Talk:Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is within the scope of WikiProject Biography. For more information, visit the project page.
Biography Portal
B This article has been rated as B-Class on the project's quality scale. [FAQ]
This article is supported by the Arts and Entertainment work group.
This article is supported by WikiProject Peerage.


England Portal
This article is supported by WikiProject England, an attempt to build a comprehensive guide to articles relating to England on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can edit the article associated with this page, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion.
B This article has been rated as B-Class on the quality scale.

Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson is part of WikiProject Poetry, a WikiProject related to Poetry.
B This article has been rated as B-Class on the quality scale.
High This article has been rated as high-importance on the importance scale.

Contents

[edit] Peerage

Should the page not be titled in the format used for other peers, namely: Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson? -- Lord Emsworth 22:47, Dec 17, 2003 (UTC)

I would argue that Alfred is an exception to that rule. He is *always* called Alfred Lord Tennyson, so it makes sense to locate the article here. I suggest making Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson a redirect --Raul654 23:43, 17 Dec 2003 (UTC)

But, if Alfred Tennyson is always Alfred, Lord Tennyson, why is the page at Alfred Tennyson rather than Alfred, Lord Tennyson? -- Lord Emsworth 11:27, Dec 18, 2003 (UTC)

Good point - if I had to do it, I would have done it that way. Obviously, someone else did it differently. The arguement is academic though - both of those pages (Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson) are redirects, so it really makes no difference. --Raul654 13:01, 18 Dec 2003 (UTC)

The modern tendency to credit all his works to "Alfred, Lord Tennyson" notwithstanding, he wrote most of them when he was just plain Alfred Tennyson. About the only really famous thing he wrote after he became Baron Tennyson was "Crossing the Bar". I don't know that that's why this article is Alfred Tennyson, but it seems a plausible explanation. —Paul A 02:31, 19 Dec 2003 (UTC)

The Wikipedia standard is to exclude official, aristocratic and reverential titles from pages names; for example: King George I of Great Britain, Saint Francis of Assisi, President George W. Bush and so on. I am therefor moving this page back to Alfred Tennyson. - (unsigned)

  • That hasn't been the standard for some time. Peerage titles are routinely included in article names. But if that were not the case, the rule would be "Use the most common name", which would be "Alfred, Lord Tennyson". No one calls him "Alfred Tennyson". - Nunh-huh 08:23, 31 Mar 2004 (UTC)
Not true - my OUP collection of his works says "Alfred Tennyson" in the one place where it doesn't say just "Tennyson". I think Oxford University is a little authoritative, eh? Stan 14:45, 31 Mar 2004 (UTC)
New Fangled Innovators that Oxford U! What's next, Betty Windsor?<G>- Nunh-huh 17:12, 31 Mar 2004 (UTC)

It is not practice to exclude aristocratic titles: note all the articles on hereditary peers. Some time ago, there was a poll done, which determines that peerage titles should generally be included, unless they are almost never used (e.g. Robert Walpole). -- Emsworth 01:08, Apr 16, 2004 (UTC)

Google shows about 2-to-1 for "Alfred Lord Tennyson" over "Alfred Tennyson". Apparently OUP doesn't pay attention to Google statistics. :) Stan 02:46, 16 Apr 2004 (UTC)
I'm not getting into which of the two again, but it seems clear this article should be either at Alfred, Lord Tennyson or Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson. - Hephaestos|§ 02:49, 16 Apr 2004 (UTC)
Generations of English literature students would thank us if it were returned to "Alfred, Lord Tennyson". -- Nunh-huh 02:50, 16 Apr 2004 (UTC)
The poll on peerage titles indicates that in this case, "Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson" would be appropriate. -- Emsworth 22:29, Jul 11, 2004 (UTC)
It was my understanding that the rule on Wikipedia is for articles to be titled by the most commonly-referred to name. In this case, "Alfred, Lord Tennyson" No? Djdickmutt (talk) 00:59, 18 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] External link

Hi, I would like to add an external link to the World of Biography entry probably the most famous portal of biography to this article. Does anybody have any objections? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Jameswatt (talk • contribs) 14 April 2006 (UTC)

Note: This user has added similar requests to link to biographies hosted on the same site to about 50 different articles. Although I believe that these requests were made in good faith, adding the links to all of the articles would be spamming. In addition, the biographies tend to be not very insightful and/or minimally informative, and the webpages contain Google AdSense links.
A fuller explanation of my own opinion on these links can be found here, if anyone wishes to read it.
Hbackman 23:37, 14 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Idylls of the King most famous piece?

