alfred tennyson-第31节

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himself。　　The　opportunities　for　scenic　effects　are　magnificent
throughout；　and　must　have　contributed　greatly　to　the　success　on　the
stage。　　Still　one　cannot　but　regard　the　published　Becket　as　rather
the　marble　from　which　the　statue　may　be　hewn　than　as　the　statue
itself。　　There　are　fine　scenes；　powerful　and　masterly　drawing　of
character　in　Henry；　Eleanor；　and　Becket；　but　there　is　a　want　of
concentration；　due；　perhaps；　to　the　long　period　of　time　covered　by
the　action。　　So；　at　least；　it　seems　to　a　reader　who　has　admitted　his
sense　of　incompetency　in　the　dramatic　region。　　The　acuteness　of　the
poet's　power　of　historical　intuition　was　attested　by　Mr　J。　R。　Green
and　Mr　Bryce。　　〃One　cannot　imagine；〃　said　Mr　Bryce；　〃a　more　vivid；　a
more　perfectly　faithful　picture　than　it　gives　both　of　Henry　and
Thomas。〃　　Tennyson's　portraits　of　these　two　〃go　beyond　and　perfect
history。〃　　The　poet's　sympathy　ought；　perhaps；　to　have　been；　if　not
with　the　false　and　ruffianly　Henry；　at　least　with　Henry's　side　of　the
question。　　For　Tennyson　had　made　Harold　leave


　　　〃To　England
My　legacy　of　war　against　the　Pope
From　child　to　child；　from　Pope　to　Pope；　from　age　to　age；
Till　the　sea　wash　her　level　with　her　shores；
Or　till　the　Pope　be　Christ's。〃



CHAPTER　IX。LAST　YEARS。



The　end　of　1884　saw　the　publication　of　Tiresias　and　other　Poems；
dedicated　to　〃My　good　friend；　Robert　Browning；〃　and　opening　with　the
beautiful　verses　to　one　who　never　was　Mr　Browning's　friend；　Edward
FitzGerald。　　The　volume　is　rich　in　the　best　examples　of　Tennyson's
later　work。　　Tiresias；　the　monologue　of　the　aged　seer；　blinded　by
excess　of　light　when　he　beheld　Athene　unveiled；　and　under　the　curse
of　Cassandra；　is　worthy　of　the　author　who；　in　youth；　wrote　OEnone　and
Ulysses。　　Possibly　the　verses　reflect　Tennyson's　own　sense　of　public
indifference　to　the　voice　of　the　poet　and　the　seer。　　But　they　are　of
much　earlier　date　than　the　year　of　publication：…


　　　〃For　when　the　crowd　would　roar
For　blood；　for　war；　whose　issue　was　their　doom；
To　cast　wise　words　among　the　multitude
Was　flinging　fruit　to　lions；　nor；　in　hours
Of　civil　outbreak；　when　I　knew　the　twain
Would　each　waste　each；　and　bring　on　both　the　yoke
Of　stronger　states；　was　mine　the　voice　to　curb
The　madness　of　our　cities　and　their　kings。
　　　Who　ever　turn'd　upon　his　heel　to　hear
My　warning　that　the　tyranny　of　one
Was　prelude　to　the　tyranny　of　all？
My　counsel　that　the　tyranny　of　all
Led　backward　to　the　tyranny　of　one？
　　　This　power　hath　work'd　no　good　to　aught　that　lives。〃


The　conclusion　was　a　favourite　with　the　author；　and　his　blank　verse
never　reached　a　higher　strain：…


　　　　　　〃But　for　me；
I　would　that　I　were　gather'd　to　my　rest；
And　mingled　with　the　famous　kings　of　old；
On　whom　about　their　ocean…islets　flash
The　faces　of　the　Godsthe　wise　man's　word；
Here　trampled　by　the　populace　underfoot；
There　crown'd　with　worshipand　these　eyes　will　find
The　men　I　knew；　and　watch　the　chariot　whirl
About　the　goal　again；　and　hunters　race
The　shadowy　lion；　and　the　warrior…kings；
In　height　and　prowess　more　than　human；　strive
Again　for　glory；　while　the　golden　lyre
Is　ever　sounding　in　heroic　ears
Heroic　hymns；　and　every　way　the　vales
Wind；　clouded　with　the　grateful　incense…fume
Of　those　who　mix　all　odour　to　the　Gods
On　one　far　height　in　one　far…shining　fire。〃


