alfred tennyson-第4节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


of　God　and　of　the　soul。　　We　shall　later　have　to　discuss　the　opinion
of　an　eminent　critic；　Mr　Frederic　Harrison；　that　Tennyson's　ideas；
theological；　evolutionary；　and　generally　speculative；　〃followed；
rather　than　created；　the　current　ideas　of　his　time。〃　　〃The　train　of
thought〃　（in　In　Memoriam）；　writes　Mr　Harrison；　〃is　essentially　that
with　which　ordinary　English　readers　had　been　made　familiar　by　F。　D。
Maurice；　Professor　Jowett；　Dr　Martineau；　Ecce　Homo；　Hypatia。〃　　Of
these　influences　only　Maurice；　and　Maurice　only　orally；　could　have
reached　the　author　of　The　Mystic　and　the　Supposed　Confessions。　　Ecce
Homo；　Hypatia；　Mr　Jowett；　were　all　in　the　bosom　of　the　future　when　In
Memoriam　was　written。　　Now；　The　Mystic　and　the　Supposed　Confessions
are　prior　to　In　Memoriam；　earlier　than　1830。　　Yet　they　already
contain　the　chief　speculative　tendencies　of　In　Memoriam；　the　growing
doubts　caused　by　evolutionary　ideas　（then　familiar　to　Tennyson；
though　not　to　〃ordinary　English　readers〃）；　the　longing　for　a　return
to　childlike　faith；　and　the　mystical　experiences　which　helped
Tennyson　to　recover　a　faith　that　abode　with　him。　　In　these　things　he
was　original。　　Even　as　an　undergraduate　he　was　not　following　〃a　train
of　thought　made　familiar〃　by　authors　who　had　not　yet　written　a　line；
and　by　books　which　had　not　yet　been　published。

So　much；　then；　of　the　poet　that　was　to　be　and　of　the　philosopher
existed　in　the　little　volume　of　the　undergraduate。　　In　The　Mystic　we
notice　a　phrase；　two　words　long；　which　was　later　to　be　made　familiar；
〃Daughters　of　time；　divinely　tall；〃　reproduced　in　the　picture　of
Helen：…


〃A　daughter　of　the　Gods；　divinely　tall；
　　　And　most　divinely　fair。〃


The　reflective　pieces　are　certainly　of　more　interest　now　（though　they
seem　to　have　satisfied　the　poet　less）　than　the　gallery　of　airy　fairy
Lilians；　Adelines；　Rosalinds；　and　Eleanores：…


〃Daughters　of　dreams　and　of　stories；〃


like


〃Faustine；　Fragoletta；　Dolores；
Felise；　and　Yolande；　and　Juliette。〃


Cambridge；　which　he　was　soon　to　leave；　did　not　satisfy　the　poet。
Oxford　did　not　satisfy　Gibbon；　or　later；　Shelley；　and　young　men　of
genius　are　not；　in　fact；　usually　content　with　universities　which；
perhaps；　are　doing　their　best；　but　are　neither　governed　nor　populated
by　minds　of　the　highest　and　most　original　class。


　　　〃You　that　do　profess　to　teach
And　teach　us　nothing；　feeding　not　the　heart。〃


The　universities；　in　fact；　teach　a　good　deal　of　that　which　can　be
learned；　but　the　best　things　cannot　be　taught。　　The　universities　give
men　leisure；　books；　and　companionship；　to　learn　for　themselves。　　All
tutors　cannot　be；　and　at　that　time　few　dreamed　of　being；　men　like
Jowett　and　T。　H。　Green；　Gamaliels　at　whose　feet　undergraduates　sat
with　enthusiasm；　〃did　EAGERLY　frequent；〃　like　Omar　Khayyam。　　In　later
years　Tennyson　found　closer　relations　between　dons　and
undergraduates；　and　recorded　his　affection　for　his　university。　　She
had　supplied　him　with　such　companionship　as　is　rare；　and　permitted
him　to　〃catch　the　blossom　of　the　flying　terms；〃　even　if　tutors　and
lecturers　were　creatures　of　routine；　terriblement　enfonces　dans　la
matiere；　like　the　sire　of　Madelon　and　Cathos；　that　honourable
citizen。

