alfred tennyson-第6节

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concerning　the　ultimate　renewal　of　what　was　more　than　half　his　life
his　friendship。


〃That　faith　I　fain　would　keep；
　　　That　hope　I'll　not　forego：
Eternal　be　the　sleep　…
　　　Unless　to　waken　so；〃


wrote　Lockhart；　and　the　verses　echoed　ceaselessly　in　the　widowed
heart　of　Carlyle。　　These　men；　it　is　part　of　the　duty　of　critics　later
born　to　remember；　were　not　children　or　cowards；　though　they　dreamed；
and　hoped；　and　feared。　　We　ought　to　make　allowance　for　failings
incident　to　an　age　not　yet　fully　enlightened　by　popular　science；　and
still　undivorced　from　spiritual　ideas　that　are　as　old　as　the　human
race；　and　perhaps　not　likely　to　perish　while　that　race　exists。　　Now
and　then　even　scientific　men　have　been　mistaken；　especially　when　they
have　declined　to　examine　evidence；　as　in　this　problem　of　the
transcendental　nature　of　the　human　spirit　they　usually　do。　　At　all
events　Tennyson　was　unconvinced　that　death　is　the　end；　and　shortly
after　the　fatal　tidings　arrived　from　Vienna　he　began　to　write
fragments　in　verse　preluding　to　the　poem　of　In　Memoriam。　　He　also
began；　in　a　mood　of　great　misery；　The　Two　Voices；　or；　Thoughts　of　a
Suicide。　　The　poem　seems　to　have　been　partly　done　by　September　1834；
when　Spedding　commented　on　it；　and　on　the　beautiful　Sir　Galahad；
〃intended　for　something　of　a　male　counterpart　to　St　Agnes。〃　　The
Morte　d'Arthur　Tennyson　then　thought　〃the　best　thing　I　have　managed
lately。〃　　Very　early　in　1835　many　stanzas　of　In　Memoriam　had　taken
form。　　〃I　do　not　wish　to　be　dragged　forward　in　any　shape　before　the
reading　public　at　present；〃　wrote　the　poet；　when　he　heard　that　Mill
desired　to　write　on　him。　　His　OEnone　he　had　brought　to　its　new
perfection；　and　did　not　desire　comments　on　work　now　several　years
old。　　He　also　wrote　his　Ulysses　and　his　Tithonus。

If　ever　the　term　〃morbid〃　could　have　been　applied　to　Tennyson；　it
would　have　been　in　the　years　immediately　following　the　death　of
Arthur　Hallam。　　But　the　application　would　have　been　unjust。　　True；
the　poet　was　living　out　of　the　world；　he　was　unhappy；　and　he　was；　as
people　say；　〃doing　nothing。〃　　He　was　so　poor　that　he　sold　his
Chancellor's　prize　gold　medal；　and　he　did　not


　　　〃Scan　his　whole　horizon
In　quest　of　what　he　could　clap　eyes　on；〃


in　the　way　of　money…making；　which　another　poet　describes　as　the
normal　attitude　of　all　men　as　well　as　of　pirates。　　A　careless
observer　would　have　thought　that　the　poet　was　dawdling。　　But　he　dwelt
in　no　Castle　of　Indolence；　he　studied；　he　composed；　he　corrected　his
verses：　　like　Sir　Walter　in　Liddesdale；　〃he　was　making　himsel'　a'　the
time。〃　　He　did　not　neglect　the　movements　of　the　great　world　in　that
dawn　of　discontent　with　the　philosophy　of　commercialism。　　But　it　was
not　his　vocation　to　plunge　into　the　fray；　and　on　to　platforms。

