alfred tennyson-第12节

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walk　with　Great…heart　for　our　guide　through　the　valley　Perilous。

In　this　respect　In　Memoriam　is　unique；　for　neither　to　its　praise　nor
dispraise　is　it　to　be　compared　with　the　other　famous　elegies　of　the
world。　　These　are　brief　outbursts　of　griefreal；　as　in　the　hopeless
words　of　Catullus　over　his　brother's　tomb；　or　academic；　like　Milton's
Lycidas。　　We　are　not　to　suppose　that　Milton　was　heart…broken　by　the
death　of　young　Mr　King；　or　that　Shelley　was　greatly　desolated　by　the
death　of　Keats；　with　whom　his　personal　relations　had　been　slight；　and
of　whose　poetry　he　had　spoken　evil。　　He　was　nobly　stirred　as　a　poet
by　a　poet's　deathlike　Mr　Swinburne　by　the　death　of　Charles
Baudelaire；　but　neither　Shelley　nor　Mr　Swinburne　was　lamenting
dimidium　animae　suae；　or　mourning　for　a　friend


　　　　　　〃Dear　as　the　mother　to　the　son；
More　than　my　brothers　are　to　me。〃


The　passion　of　In　Memoriam　is　personal；　is　acute；　is　life…long；　and
thus　it　differs　from　the　other　elegies。　　Moreover；　it　celebrates　a
noble　object；　and　thus　is　unlike　the　ambiguous　affection；　real　or
dramatic；　which　informs　the　sonnets　of　Shakespeare。　　So　the　poem
stands　alone；　cloistered；　not　fiery　with　indignation；　not　breaking
into　actual　prophecy；　like　Shelley's　Adonais；　not　capable；　by　reason
even　of　its　meditative　metre；　of　the　organ　music　of　Lycidas。　　Yet　it
is　not　to　be　reckoned　inferior　to　these　because　its　aim　and　plan　are
other　than　theirs。

　It　is　far　from　my　purpose　to　〃class〃　Tennyson；　or　to　dispute　about
his　relative　greatness　when　compared　with　Wordsworth　or　Byron；
Coleridge；　Shelley；　or　Burns。　　He　rated　one　song　of　Lovelace　above
all　his　lyrics；　and；　in　fact；　could　no　more　have　written　the
Cavalier's　To　Althea　from　Prison　than　Lovelace　could　have　written　the
Morte　d'Arthur。　　〃It　is　not　reasonable；　it　is　not　fair；〃　says　Mr
Harrison；　after　comparing　In　Memoriam　with　Lycidas；　〃to　compare
Tennyson　with　Milton；〃　and　it　is　not　reasonable　to　compare　Tennyson
with　any　poet　whatever。　　Criticism　is　not　the　construction　of　a　class
list。　　But　we　may　reasonably　say　that　In　Memoriam　is　a　noble　poem；　an
original　poem；　a　poem　which　stands　alone　in　literature。　　The
wonderful　beauty；　ever　fresh；　howsoever　often　read；　of　many　stanzas；
is　not　denied　by　any　critic。　　The　marvel　is　that　the　same　serene
certainty　of　art　broods　over　even　the　stanzas　which　must　have　been
conceived　while　the　sorrow　was　fresh。　　The　second　piece；


〃Old　yew；　which　graspest　at　the　stones；〃


must　have　been　composed　soon　after　the　stroke　fell。　　Yet　it　is　as
perfect　as　the　proem　of　1849。　　As　a　rule；　the　poetical　expression　of
strong　emotion　appears　usually　to　clothe　the　memory　of　passion　when
it　has　been　softened　by　time。　　But　here　already　〃the　rhythm；
phrasing；　and　articulation　are　entirely　faultless；　exquisitely　clear；
melodious；　and　rare。〃　｛11｝　　It　were　superfluous　labour　to　point　at
special　beauties；　at　the　exquisite　rendering　of　nature；　and　copious
commentaries　exist　to　explain　the　course　of　the　argument；　if　a　series
of　moods　is　to　be　called　an　argument。　　One　may　note　such　a　point　as
that　（xiv。）　where　the　poet　says　that；　were　he　to　meet　his　friend　in
life；


