While Tennyson's work may not be considered to be one of the greatest of the Victorianss, it is certainly some of the purest, most heart-felt work. In his Tears, Idle Tears, he laments the loss of his friend Arthur Hallam and "the days that are no more" (page 597, line 5).
"Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,
Tears from the depth of some divine despair
Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes" (lines 1-3)
This passage sets the tone of the poem, one of grief that is almost all-consuming; Tennyson found it very difficult to deal with the loss of his friend, and consequently turned to his poetry to relieve some of those feelings. These feelings can also be clearly seen in this passage with his choice of words and phrases like "depth of some divine despair" (line 3).
Tennyson continues to describe his grief, choosing words in combination, such as sad and fresh and sad and strange. These words are used to describe "the days that are no more" (lines 10, 15); presumably this phrase refers to the days spent with Arthur. By combining these words, with the repetition of his choice in the word sad, Tennyson again emphasizes his grief over the loss of Arthur, describing it as still new, still strange to not have Arthur in his life, and that he is still upset over the death of his friend.
Tennyson finishing the poem with a remembrance of the "days that are no more" (page 597), describing them as
"Dear as remember'd kisses after death,
And sweet as those by hopeless fancy feign'd
On lips that are for others; deep as love,
Deep as first love, and wild with regret;" (lines 16-19).
With the word choice of dear, sweet, and deep (as first love), Tennyson again shows the impact Arthur had on his life, leaving one reminiscing themselves on "the days that are no more." (page 597)
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Leanne,
ReplyDeleteYou continue your string of well-written posts with this focus on Tennyson's short, lyrical meditation on loss. You do a very good job of presenting and explicating passages from this poem. I like the way you continue that focus to particular words in those quoted passages. That level of analytical scrutiny helps make your post enlightening and persuasive.
Tennyson definitely had a way with words; he was able to capture everything that he was feeling in his writings. This shows how great talent he had...typically people are at a lost of words when such great emotions overtake them, but Tennyson was really able to speak through his writings and capture the hearts of his readers.
ReplyDeleteI like how you focused on the words and repetition to prove your point. Tennyson's friend's death affected him greatly and was evident in quite a few works. You never know the impact someone can have on a life.
ReplyDeleteI also did a post on this poem and I think we made the same connection. His poem is an emotional expression for the loss of a dear friend and his sadness that hits him at random moments. Good choice of quotes, I love the last few lines, I think they help intensify his heartbreak and sadness.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post so much and had to read the poem. It really opened new doors where I didn't know were there.
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