Surely The Charge of the Light Brigade is Tennyson's most famous poem? Even on an academic level In Memoriam is more famous. Idylls of the King could only possibly be recognised as such in terms of length; certainly not in terms of quality or fame.--Waring 07:48, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

And don't forget Ulysses. He's got a lot of famous ones. --Marlow4 21:45, 22 May 2006 (UTC)
True, but I was just looking at the line which says that Idylls of the King is his most famous. This, I think, is misleading.

--Waring 07:04, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

Yep, it's a misleading statement. Tennyson has plenty of famous poems to his name. Maybe somebody should just cut it out.

I agree. There are quite a lot more note-worthy poems. I don't know if I'm allowed to alter the article but I would recommend the inclusion of a handful of poems (e.g. "Ulysses" and "Tithonus") in the first paragraph. EmilyWien (talk) 05:18, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] A Poet Laureate?!

This should certainly be the Poet Laureate; a Poet Laureate makes it sound as if there is more than one at the same time! For the sake of peace I have edited it back to just 'Poet Laureate'; common usage.

--Waring 07:07, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

Referring to Tennyson as "Poet Laureate" is rather suggestive that he was the only person ever to have that distinction, or who has it now! Emended to give his dates, and the date of his appointment as laureate. Fixlein (talk) 16:31, 31 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] His "True Love"

After "...this may have been one of the reasons why Tennyson was so late in marrying." I am cutting out "Or it could be because he was still lamenting the loss of his true love, Hallam. (Note that he never wrote an epic about his wife.)" This seems rather speculative, and the logic is faulty. If he had outlived his wife, perhaps he would have spent 17 years writing a poem for her also. We'll never know... 24.23.141.156 03:06, 29 June 2006 (UTC)

The line as you left it is equally speculative, and struck me as being more of a grasping at straws -- Tennyson's feelings for Hallam are a much more reasonable explanation. I'd be for pulling the line entirely or reverting it to its original construction. It's no more speculative and the logic is not faulty. --Kstern999 04:45, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The Dying Swan

In the article for “The Dying Swan,” there is a full listing of the poem. I’ve marked it as a candidate for inclusion in Wikisource, but since I’ve never done anything with Wikisource before, I’m mentioning it here to get some more eyes on it before I do anything drastic. Advice is welcome. --Rob Kennedy 03:42, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The art of Tennyson's poetry

There doesn't seem to be a lot in here about Tennyson's artistry as a poet, which seems a pity. I offer this text for people's consideration - I'll leave it a few days and if nobody wants to tweak it I'll post it:

Tennyson used a wide range of subject-matter, ranging from mediaeval legends to classical myths and from domestic situations to observations of nature, as source material for his poetry. The influence of Keats and other Romantic poets published before and during his childhood is evident from the richness of his imagery and descriptive writing. For example, compare Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white from The Princess with Keats' Eve of St Agnes. However, he also handled rhythm masterfully. The insistent beat of Break, Break, Break emphasises the sadness and relentlessness of the subject matter. Tennyson's use of the musical qualities of words to emphasise his rhythms and meanings is sensitive. The language of I come from haunts of coot and hern lilts and ripples like the brook in the poem and the last two lines of Come down O maid from yonder mountain height offer a most beautiful combination of onomatopoeia, alliteration and assonance:

The moan of doves in immemorial elms
And murmuring of innumerable bees.