Then　follows　the　pathetic　piece　on　FitzGerald's　death；　and　the
prayer；　not　unfulfilled　…


　　　　　　　　　〃That；　when　I　from　hence
　　　Shall　fade　with　him　into　the　unknown；
My　close　of　earth's　experience
　　　May　prove　as　peaceful　as　his　own。〃


The　Ancient　Sage；　with　its　lyric　interludes；　is　one　of　Tennyson's
meditations　on　the　mystery　of　the　world　and　of　existence。　　Like　the
poet　himself；　the　Sage　finds　a　gleam　of　light　and　hope　in　his　own
subjective　experiences　of　some　unspeakable　condition；　already
recorded　in　In　Memoriam。　　The　topic　was　one　on　which　he　seems　to　have
spoken　to　his　friends　with　freedom：…


〃And　more；　my　son！　for　more　than　once　when　I
Sat　all　alone；　revolving　in　myself
The　word　that　is　the　symbol　of　myself；
The　mortal　limit　of　the　Self　was　loosed；
And　past　into　the　Nameless；　as　a　cloud
Melts　into　Heaven。　　I　touch'd　my　limbs；　the　limbs
Were　strange　not　mineand　yet　no　shade　of　doubt；
But　utter　clearness；　and　thro'　loss　of　Self
The　gain　of　such　large　life　as　match'd　with　ours
Were　Sun　to　sparkunshadowable　in　words；
Themselves　but　shadows　of　a　shadow…world。〃


The　poet's　habit　of


　　　　　　〃Revolving　in　myself
The　word　that　is　the　symbol　of　myself〃　…


that　is；　of　dwelling　on　the　sound　of　his　own　name；　was　familiar　to
the　Arabs。　　M。　Lefebure　has　drawn　my　attention　to　a　passage　in　the
works　of　a　mediaeval　Arab　philosopher；　Ibn　Khaldoun：　　｛17｝　〃To　arrive
at　the　highest　degree　of　inspiration　of　which　he　is　capable；　the
diviner　should　have　recourse　to　the　use　of　certain　phrases　marked　by
a　peculiar　cadence　and　parallelism。　　Thus　he　emancipates　his　mind
from　the　influence　of　the　senses；　and　is　enabled　to　attain　an
imperfect　contact　with　the　spiritual　world。〃　　Ibn　Khaldoun　regards
the　〃contact〃　as　extremely　〃imperfect。〃　　He　describes　similar　efforts
made　by　concentrating　the　gaze　on　a　mirror；　a　bowl　of　water；　or　the
like。　　Tennyson　was　doubtless　unaware　that　he　had　stumbled
accidentally　on　a　method　of　〃ancient　sages。〃　　Psychologists　will
explain　his　experience　by　the　word　〃dissociation。〃　　It　is　not
everybody；　however；　who　can　thus　dissociate　himself。　　The　temperament
of　genius　has　often　been　subject　to　such　influence；　as　M。　Lefebure
has　shown　in　the　modern　instances　of　George　Sand　and　Alfred　de
Musset：　　we　might　add　Shelley；　Goethe；　and　even　Scott。

The　poet's　versatility　was　displayed　in　the　appearance　with　these
records　of　〃weird　seizures〃；　of　the　Irish　dialect　piece　To…morrow；
the　popular　Spinster's　Sweet…Arts；　and　the　Locksley　Hall　Sixty　Years
After。　　The　old　fire　of　the　versification　is　unabated；　but　the　hero
has　relapsed　on　the　gloom　of　the　hero　of　Maud。　　He　represents
himself；　of　course；　not　Tennyson；　or　only　one　of　the　moods　of
Tennyson；　which　were　sometimes　black　enough。　　A　very　different　mood
chants　the　Charge　of　the　Heavy　Brigade；　and　speaks　of


