alfred tennyson-第39章

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change　of　plan　as　to　the　Arthurian　topic；　regretted　it　the　more　from
his　own　interest　in　the　History　of　Religion。　　But　we　need　not　share
the　regrets。　　The　early　plan　for　the　Arthur　（which　Mr　Jowett　never
saw）　has　been　published；　and　certainly　the　scheme　could　not　have　been
executed　on　these　lines。　｛18｝　　Moreover；　as　the　Master　observed；　the
work　would　have　been　premature　in　Tennyson's　youth；　and；　indeed；　it
would　still　be　premature。　　The　comparative　science　of　religious
evolution　is　even　now　very　tentative；　and　does　not　yield　materials　of
sufficient　stability　for　an　epic；　even　if　such　an　epic　could　be
forced　into　the　mould　of　the　Arthur　legends；　a　feat　perhaps
impossible；　and　certainly　undesirable。　　A　truly　fantastic　allegory
must　have　been　the　result；　and　it　is　fortunate　that　the　poet
abandoned　the　idea　in　favour　of　more　human　themes。　　Moreover；　he
recognised　very　early　that　his　was　not　a　Muse　de　longue　haleine；　that
he　must　be　〃short。〃　　We　may　therefore　feel　certain　that　his　early
sorrow　and　discouragement　were　salutary　to　him　as　a　poet；　and　as　a
man。　　He　became　more　sympathetic；　more　tender；　and　was　obliged　to　put
forth　that　stoical　self…control；　and　strenuous　courage　and　endurance；
through　which　alone　his　poetic　career　was　rendered　possible。　　〃He　had
the　susceptibility　of　a　child　or　a　woman；〃　says　his　friend；　〃he　had
also〃　（it　was　a　strange　combination）　〃the　strength　of　a　giant　or　of　a
god。〃　　Without　these　qualities　he　must　have　broken　down　between　1833
and　1842　into　a　hypochondriac；　or　a　morose；　if　majestic；　failure。
Poor；　obscure；　and　unhappy；　he　overcame　the　world；　and　passed　from
darkness　into　light。　　The　〃poetic　temperament〃　in　another　not　gifted
with　his　endurance　and　persistent　strength　would　have　achieved　ruin。

Most　of　us　remember　Taine's　parallel　between　Tennyson　and　Alfred　de
Musset。　　The　French　critic　has　no　high　approval　of　Tennyson's
〃respectability〃　and　long　peaceful　life；　as　compared　with　the　wrecked
life　and　genius　of　Musset；　l'enfant　perdu　of　love；　wine；　and　song。
This　is　a　theory　like　another；　and　is　perhaps　attractive　to　the
young。　　The　poet　must　have　strong　passions；　or　how　can　he　sing　of
them：　　he　must　be　tossed　and　whirled　in　the　stress　of　things；　like
Shelley's　autumn　leaves；　…


〃Ghosts　from　an　enchanter　fleeing。〃


Looking　at　Burns；　Byron；　Musset；　or　even　at　Shelley's　earlier　years；
youth　sees　in　them　the　true　poets；　〃sacred　things；〃　but　also　〃light；〃
as　Plato　says；　inspired　to　break　their　wings　against　the　nature　of
existence；　and　the　flammantia　maenia　mundi。　　But　this　is　almost　a
boyish　idea；　this　idea　that　the　true　poet　is　the　slave　of　the
passions；　and　that　the　poet　who　dominates　them　has　none；　and　is　but　a
staid　domestic　animal；　an　ass　browsing　the　common；　as　somebody　has
written　about　Wordsworth。　　Certainly　Tennyson's　was　no　〃passionless
perfection。〃　　He；　like　others；　was　tempted　to　beat　with　ineffectual
wings　against　the　inscrutable　nature　of　life。　　He；　too；　had　his　dark
hour；　and　was　as　subject　to　temptation　as　they　who　yielded　to　the
stress　and　died；　or　became　unhappy　waifs；　〃young　men　with　a　splendid
past。〃　　He　must　have　known；　no　less　than　Musset；　the　attractions　of
many　a　paradis　artificiel；　with　its　bright　visions；　its　houris；　its
offers　of　oblivion　of　pain。　　〃He　had　the　look　of　one　who　had　suffered
greatly；〃　Mr　Palgrave　writes　in　his　record　of　their　first　meeting　in
1842。　　But　he；　like　Goethe；　Scott；　and　Victor　Hugo；　had　strength　as
well　as　passion　and　emotion；　he　came　unscorched　through　the　fire　that
has　burned　away　the　wings　of　so　many　other　great　poets。　　This　was　no
less　fortunate　for　the　world　than　for　himself。　　Of　his　prolonged　dark
hour　we　know　little　in　detail；　but　we　have　seen　that　from　the　first
he　resisted　the　Tempter；　Ulysses　is　his　Retro　Sathanas！

About　〃the　mechanism　of　genius〃　in　Tennyson　Mr　Palgrave　has　told　us　a
little；　more　appears　incidentally　in　his　biography。　　〃It　was　his　way
that　when　we　had　entered　on　some　scene　of　special　beauty　or　grandeur；
after　enjoying　it　together；　he　should　always　withdraw　wholly　from
sight；　and　study　the　view；　as　it　were；　in　a　little　artificial
solitude。〃