〃I　should　not　feel　it　to　be　strange。〃


It　may　have　happened　to　many　to　mistake；　for　a　section　of　a　second；
the　face　of　a　stranger　for　the　face　seen　only　in　dreams；　and　to　find
that　the　recognition　brings　no　surprise。

Pieces　of　a　character　apart　from　the　rest；　and　placed　in　a　designed
sequence；　are　xcii。；　xciii。；　xcv。　　In　the　first　the　poet　says　…


〃If　any　vision　should　reveal
　　　Thy　likeness；　I　might　count　it　vain
　　　As　but　the　canker　of　the　brain；
Yea；　tho'　it　spake　and　made　appeal

To　chances　where　our　lots　were　cast
　　　Together　in　the　days　behind；
　　　I　might　but　say；　I　hear　a　wind
Of　memory　murmuring　the　past。

Yea；　tho'　it　spake　and　bared　to　view
　　　A　fact　within　the　coming　year；
　　　And　tho'　the　months；　revolving　near；
Should　prove　the　phantom…warning　true；

They　might　not　seem　thy　prophecies；
　　　But　spiritual　presentiments；
　　　And　such　refraction　of　events
As　often　rises　ere　they　rise。〃


The　author　thus　shows　himself　difficile　as　to　recognising　the
personal　identity　of　a　phantasm；　nor　is　it　easy　to　see　what　mode　of
proving　his　identity　would　be　left　to　a　spirit。　　The　poet；　therefore；
appeals　to　some　perhaps　less　satisfactory　experience：…


〃Descend；　and　touch；　and　enter；　hear
　　　The　wish　too　strong　for　words　to　name；
　　　That　in　this　blindness　of　the　frame
My　Ghost　may　feel　that　thine　is　near。〃


The　third　poem　is　the　crown　of　In　Memoriam；　expressing　almost　such
things　as　are　not　given　to　man　to　utter：…


　　　And　all　at　once　it　seem'd　at　last
The　living　soul　was　flash'd　on　mine；

And　mine　in　this　was　wound；　and　whirl'd
　　　About　empyreal　heights　of　thought；
　　　And　came　on　that　which　is；　and　caught
The　deep　pulsations　of　the　world；

AEonian　music　measuring　out
　　　The　steps　of　Timethe　shocks　of　Chance　…
　　　The　blows　of　Death。　　At　length　my　trance
Was　cancell'd；　stricken　thro'　with　doubt。

Vague　words！　but　ah；　how　hard　to　frame
　　　In　matter…moulded　forms　of　speech；
　　　Or　ev'n　for　intellect　to　reach
Thro'　memory　that　which　I　became。〃


Experiences　like　this；　subjective；　and　not　matter　for　argument；　were
familiar　to　Tennyson。　　Jowett　said；　〃He　was　one　of　those　who；　though
not　an　upholder　of　miracles；　thought　that　the　wonders　of　Heaven　and
Earth　were　never　far　absent　from　us。〃　　In　The　Mystic；　Tennyson；　when
almost　a　boy；　had　shown　familiarity　with　strange　psychological　and
psychical　conditions。　　Poems　of　much　later　life　also　deal　with　these；
and；　more　or　less　consciously；　his　philosophy　was　tinged；　and　his
confidence　that　we　are　more　than　〃cunning　casts　in　clay〃　was
increased；　by　phenomena　of　experience；　which　can　only　be　evidence　for
the　mystic　himself；　if　even　for　him。　　But　this　dim　aspect　of　his
philosophy；　of　course；　is　〃to　the　Greeks　foolishness。〃