Tennyson was a craftsman who polished and revised his manuscripts until they were perfect. Few poets have used such a wide variety of styles with such an exact understanding of metre. He reflects the Victorian period of his maturity in his feeling for order and his tendency towards moralising and self-indulgent melancholy. He also reflects a common concern among Victorian writers in being troubled by the apparent conflict between religious faith and scientific discoveries. Like many writers who write a great deal over a long time, his work is very variable in quality and he can be pompous or banal. However, the energy and beauty of his best work has ensured its survival.--Guinevere50 16:55, 14 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Elizabeth Clayton

The link for Elizabeth Clayton is obviously wrong as it links to a modern businesswoman, not an ancestor of Tennyson. Dudleymiles (talk) 10:52, 1 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Direct Contradiction

This article states Lord Tennyson is the second most quoted person in the English language after Shakespeare. The Dr. Johnson article says he is the most frequently quoted person in the English language. I don't know if this matters, as both facts are cited, and Wikipedia holds that they are thus both true. I would like to point out, however, that I could also cite from a logic textbook that (A • ~A) is a logical contradiction; as well, it is unencyclopedic (as no 'professional' encyclopedia would allow a blatant contradiction between two articles). I am not sure how to resolve this dispute; any ideas? Chris b shanks (talk) 19:58, 1 January 2008 (UTC)

I think the issue is that Tennyson has the second highest number of entries in the ODQ after Shakespeare, whereas Johnson is the writer whose words are most often used by other authors (after Shakespeare). Not sure if we need to make this explicit... Tevildo (talk) 21:34, 1 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] The lady of Shallot...

The lay of shallot is an amazing poem it has a great tone of mood and tone and has a very creative way of words! It is very moving including the way The lady of Shallot dies a sad death of having a curse which she breaks and she then dies in lancelots arms although there are 2 versions both by Tennyson but it is said that before that someone ese ad written a poem called the lady of shallot and that is what he based it on —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.80.135.122 (talk) 15:52, 3 January 2008 (UTC)

i agree it's a killer poem. i really like both the rhythm of the poem too. the poem can be interpreted in so many different ways. that's how you can tell how great a poem is, when there is no one simple clear interpretation. the lay of shallot is totally one of them.

there are a tonne of awesome pre-raphaelite paintings that are entirely based on the lay of shallot poem by alfred tennyson. there are at least four of them by john williman waterhouse and another by william holman hunt which is also excellent. you should take a look at them.

Whoops!!! I forgot my signature.--Heretodae (talk) 22:25, 3 June 2008 (UTC)

i just want to add. for those who don't know this poem or if you aren't familiar with it. here's an very brief paragraph on it that i took from the lay of shallot page.

The Lady of Shalott" is a Victorian poem by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892). Like other early poems— "Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere," and "Galahad"— the poem recasts Arthurian subject matter loosely based on medieval sources and takes up some themes that would become more fully realized in Idylls of the King where the tale of Elaine is recounted.[1] Contents

Waterhouse's The Lady of Shalott Looking at Lancelot

Tennyson wrote two versions of the poem, one published in 1833, of twenty stanzas, the other in 1842 of nineteen stanzas. It was loosely based on the Arthurian legend of Elaine of Astolat, as recounted in a thirteenth-century Italian novella entitled Donna di Scalotta (No. lxxxi in the collection Cento Novelle Antiche), with the earlier version being closer to the source material than the later.[2] Tennyson focused on the Lady's "isolation in the tower and her decision to participate in the living world, two subjects not even mentioned in Donna di Scalotta."[1]

"In a more general sense, it is fair to say that the pre-Raphaelite fascination with Arthuriana is traceable to Tennyson's work" (Zanzucchi). Tennyson's biographer Leonée Ormonde finds the Arthurian material is "introduced as a valid setting for the study of the artist and the dangers of personal isolation".


Some consider "The Lady of Shalott" to be representative of the dilemma that faces artists, writers, and musicians: to create work about and celebrating the world, or to enjoy the world by simply living in it. Others see the poem as concerned with issues of women's sexuality and their place in the Victorian world. The fact that the poem works through such complex and polyvalent symbolism indicates an important difference between Tennyson's work and his Arthurian source material. While Tennyson's sources tended to work through allegory, Tennyson himself did not.