It　is　a　very　rare　thing　anywhere；　especially　in　England；　for　a　man
deliberately　to　choose　poetry　as　the　duty　of　his　life；　and　to　remain
loyal；　as　a　consequence；　to　the　bride　of　St　FrancisPoverty。　　This
loyalty　Tennyson　maintained；　even　under　the　temptation　to　make　money
in　recognised　ways　presented　by　his　new…born　love　for　his　future
wife；　Miss　Emily　Sellwood。　　They　had　first　met　in　1830；　when　she；　a
girl　of　seventeen；　seemed　to　him　like　〃a　Dryad　or　an　Oread　wandering
here。〃　　But　admiration　became　the　affection　of　a　lifetime　when
Tennyson　met　Miss　Sellwood　as　bridesmaid　to　her　sister；　the　bride　of
his　brother　Charles；　in　1836。　　The　poet　could　not　afford　to　marry；
and；　like　the　hero　of　Locksley　Hall；　he　may　have　asked　himself；　〃What
is　that　which　I　should　do？〃　　By　1840　he　had　done　nothing　tangible　and
lucrative；　and　correspondence　between　the　lovers　was　forbidden。　　That
neither　dreamed　of　Tennyson's　deserting　poetry　for　a　more　normal
profession　proved　of　great　benefit　to　the　world。　　The　course　is　one
which　could　only　be　justified　by　the　absolute　certainty　of　possessing
genius。



CHAPTER　III。1837…1842。



In　1837　the　Tennysons　left　the　old　rectory；　till　1840　they　lived　at
High　Beech　in　Epping　Forest；　and　after　a　brief　stay　at　Tunbridge
Wells　went　to　Boxley；　near　Maidstone。

It　appears　that　at　last　the　poet　had　〃beat　his　music　out；〃　though　his
friends　〃still　tried　to　cheer　him。〃　　But　the　man　who　wrote　Ulysses
when　his　grief　was　fresh　could　not　be　suspected　of　declining　into　a
hypochondriac。　　〃If　I　mean　to　make　my　mark　at　all；　it　must　be　by
shortness；〃　he　said　at　this　time；　〃for　the　men　before　me　had　been　so
diffuse；　and　most　of　the　big　things；　except　King　Arthur；　had　been
done。〃　　The　age　had　not　la　tete　epique：　　Poe　had　announced　the
paradox　that　there　is　no　such　thing　as　a　long　poem；　and　even　in
dealing　with　Arthur；　Tennyson　followed　the　example　of　Theocritus　in
writing；　not　an　epic；　but　epic　idylls。　　Long　poems　suit　an　age　of
listeners；　for　which　they　were　originally　composed；　or　of　leisure　and
few　books。　　At　present　epics　are　read　for　duty's　sake；　not　for　the
only　valid　reason；　〃for　human　pleasure；〃　in　FitzGerald's　phrase。

Between　1838　and　1840　Tennyson　made　some　brief　tours　in　England　with
FitzGerald；　and；　coming　from　Coventry；　wrote　Godiva。　　His　engagement
with　Miss　Sellwood　seemed　to　be　adjourned　sine　die；　as　they　were
forbidden　to　correspond。

By　1841　Tennyson　was　living　at　Mablethorpe　on　the　Lincolnshire　coast；
working　at　his　volumes　of　1842；　much　urged　by　FitzGerald　and　American
admirers；　who　had　heard　of　the　poet　through　Emerson。　　Moxon　was　to　be
the　publisher；　himself　something　of　a　poet；　but　early　in　1842　he　had
not　yet　received　the　MS。　　Perhaps　Emerson　heard　of　Tennyson　through
Carlyle；　who；　says　Sterling；　〃said　more　in　your　praise　than　in　any
one's　except　Cromwell；　and　an　American　backwoodsman　who　has　killed
thirty　or　forty　people　with　a　bowie…knife。〃　　Carlyle　at　this　time　was
much　attached　to　Lockhart；　editor　of　the　Quarterly　Review；　and　it　may
have　been　Carlyle　who　converted　Lockhart　to　admiration　of　his　old
victim。　　Carlyle　had　very　little　more　appreciation　of　Keats　than　had
Byron；　or　（in　early　days）　Lockhart；　and　it　was　probably　as　much　the
man　of　heroic　physical　mould；　〃a　life…guardsman　spoilt　by　making
poetry；〃　and　the　unaffected　companion　over　a　pipe；　as　the　poet；　that
attracted　him　in　Tennyson。　　As　we　saw；　when　the　two　triumphant
volumes　of　1842　did　appear；　Lockhart　asked　Sterling　to　review
whatever　book　he　pleased　（meaning　the　Poems）　in　the　Quarterly。　　The
praise　of　Sterling　may　seem　lukewarm　to　us；　especially　when　compared
with　that　of　Spedding　in　the　Edinburgh。　　But　Sterling；　and　Lockhart
too；　were　obliged　to　〃gang　warily。〃　　Lockhart　had；　to　his　constant
annoyance；　〃a　partner；　Mr　Croker；〃　and　I　have　heard　from　the　late
Dean　Boyle　that　Mr　Croker　was　much　annoyed　by　even　the　mild　applause
yielded　in　the　Quarterly　to　the　author　of　the　Morte　d'Arthur。