His　was　a　philosophy　of　his　own；　not　a　philosophy　for　disciples；　and
〃those　that　eddy　round　and　round。〃　　It　was　the　sum　of　his　reflection
on　the　mass　of　his　impressions。　　I　have　shown；　by　the　aid　of　dates；
that　it　was　not　borrowed　from　Huxley；　Mr　Stopford　Brooke；　or　the　late
Duke　of　Argyll。　　But；　no　doubt；　many　of　the　ideas　were　〃in　the　air；〃
and　must　have　presented　themselves　to　minds　at　once　of　religious
tendency；　and　attracted　by　the　evolutionary　theories　which　had　always
existed　as　floating　speculations；　till　they　were　made　current　coin　by
the　genius　and　patient　study　of　Darwin。　　That　Tennyson's　opinions
between　1830　and　1840　were　influenced　by　those　of　F。　D。　Maurice　is
reckoned　probable　by　Canon　Ainger；　author　of　the　notice　of　the　poet
in　The　Dictionary　of　National　Biography。　　In　the　Life　of　Maurice；
Tennyson　does　not　appear　till　1850；　and　the　two　men　were　not　at
Cambridge　together。　　But　Maurice's　ideas；　as　they　then　existed；　may
have　reached　Tennyson　orally　through　Hallam　and　other　members　of　the
Trinity　set；　who　knew　personally　the　author　of　Letters　to　a　Quaker。
However；　this　is　no　question　of　scientific　priority：　　to　myself　it
seems　that　Tennyson　〃beat　his　music　out〃　for　himself；　as　perhaps　most
people　do。　　Like　his　own　Sir　Percivale；　〃I　know　not　all　he　meant。〃

Among　the　opinions　as　to　In　Memoriam　current　at　the　time　of　its
publication　Lord　Tennyson　notices　those　of　Maurice　and　Robertson。
They　〃thought　that　the　poet　had　made　a　definite　step　towards　the
unification　of　the　highest　religion　and　philosophy　with　the
progressive　science　of　the　day。〃　　Neither　science　nor　religion　stands
still；　neither　stands　now　where　it　then　did。　　Conceivably　they　are
travelling　on　paths　which　will　ultimately　coincide；　but　this　opinion；
of　course；　must　seem　foolishness　to　most　professors　of　science。
Bishop　Westcott　was　at　Cambridge　when　the　book　appeared：　　he　is　one
of　Mr　Harrison's　possible　sources　of　Tennyson's　ideas。　　He　recognised
the　poet's　〃splendid　faith　（in　the　face　of　every　difficulty）　in　the
growing　purpose　of　the　sum　of　life；　and　in　the　noble　destiny　of　the
individual　man。〃　　Ten　years　later　Professor　Henry　Sidgwick；　a　mind
sufficiently　sceptical；　found　in　some　lines　of　In　Memoriam　〃the
indestructible　and　inalienable　minimum　of　faith　which　humanity　cannot
give　up　because　it　is　necessary　for　life；　and　which　I　know　that　I；　at
least　so　far　as　the　man　in　me　is　deeper　than　the　methodical　thinker；
cannot　give　up。〃　　But　we　know　that　many　persons　not　only　do　not　find
an　irreducible　minimum　of　faith　〃necessary　for　life；〃　but　are　highly
indignant　and　contemptuous　if　any　one　else　ventures　to　suggest　the
logical　possibility　of　any　faith　at　all。

The　mass　of　mankind　will　probably　never　be　convinced　unbelievers
nay；　probably　the　backward　or　forward　swing　of　the　pendulum　will
touch　more　convinced　belief。　　But　there　always　have　been；　since　the
Rishis　of　India　sang；　superior　persons　who　believe　in　nothing　not
materialwhatever　the　material　may　be。　　Tennyson　was；　it　is　said；
〃impatient〃　of　these　esprits　forts；　and　they　are　impatient　of　him。
It　is　an　error　to　be　impatient：　　we　know　not　whither　the　logos　may
lead　us；　or　later　generations；　and　we　ought　not　to　be　irritated　with
others　because　it　leads　them　into　what　we　think　the　wrong　path。　　It
is　unfortun