--Heretodae (talk) 22:28, 3 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Albion53's Edits

Albion53 recently edited out the entire section on Tennyson's relationship with Arthur Hallam. It seems to me that, though this section might make some people uncomfortable (as hard as that might be to believe in this day and age), it's definitely justified to have it here. Before it's deleted again, I'd hope to see some discussion here so that a consensus can be reached. Eceresa (talk) 10:57, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

I hope this does not give the impression that I am homophobic/uncomfortable with the concept as Tennyson being gay as this is far from the case. (I for one do have several gay and bisexual friends.) The real issue that I have is this tendency for unfounded/unsubstantiated speculation (e.g., "calculating" the IQs of various famous scientists, poets, etc. despite the fact that it is quite hopelessly impossible to do such a thing in a manner that would be accepted scientifically without having them sit down to a Stanford-Binet in the old days or a WAIS), or skewing available data in support of a personal theory which is far from the dominant view within the field.
With regards to the present topic, you might want to refer to this reference [1]. Several particular issues I have with the current text include the psychobabble and speculative nature of the following: "Tennyson's love for Hallam, likely homoerotic, was also unselfconscious, free from remorse or guilt or a sense of the illicit. The idea of homosexuality denoting a psychological identity did not yet exist, and since the men were most likely chaste[10], they had nothing to reproach themselves for, regarding the sin of sodomy." (R. B. Martin, Tennyson: The Unquiet Heart, Oxford, 1980.) Also, homosexuality has never been treated as a "psychological identity," unless the author means as a psychopathological construct, in which case this was only truly the case in several of the DSMs until DSM-IV, when it was removed. The whole paragraph sounds rather nonsensical. Again I'd refer to [2] for a more grounded approach that is also free from erroneous/non-existent psychological conceptualizations.
I do agree Tennyson and Hallam shared a very rare and close love - he does state repeatedly in In Memoriam that he was closer with Hallam than with his brothers - but I think we would need some strong evidence that it was homoerotic for us to make that assertion. Otherwise it would seem to be a knock against platonic love to say that two guys cannot love each other so strongly without it being homoerotic, or that romantic love is stronger than platonic love, which unfortunately is what the inclusion of the following would imply: "To the end of his days, and literally on his deathbed, Tennyson would proclaim that the greatest love of his life, the love that 'surpassed the love of women', was Hallam.[11]" Given the context in which he is repeatedly making these claims (the late 1800's where the physical expression of homosexuality was treated quite seriously - see Oscar Wilde and Tchaikovsky for examples), to make such statements would be quite a risk, unless both Tennyson and others around him did not believe it suggested his friendship with Hallam was homoerotic, regardless of whether it was or not.--Albion53 (talk) 14:54, 5 May 2008 (UTC)
First off, it might be a good idea to confess my relative ignorance. I've read quite a few of Tennyson's poems, but haven't made a study of his life, and my psychology experience is limited to one course during my undergraduate degree. I quite agree with you as to the pointlessness of calculating IQ's without a test, but I don't see how that transfers to this case, where there seems to be a great deal of evidence that there was more than close friendship between these two men. Quite apart from the poem, there's the fact that their correspondence was such that it was felt it needed to be burned after they died. It's hard to read it any other way than homosexual (and that they were in romantic, rather than platonic, love was certainly a widely held theory when I was studying English lit).
As for the psychological stuff, I can't speak as well to that. Certainly the paragraph you cite as nonsensical makes perfect sense to me. If there's a way of stating that they may not have considered themselves gay because the conception of a gay identity didn't exist then as it does now (and certainly, the line was at the very least a bit blurrier), by all means rephrase it. Your comment that it doesn't exist in DSM-IV (though it was removed earlier, if the Wikipedia entry is to be believed) seems to miss the point, as it can be a basic part of a person's conception of his or her identity without being a disorder, or so it seems to a layman. In any case, I think it's obvious that this section needs to stay. It's an important part of his life, even if the phrasing could be changed to be more psychologically accurate. Eceresa (talk) 16:22, 5 May 2008 (UTC)
I will try not to be as lengthy as the two previous editors. I don't know enough about psychology so I won't comment on that part of this discussion, but based on my knowledge and reading the two above comments, I have to side with Albion 53 on this one to a degree. I think that we can never know for certain either way especially with Tennyson's reputation as an intensely private man, but unfortunately there is simply not enough evidence uncovered to move the possibility of Tennyson having a homoerotic interest in Hallam outside the realm of "speculation" as Albion puts it. I do not recall this was a widely held theory or if it was, then not in my time. I do remember an old college friend initially writing her thesis arguing for a romantic interest between Tennyson and Hallam. But she instead arrived at the unexpected conclusion that this was a very unlikely possibility based on available evidence from letters etc.
Speaking of the letters, there are a myriad of plausible interpretations for the burning of letters. One reasonable possibility is that Hallam's father and Tennyson's son feared that their close relationship as expressed in the letters may be misinterpreted as being romantic. It wouldn't be the first time in history letters were burned out of fear they would be erroneously interpreted by others. What would add weight to the romantic theory is if there were friends or close acquaintances who expressed suspicions of a romantic relationship, yet nothing of the kind exists. There was ample suspicion among acquaintances that Tennyson indulged in opium, based partly on his appearance and his brother's addiction, but no suspicion of romantic interest in Hallam, despite the closeness of their relationship being known. What could also support this theory is if there is evidence of romantic interest on Tennyson or Hallam's part with other men, but again there is no evidence of this that I know of. On the other hand we do have documentation of Tennyson's love and infatuations with various women. I'm open to changing my mind if someone were to present a strong case but in the absence of tangible evidence of a romantic interest in Hallam, I think we can not make that claim at present even as a viable theory.76.117.2.182 (talk) 06:25, 8 May 2008 (UTC)--
I took a look at the link provided above by Abion and found a relevant excerpt from a letter by Hallam regarding his love for his fiance, Tennyson's sister Emily: "I love her madly: I feel as though I had never known love until now . . . . I feel above consequence, freed from destiny, at home with happiness." The bolding is by me. This was written after Hallam and Tennyson had already become close and stands in strong opposition to the romance theory.