Tennyson　just　missed；　by　going　down；　a　visit　of　Wordsworth　to
Cambridge。　　The　old　enthusiast　of　revolution　was　justifying　passive
obedience：　　thirty　years　had　turned　the　almost　Jacobin　into　an　almost
Jacobite。　　Such　is　the　triumph　of　time。　　In　the　summer　of　1830
Tennyson；　with　Hallam；　visited　the　Pyrenees。　　The　purpose　was
politicalto　aid　some　Spanish　rebels。　　The　fruit　is　seen　in　OEnone
and　Mariana　in　the　South。

In　March　1831　Tennyson　lost　his　father。　　〃He　slept　in　the　dead　man's
bed；　earnestly　desiring　to　see　his　ghost；　but　no　ghost　came。〃　　〃You
see；〃　he　said；　〃ghosts　do　not　generally　come　to　imaginative　people；〃
a　remark　very　true；　though　ghosts　are　attributed　to　〃imagination。〃
Whatever　causes　these　phantasms；　it　is　not　the　kind　of　phantasia
which　is　consciously　exercised　by　the　poet。　　Coleridge　had　seen　far
too　many　ghosts　to　believe　in　them；　and　Coleridge　and　Donne　apart；
with　the　hallucinations　of　Goethe　and　Shelley；　who　met　themselves；
what　poet　ever　did　〃see　a　ghost〃？　　One　who　saw　Tennyson　as　he
wandered　alone　at　this　period　called　him　〃a　mysterious　being；
seemingly　lifted　high　above　other　mortals；　and　having　a　power　of
intercourse　with　the　spirit　world　not　granted　to　others。〃　　But　it　was
the　world　of　the　poet；　not　of　the　〃medium。〃

The　Tennysons　stayed　on　at　the　parsonage　for　six　years。　　But；
anticipating　their　removal；　Arthur　Hallam　in　1831　dealt　in　prophecy
about　the　identification　in　the　district　of　places　in　his　friend's
poems〃critic　after　critic　will　trace　the　wanderings　of　the　brook；〃
as；in　fact；　critic　after　critic　has　done。　　Tennyson　dislikedthese
〃localisers。〃　　The　poet's　walks　were　shared　by　Arthur　Hallam；　then
affianced　to　his　sister　Emily。



CHAPTER　II。POEMS　OF　1831…1833。



By　1832　most　of　the　poems　of　Tennyson's　second　volume　were
circulating　in　MS。　among　his　friends；　and　no　poet　ever　had　friends
more　encouraging。　　Perhaps　bards　of　to…day　do　not　find　an　eagerness
among　their　acquaintance　for　effusions　in　manuscript；　or　in　proof…
sheets。　　The　charmed　volume　appeared　at　the　end　of　the　year　（dated
1833）；　and　Hallam　denounced　as　〃infamous〃　Lockhart's　review　in　the
Quarterly。　　Infamous　or　not；　it　is　extremely　diverting。　　How　Lockhart
could　miss　the　great　and　abundant　poetry　remains　a　marvel。　　Ten　years
later　the　Scorpion　repented；　and　invited　Sterling　to　review　any　book
he　pleased；　for　the　purpose　of　enabling　him　to　praise　the　two　volumes
of　1842；　which　he　did　gladly。　　Lockhart　hated　all　affectation　and
〃preciosity；〃　of　which　the　new　book　was　not　destitute。　　He　had　been
among　Wordsworth's　most　ardent　admirers　when　Wordsworth　had　few；　but
the　memories　of　the　war　with　the　〃Cockney　School〃　clung　to　him；　the
war　with　Leigh　Hunt；　and　now　he　gave　himself　up　to　satire。　　Probably
he　thought　that　the　poet　was　a　member　of　a　London　clique。　　There　is
really　no　excuse　for　Lockhart；　except　that　he　DID　repent；　that　much
of　his　banter　was　amusing；　and　that；　above　all；　his　censures　were
accepted　by　the　poet；　who　altered；　later；　many　passages　of　a　fine
absurdity　criticised　by　the　infamous　reviewer。　　One　could　name　great
prose…writers；　historians；　who　never　altered　the　wondrous　errors　to
which　their　attention　was　called　by　critics。　　Prose…writers　have　been
more　sensitively　attached　to　their　glaring　blunders　in　verifiable
facts　than　was　this　very　sensitive　poet　to　his　occasional　lapses　in
taste。