While　preparing　the　volumes　of　1842　at　Boxley；　Tennyson's　life　was
divided　between　London　and　the　society　of　his　brother…in…law；　Mr
Edmund　Lushington；　the　great　Greek　scholar　and　Professor　of　Greek　at
Glasgow　University。　　There　was　in　Mr　Lushington's　personal　aspect；
and　noble　simplicity　of　manner　and　character；　something　that　strongly
resembled　Tennyson　himself。　　Among　their　common　friends　were　Lord
Houghton　（Monckton　Milnes）；　Mr　Lear　of　the　Book　of　Nonsense　（〃with
such　a　pencil；　such　a　pen〃）；　Mr　Venables　（who　at　school　modified　the
profile　of　Thackeray）；　and　Lord　Kelvin。　　In　town　Tennyson　met　his
friends　at　The　Cock；　which　he　rendered　classic；　among　them　were
Thackeray；　Forster；　Maclise；　and　Dickens。　　The　times　were　stirring：
social　agitation；　and　〃Carol　philosophy〃　in　Dickens；　with　growls　from
Carlyle；　marked　the　period。　　There　was　also　a　kind　of　optimism　in　the
air；　a　prophetic　optimism；　not　yet　fulfilled。


〃Fly；　happy　happy　sails；　and　bear　the　Press！〃


That　mission　no　longer　strikes　us　as　exquisitely　felicitous。　　〃The
mission　of　the　Cross；〃　and　of　the　missionaries；　means　international
complications；　and　〃the　markets　of　the　Golden　Year〃　are　precisely　the
most　fruitful　causes　of　wars　and　rumours　of　wars：…


　　　〃Sea　and　air　are　dark
With　great　contrivances　of　Power。〃


Tennyson's　was　not　an　unmitigated　optimism；　and　had　no　special
confidence　in


〃The　herd；　wild　hearts　and　feeble　wings
　　　That　every　sophister　can　lime。〃


His　political　poetry；　in　fact；　was　very　unlike　the　socialist　chants
of　Mr　William　Morris；　or　Songs　before　Sunrise。　　He　had　nothing　to　say
about


〃The　blood　on　the　hands　of　the　King；
　　　And　the　lie　on　the　lips　of　the　Priest。〃


The　hands　of　Presidents　have　not　always　been　unstained；　nor　are
statements　of　a　mythical　nature　confined　to　the　lips　of　the　clergy。
The　poet　was　anxious　that　freedom　should　〃broaden　down；〃　but
〃slowly；〃　not　with　indelicate　haste。　　Persons　who　are　more　in　a　hurry
will　never　care　for　the　political　poems；　and　it　is　certain　that
Tennyson　did　not　feel　sympathetically　inclined　towards　the　Iberian
patriot　who　said　that　his　darling　desire　was　〃to　cut　the　throats　of
all　the　cures；〃　like　some　Covenanters　of　old。　　〃Mais　vous　connaissez
mon　coeur〃〃and　a　pretty　black　one　it　is；〃　thought　young　Tennyson。
So　cautious　in　youth；　during　his　Pyrenean　tour　with　Hallam　in　1830；
Tennyson　could　not　become　a　convinced　revolutionary　later。　　We　must
accept　him　with