Here I said I'd keep things short and I exceeded you both.76.117.2.182 (talk) 06:38, 8 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't know.. There doesn't look like much support for the romantic love theory, and the argument looks much stronger the other way around. That part where from the letter about Tennyson's sister looks very convincing if Tennyson and Hallam were already established their friendship then. Just my two cents.155.247.166.29 (talk) 22:14, 8 May 2008 (UTC)

What's all this nonsense about Tennyson and AHH? That's ridiculous speculation. It was common, in the days of writing letters, to burn them, whether before or after the sender died. And AHH was going to marry Tennyson's sister. All this nonsense is clearly the result of an agenda on somebody's part and I'm removing this idiocy, whether there's some idiot professor's book about it or not. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 138.163.0.41 (talk) 22:15, 8 May 2008 (UTC)

Hi, I'm not a frequent contributer to wikepedia but I thought I'd add to this interesting discussion. History has blessed us with many great talented gay artists who have left us with many wonderful and priceless creations, ranging from the Ancient Greeks to some of our very contemporaries in literature, music, visual arts and architecture. Unfortunately for us Tennyson is simply not one of them. It would have made his rather dull life - he's no Rimbaud, that's for sure - much more interesting and draw a wider readership but to state something that is not the case for this purpose, even if driven by good intentions, would be treating the poet ill. Unfortunately I'll have to place my vote for the removal of the section on Hallam EmilyWien (talk) 05:16, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Tenny's as gay as the bright is day! —Preceding unsigned comment added by TheColumbineAsskicre (talk • contribs) 18:46, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

The comments on the relationship (which is admittedly conjecture, but with some definite support) are appropriately cited. The section IS one-sided, though. I'd encourage those who have a problem with the theory to add properly cited information that refutes it. While, as I said before, I'm a lot more interested in his poetry than his life, it's hard for me to see a reason for removing this discussion (other than homophobia, of course). This isn't a discussion that can be definitively ended because the evidence has been destroyed (though that itself is suggestive), so I can see evening it out with evidence that suggests a wholly platonic friendship, but discussion of the relationship should stay. Eceresa (talk) 21:22, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