The　Lady　of　Shalott；　even　in　its　early　form；　was　more　than　enough　to
give　assurance　of　a　poet。　　In　effect　it　is　even　more　poetical；　in　a
mysterious　way；　if　infinitely　less　human；　than　the　later　treatment　of
the　same　or　a　similar　legend　in　Elaine。　　It　has　the　charm　of
Coleridge；　and　an　allegory　of　the　fatal　escape　from　the　world　of
dreams　and　shadows　into　that　of　realities　may　have　been　really
present　to　the　mind　of　the　young　poet；　aware　that　he　was　〃living　in
phantasy。〃　　The　alterations　are　usually　for　the　better。　　The　daffodil
is　not　an　aquatic　plant；　as　the　poet　seems　to　assert　in　the　first
form　…


〃The　yellow…leaved　water…lily；
The　green　sheathed　daffodilly；
Tremble　in　the　water　chilly；
　　　Round　about　Shalott。〃


Nobody　can　prefer　to　keep


〃Though　the　squally　east　wind　keenly
Blew；　with　folded　arms　serenely
By　the　water　stood　the　queenly
　　　Lady　of　Shalott。〃


However　stoical　the　Lady　may　have　been；　the　reader　is　too　seriously
sympathetic　with　her　inevitable　discomfort　…


〃All　raimented　in　snowy　white
That　loosely　flew；〃


as　she　was。　　The　original　conclusion　was　distressing；　we　were　dropped
from　the　airs　of　mysterious　romance：…


〃They　crossed　themselves；　their　stars　they　blest；
Knight；　minstrel；　abbot；　squire；　and　guest；
There　lay　a　parchment　on　her　breast；
That　puzzled　more　than　all　the　rest
　　　The　well…fed　wits　at　Camelot。〃


Hitherto　we　have　been　〃puzzled；〃　but　as　with　the　sublime　incoherences
of　a　dream。　　Now　we　meet　well…fed　wits；　who　say；　〃Bless　my　stars！〃　as
perhaps　we　should　also　have　done　in　the　circumstancesa　dead　lady
arriving；　in　a　very　cold　east　wind；　alone　in　a　boat；　for　〃her　blood
was　frozen　slowly；〃　as　was　natural；　granting　the　weather　and　the
lady's　airy　costume。　　It　is　certainly　matter　of　surprise　that　the
young　poet's　vision　broke　up　in　this　humorous　manner。　　And；　after
all；　it　is　less　surprising　that　the　Scorpion；　finding　such　matter　in
a　new　little　book　by　a　new　young　man；　was　more　sensitive　to　the
absurdity　than　to　the　romance。　　But　no　lover　of　poetry　should　have
been　blind　to　the　almost　flawless　excellence　of　Mariana　in　the　South；
inspired　by　the　landscape　of　the　Provencal　tour　with　Arthur　Hallam。
In　consequence　of　Lockhart's　censures；　or　in　deference　to　the　maturer
taste　of　the　poet；　The　Miller's　Daughter　was　greatly　altered　before
1842。　　It　is　one　of　the　earliest；　if　not　the　very　earliest；　of
Tennyson's　domestic　English　idylls；　poems　with　conspicuous　beauties；
but　not　without　sacrifices　to　that　Muse　of　the　home　affections　on
whom　Sir　Barnes　Newcome　delivered　his　famous　lecture。　　The　seventh
stanza　p