〃Green　Sussex　fading　into　blue
　　　With　one　gray　glimpse　of　sea。〃


The　lines　To　Virgil　were　written　at　the　request　of　the　Mantuans；　by
the　most　Virgilian　of　all　the　successors　of　the


〃Wielder　of　the　stateliest　measure
　　　ever　moulded　by　the　lips　of　man。〃


Never　was　Tennyson　more　Virgilian　than　in　this　unmatched　panegyric；
the　sum　and　flower　of　criticism　of　that


〃Golden　branch　amid　the　shadows；
　　　kings　and　realms　that　pass　to　rise　no　more。〃


Hardly　less　admirable　is　the　tribute　to　Catullus；　and　the　old　poet　is
young　again　in　the　bird…song　of　Early　Spring。　　The　lines　on　Poets　and
their　Bibliographies；　with　The　Dead　Prophet；　express　Tennyson's
lifelong　abhorrence　of　the　critics　and　biographers；　whose　joy　is　in
the　futile　and　the　unimportant；　in　personal　gossip　and　the　sweepings
of　the　studio；　the　salvage　of　the　wastepaper　basket。　　The　Prefatory
Poem　to　my　Brother's　Sonnets　is　not　only　touching　in　itself；　but
proves　that　the　poet　can　〃turn　to　favour　and　to　prettiness〃　such　an
affliction　as　the　ruinous　summer　of　1879。

The　year　1880　brought　deeper　distress　in　the　death　of　the　poet's　son
Lionel；　whose　illness；　begun　in　India；　ended　fatally　in　the　Red　Sea。
The　interest　of　the　following　years　was　mainly　domestic。　　The　poet's
health；　hitherto　robust；　was　somewhat　impaired　in　1888；　but　his　vivid
interest　in　affairs　and　in　letters　was　unabated。　　He　consoled　himself
with　Virgil；　Keats；　Wordsworth；　Gibbon；　Euripides；　and　Mr　Leaf's
speculations　on　the　composite　nature　of　the　Iliad；　in　which
Coleridge；　perhaps　alone　among　poets；　believed。　　〃You　know；〃　said
Tennyson　to　Mr　Leaf；　〃I　never　liked　that　theory　of　yours　about　the
many　poets。〃　　It　would　be　at　least　as　easy　to　prove　that　there　were
many　authors　of　Ivanhoe；　or　perhaps　it　would　be　a　good　deal　more
easy。　　However；　he　admitted　that　three　lines　which　occur　both　in　the
Eighth　and　the　Sixteenth　Books　of　the　Iliad　are　more　appropriate　in
the　later　book。　　Similar　examples　might　be　found　in　his　own　poems。
He　still　wrote；　in　the　intervals　of　a　malady　which　brought　him　〃as
near　death　as　a　man　could　be　without　dying。〃　　He　was　an　example　of
the　great　physical　strength　which；　on　the　whole；　seems　usually　to
accompany　great　mental　power。　　The　strength　may　be　dissipated　by
passion；　or　by　undue　labour；　as　in　cases　easily　recalled　to　memory；
but　neither　cause　had　impaired　the　vigour　of　Tennyson。　　Like　Goethe；
he　lived　out　all　his　life；　and　his　eightieth　birthday　was　cheered
both　by　public　and　private　expressions　of　reverence　and　affection。

Of　Tennyson's　last　three　years　on　earth　we　may　think；　in　his　own
words；　that　his


　　　〃Life's　latest　eve　endured
Nor　settled　into　hueless　grey。〃


Nature　was　as　dear　to　him　and　as　inspiring　as　of　old；　men　and　affairs
and　letters　were　not　slurred　by　his　intact　and　energetic　mind。　　His
Demeter　and　other　Poems；　with　the　dedication　to　Lord　Dufferin；
appeared　in　the　December　of　the　year。　　The　dedication　was　the　lament
for　the　dead　son　and　the　salutation　to　the　Viceroy　of　India；　a　piece
of　r