If I may provide my input, my interest in Tennyson's poetry has led me to read a copious amount of Tennyson's letters and biographies. I had wondered myself if there was anything to his relationship with Hallam that was beyond just friendship. I have not come across anything to support this theory and in fact there were more reasons and not conjecture against my original theory. In answer to the question of why the letters of Hallam and Tennyson were burned, first, letter writing during that time period was much more common than now, and carried a much different meaning. It was a very different, more private world, certainly compared to today's internet culture where we have everyday people made into celebrities for posting their most private thoughts in blogs. Hallam's father did not want his son's letters published, despite the interest among friends in doing so. Henry Hallam gave as the reason "I felt that the voice of his inmost heart was not for the careless ear of the public" which indicated he preferred to have his late son's privacy respected. I should also mention this decision was made regarding Hallam's letters in general, not just those involving Tennyson. Tennyson's own son burned not just his father's communications with Hallam but also those written to Emily Sellwood prior to their marriage. When all this is considered it really is a stretch to jump to the conclusion that the letters of Tennyson and Hallam were burned to conceal a romantic attachment. A philosophy course in reasoning and logic would not be required to caution oneself against this position given the full context.Kristacinthia (talk) 00:25, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

I agree with the comments made by (talk) and think it important to retain the section as it stands. I don't think the burning of letters in itself is taken to prove that a homosexual relationship between Hallam and Tennyson was covered up - but rather illustrates that scholars and biographers have been slow in exploring the issue of the relationship because of the ready access that the letters would (or would not) have given. Whether or not the relationship was a homoerotic one I think the key point to bear in mind the point of the text is that several scholars and biographers in modern times have put this forward as a tenable theory (hence it's inclusion). I don't think we have to prove either way beyond reasonable doubt - nor could we. I must confess though to finding it odd that to some extent Tennyson's reference to Hallam's sister Emily: "I love her madly: I feel as though I had never known love until now" is taken on face value, whereas the issue of same-sex attraction warrants significant discussion. We need to be careful about adopting a default position as the 'norm'. Pesonal relationships will always be to some extent a 'grey area'- because they are by their nature private and interior.Contaldo80 (talk) 11:35, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Recordings

Edison made a handful of recordings of Tennyson reciting his own poetry. I think it would be an invaluable addition to this article if we could provide some links to some samples of these recordings. Can anyone help with this?76.117.2.182 (talk) 06:42, 8 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't know if you can have recordings of Tennyson on wikipedia even if over 100 years old because the remastering itself would be more recent and so there could be copyright issues. The above comment about Tennyson and Hallam is in the wrong section by the way. 155.247.166.29 (talk) 22:19, 8 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Poet Laureateship

I feel as if I read somewhere that Alfred Tennyson was reluctant to take on the laureateship and in fact turned it down a few times and had to be convinced before he finally accepted it. Is there any truth to this? I can see his reasons for turning it down. He's really private and shy and being poet laureate makes you the most famous poet in the country. His poetry after he got the laureateship isn't as good as before.

I'm pretty sure he did turn down the baronetcy several times before finally accepting it. It probably means he has to sit in the House of Lords which a shy man like him wouldn't want to. So I can see him doing the same with the laureateship. —Preceding unsigned comment added by WillofWorchester (talk • contribs) 17:55, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Help with paper

Hi I need to write a final paper for my English class on this poem by Alfred Tennyson called Maud. I'm feeling very lost and I don't know where to begin. My prof says the poem Maud was a semi-autobiograpic poem but I don't know anything about Alfred Tennyson so that doesn't help me any. I don't want to ask for someone to write my paper for me but I'd like any kind of help would be really awesome. If you can lead me in a direction and give me some pointers or what to look out for. I need to have a 7 to 10 page paper double spaced by Thursday. Here's the poem.

Come into the garden, Maud,

    For the black bat, night, has flown,

Come into the garden, Maud,

    I am here at the gate alone ;

And the woodbine spices are wafted abroad,

    And the musk of the rose is blown.

For a breeze of morning moves,

    And the planet of Love is on high,

Beginning to faint in the light that she loves

    On a bed of daffodil sky,

To faint in the light of the sun she loves,

    To faint in his light, and to die.