Tennyson's　poems；　Mr　Palgrave　says；　often　arose　in　a　kind　of　point　de
repere　（like　those　forms　and　landscapes　which　seem　to　spring　from　a
floating　point　of　light；　beheld　with　closed　eyes　just　before　we
sleep）。　　〃More　than　once　he　said　that　his　poems　sprang　often　from　a
'nucleus；'　some　one　word；　maybe；　or　brief　melodious　phrase；　which　had
floated　through　the　brain；　as　it　were；　unbidden。　　And　perhaps　at　once
while　walking　they　were　presently　wrought　into　a　little　song。　　But　if
he　did　not　write　it　down　at　once　the　lyric　fled　from　him
irrecoverably。〃　　He　believed　himself　thus　to　have　lost　poems　as　good
as　his　best。　　It　seems　probable　that　this　is　a　common　genesis　of
verses；　good　or　bad；　among　all　who　write。　　Like　Dickens；　and　like
most　men　of　genius　probably；　he　saw　all　the　scenes　of　his　poems　〃in
his　mind's　eye。〃　　Many　authors　do　this；　without　the　power　of　making
their　readers　share　the　vision；　but　probably　few　can　impart　the
vision　who　do　not　themselves　〃visualise〃　with　distinctness。　　We　have
seen；　in　the　cases　of　The　Holy　Grail　and　other　pieces；　that　Tennyson；
after　long　meditating　a　subject；　often　wrote　very　rapidly；　and　with
little　need　of　correction。　　He　was　born　with　〃style〃；　it　was　a　gift
of　his　genius　rather　than　the　result　of　conscious　elaboration。　　Yet
he　did　use　〃the　file；〃　of　which　much　is　now　written；　especially　for
the　purpose　of　polishing　away　the　sibilants；　so　common　in　our
language。　　In　the　nine　years　of　silence　which　followed　the　little
book　of　1833　his　poems　matured；　and　henceforth　it　is　probable　that　he
altered　his　verses　little；　if　we　except　the　modifications　in　The
Princess。　　Many　slight　verbal　touches　were　made；　or　old　readings　were
restored；　but　important　changes；　in　the　way　of　omission　or　addition；
became　rare。

Of　nature　Tennyson　was　scrupulously　observant　till　his　very　latest
days；　eagerly　noting；　not　only　〃effects；〃　as　a　painter　does；　but
their　causes；　botanical　or　geological。　　Had　man　been　scientific　from
the　beginning　he　would　probably　have　evolved　no　poetry　at　all；
material　things　would　not　have　been　endowed　by　him　with　life　and
passion；　he　would　have　told　himself　no　stories　of　the　origins　of
stars　and　flowers；　clouds　and　fire；　winds　and　rainbows。　　Modern　poets
have　resented；　like　Keats　and　Wordsworth；　the　destruction　of　the　old
prehistoric　dreams　by　the　geologist　and　by　other　scientific
characters。　　But　it　was　part　of　Tennyson's　poetic　originality　to　see
the　beautiful　things　of　nature　at　once　with　the　vision　of　early
poetic　men；　and　of　moderns　accustomed　to　the　microscope；　telescope；
spectrum　analysis；　and　so　forth。　　Thus　Tennyson　received　a　double
delight　from　the　sensible　universe；　and　it　is　a　double　delight　that
he　communicates　to　his　readers。　　His　intellect　was　thus　always
active；　even　in　apparent　repose。　　His　eyes　rested　not　from　observing；
or　his　mind　from　recording　and　comparing；　the　beautiful　familiar
phenomena　of　earth　and　sky。　　In　the　matter　of　the　study　of　books　we
have　seen　how　deeply　versed　he　was　in　certain　of　the　Greek；　Roman；
and　Italian　classics。　　Mr　Jowett　writes：　　〃He　was　what　might　be
called　a　good　scholar　in　the　university　or　public…school　sense　of　the
term；　。　。　。　yet　I　seem　to　remember　that　he　had　his　favourite
classics；　such　as　Homer；　and　Pindar；　and　Theocritus。　。　。　。　He　was
also　a　lover　of　Greek　fragments。　　But　I　am　not　sure　whether；　in　later
life；　he　ever　sat　down　to　read　consecutively　the　greatest　works　of
AEschylus　and　Sophocles；　although　he　used　occasionally　to　dip　into
them。〃　　The　Greek　dramatists；　in　fact；　seem　to　have　affected
Tennyson's　work　but　slightly；　while　he　constantly　reminds　us　of
Virgil；　Homer；　Theocritus；　and　even　Persius　and　Horace。　　Mediaeval
French；　whether　in　poetry　or　prose；　and　the　poetry　of　the　〃Pleiad〃
seems　to　have　occupied　little　of　his　attention。　　Into　the　oriental
literatures　he　dippedpretty　deeply　for　his　Akbar；　and　even　his
Locksley　Hall　owed　something　to　Sir　William　Jones's　version　of　〃the
old　Arabian　Moallakat。〃　　The　debt　appears　to　be　infinitesimal。　　He
seems　to　have　been　less