　not　published　the　first　volume　of　Modern　Painters。　　His
Oxford　prize　poem　is　of　1839。　　Mr　Stopford　Brooke　was　at　school。　　The
Duke　of　Argyll　was　being　privately　educated：　　and　so　with　the　rest；
except　the　contemporary　Maurice。　　How　can　Mr　Harrison　say　that；　in
the　time　of　In　Memoriam；　Tennyson　was　〃in　touch　with　the　ideas　of
Herschel；　Owen；　Huxley；　Darwin；　and　Tyndall〃？　｛8｝　　When　Tennyson
wrote　the　parts　of　In　Memoriam　which　deal　with　science；　nobody　beyond
their　families　and　friends　had　heard　of　Huxley；　Darwin；　and　Tyndall。
They　had　not　developed；　much　less　had　they　published；　their　〃general
ideas。〃　　Even　in　his　journal　of　the　Cruise　of　the　Beagle　Darwin's
ideas　were　religious；　and　he　naively　admired　the　works　of　God。　　It　is
strange　that　Mr　Harrison　has　based　his　criticism；　and　his　theory　of
Tennyson's　want　of　originality；　on　what　seems　to　be　a　historical
error。　　He　cites　parts　of　In　Memoriam；　and　remarks；　〃No　one　can　deny
that　all　this　is　exquisitely　beautiful；　that　these　eternal　problems
have　never　been　clad　in　such　inimitable　grace　。　。　。　But　the　train　of
thought　is　essentially　that　with　which　ordinary　English　readers　have
been　made　familiar　by　F。　D。　Maurice；　Professor　Jowett；　Ecce　Homo；
Hypatia；　and　now　by　Arthur　Balfour；　Mr　Drummond；　and　many　valiant
companies　of　Septem　＇why　Septem？＇　contra　Diabolum。〃　　One　must　keep
repeating　the　historical　verity　that　the　ideas　of　In　Memoriam　could
not　have　been　〃made　familiar　by〃　authors　who　had　not　yet　published
anything；　or　by　books　yet　undreamed　of　and　unborn；　such　as　Ecce　Homo
and　Jowett's　work　on　some　of　St　Paul's　Epistles。　　If　these　books
contain　the　ideas　of　In　Memoriam；　it　is　by　dint　of　repetition　and
borrowing　from　In