All night have the roses heard

    The flute, violin, bassoon ;

All night has the casement jessamine stirred

    To the dancers dancing in tune ;

Till a silence fell with the waking bird,

    And a hush with the setting moon.

I said to the lily, ‘There is but one

    With whom she has heart to be gay.

When will the dancers leave her alone ?

    She is weary of dance and play.’

Now half to the setting moon are gone,

    And half to the rising day ;

Low on the sand and loud on the stone

    The last wheel echoes away.

I said to the rose, ‘The brief night goes

    In babble and revel and wine.

O young lord-lover, what sighs are those,

    For one that will never be thine ?

But mine, but mine,’ so I sware to the rose,

    ‘For ever and ever, mine.’

And the soul of the rose went into my blood,

    As the music clashed in the hall ;

And long by the garden lake I stood,

    For I heard your rivulet fall

From the lake to the meadow and on to the wood,

    Our wood, that is dearer than all ;

From the meadow your walks have left so sweet

    That whenever a March-wind sighs

He sets the jewel-print of your feet

    In violets blue as your eyes,

To the woody hollows in which we meet

    And the valleys of Paradise.

The slender acacia would not shake

    One long milk-bloom on the tree ;

The white lake-blossom fell into the lake

    As the pimpernel dozed on the lea ;

But the rose was awake all night for your sake,

    Knowing your promise to me ;

The lilies and roses were all awake,

    They sighed for the dawn and thee.

Queen rose of the rosebud garden of girls,

    Come hither, the dances are done,

In gloss of satin and glimmer of pearls,

    Queen lily and rose in one ;

Shine out, little head, sunning over with curls,

    To the flowers, and be their sun.

There has fallen a splendid tear

    From the passion-flower at the gate.

She is coming, my dove, my dear ;

    She is coming, my life, my fate ;

The red rose cries, ‘She is near, she is near ;’

    And the white rose weeps, ‘She is late ;’

The larkspur listens, ‘I hear, I hear ;’

    And the lily whispers, ‘I wait.’

She is coming, my own, my sweet,

    Were it ever so airy a tread,

My heart would hear her and beat,

     Were it earth in an earthy bed ;

My dust would hear her and beat,

    Had I lain for a century dead ;

Would start and tremble under her feet,

    And blossom in purple and red.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by SceneandHeard (talk • contribs) 05:07, 13 May 2008 (UTC)
We can't help you with your homework. If you don't know anything about Tennyson then you should read some books about him — maybe get a start with this article. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 09:37, 13 May 2008 (UTC)
Suggestions: 1.) Do your own work. 2.) Don't leave it until two days before a 7-10 page paper is due to write it. 3.) If you haven't done #2, plan on taking the course over again. 4.) Next term, when you find yourself writing this paper again, start by reading some basic biographical information. See if you can find what authorities have written on the poem you're addressing, to place it within a critical context. Don't be afraid to interpret it differently, but support your assertions with examples from the poem and/or Tennyson's life, and discuss how your interpretation differs from the traditional interpretations. Eceresa (talk) 15:18, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

I totally forgot all about this after I posted my message. Heh! You guys were absolutely not help at all so it makes no difference. I wasn't asking you to do my work for me if you read my message above. I was asking for some pointers in the right direction was all. I think that's pretty ligit. And Etcetera, you grouch, if you really are a high school teacher, you can't be so naive to think your students don't regularly pull out a term paper in the couple days before its due do you? Hell, most people I know do it all the time and get by. I didn't need any of your help after all cuz my friends were much nicer and helped me out where to look. I didn't get much sleep those two days but I still got a b+ in the end which was pretty good considering where I was starting at! —Preceding unsigned comment added by SceneandHeard (talk • contribs) 13:28, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

If you read my message above, I did point you in the right direction. And while I've been doing this long enough to know that some of my students try to do projects that are supposed to take weeks in days, I've also been doing it long enough that most of them don't manage a B+ if they do it that way. Eceresa (talk) 22:53, 8 June 2008 (UTC)