lord Alfred tennyson

Alfred,LordTennyson(1809-1892)•EnglishpoetoftenregardedasthechiefrepresentativeoftheVictorianageinpoetry.BornonAugust6,1809atSomersby,Lincolnshire.Educatedbyhisfatherinhisearlychildhood.Hadagiftforwritingandcomposedhisfirst“epicpoem”attheageof12.Tennyson,terrifiedofcontractingthementalillnessprominentinhisfamily’shistory,lefthomeandbeganhiscollegecareeratCambridge.TheTennysonbrotherspublishedPoemsbyTwoBrothersin1827,whichwonuniversityprizesforpoetryandbecamefamousoncampus.In1829,invitedtojoinTheApostles,whichmettodebatephilosophicalandotherissues.Allmembersofthegroup,includingArthurHallam,wereeventuallyfamousmen.HallamandTennysonkneweachotheronlyfouryears,buttheirintensefriendshiphadmajorinfluenceonTennyson.OnavisitatSomersby,HallammetandlaterbecameengagedtoEmilyTennyson,andthetwofriendslookedforwardtoalife-longcompanionship.TennysonreceivedcriticalappraiseforhisPoems,ChieflyLyricalin1830.Thesameyear,hemethisfuturewifeEmilySellwood.In1832,hepublishedPoems,whichwasattackedbycriticsasobscureandaffected.Theharshcriticalview,togetherwiththedeathofHallam,threwhimintodeepsorrow.Fornearly10years,hepublishedalmostnothing.BankruptTennysoninvestedhismoneyinabusinessventurewiththelocaldoctor.Theschemefailed,leavingTennysonbrokeintheprocess.Asaresultofthisbankruptcyandthedisapprovalofhisfiancée'sfather,TennysonwasforcedtocancelhisengagementtoEmilySellwood.In1842,TennysonpublishedhisnextissueofPoems,whichwaswelcomedbythereadersandestablishedhiscareerasapoet.Hisfinancialtroubleswereaidedbyagovernmentpensionof200poundsthathereceivedeachyearfollowing1845.Theyear1850wasimportant,forinthisyear,hewasappointedthePoetLaureateandwasabletomarrythewomanhehadlovedformanyyears,EmilySellwood.ThisyearalsosawthepublicationofhisgreatestworkInMemoriam.ItisnotonlyanelegyofHallam,butanexpressionofhisphilosophicalandreligiousthoughts-hisdoubtsaboutthemeaningoflife,theexistenceofthesoulandtheafterlife.ItwasagreatfavoriteofQueenVictoria,whofounditasourceofsolaceafterthedeathofPrinceAlbert:NexttotheBible,InMemoriamismycomfort.In1859,Tennysonreleasedthefirst4oftheIdyllsoftheKing.Whentheepicpoemwascompleted,hededicatedittoPrinceAlbert,afriendandadmirerofhiswork.TennysoncalledtheArthurianlegendthegreatestofallpoeticalsubjects,whichpartlyexplainswhythistraditionsoheavilyinfluencedhiswriting.IdyllsoftheKingLarge-scaleepicpoemthatoccupiedthesecondhalfofhiscareer.ThestoryoftheriseandfallofKingArthuris,infact,meanttorepresentacyclicalhistoryofwesterncivilization,which,inhismind,isgoingonaspiritualdeclineandwillendindestruction.VictoriawasanardentadmirerofTennyson'swork,andin1884createdhimBaronTennyson,whichTennysondeclinedin1865and1868.Becauseofextremeshort-sightedness,Tennysoncomposedhislaterpoemsentirelyinhismind.TennysondiedonOctober6,1892aftersufferingforagreatlengthoftimefromgout.TheartofTennyson'spoetryTennysonhasthenaturalpoweroflinkingvisualpictureswithmusicalexpressions,andthesetwowiththefeelings.HehasperfectcontrolofthesoundofEnglish,andasensitiveear,anexcellentchoiceandtasteofwords.Hisworksarenotonlytheproductsofthecreativeimaginationofapoeticgenius,butalsoproductsofalongandrichEnglishheritage.HiswonderfulworksmanifestallthequalitiesofEngland’sgreatpoets:thedreaminessofSpenser,themajestyofMilton,thenaturalsimplicityofWordsworth,thefantasyofBlake,themelodyofKeats,antthenarrativevigorofScottandByron.Introductionto“CrossingtheBar”沙洲，是一种在浅水处形成、笔直的沉积地形，沙洲通常是细长的，可以出现于海洋、湖泊或河流上。ThepoemwaswritteninOctober1889whenTennysonwascrossingtheSolent,travelingfromAldworthtoFarringford.Priortothis,Tennysonhadbeenillforalongtime.Afterhisrecoveryfromhisillness,hisnursesuggestedhewriteahymn.Whileabroad,hefinishedwritingitin20minutes.Afterhearingthepoemthatevening,hissonproclaimedittobethecrownofhisfather'slife'swork.ItisthoughtthatTennysonwroteitashisownelegy,asthepoemhasatoneoffinalityaboutit.TennysontoldhissonHallamtoput'CrossingtheBar'attheendofalleditionsofmypoems.Thenarratorusesanextendedmetaphortocomparedeathtocrossingthesandbarbetweentheharboroflifeandtheoceanofdeath.日西落，晚星出，一个呼声唤我多清楚！我将出海去河口沙洲别悲哭。满潮水悠悠，流水似睡静无皱。海深广，洋空阔，潮来深海总须回头流。暮色降，晚钟起，钟声之后便是幽幽夜！我将上船去，别离时分莫哽咽。天地小，人生短，这潮却能载我去远方；过了沙洲后，但愿当面见领航。StyleThepoemcontains4stanzasthatgenerallyalternatebetweenlongandshortlines.Scholarshavenotedthattheformofthepoemfollowsthecontent.TennysonemploysatraditionalABABrhymescheme,whichechoesthestanzas'thematicpatterning:the1stand3rdstanzasarelinkedtoeachotherasarethe2ndand4th.The1stand3rdstanzasbeginwith2symbolsoftheonsetofnight.Bothofthe2ndlinesbeginwithand,conjoininganotheritemthatdoesnotfitwellwiththe1stline.Botharefollowedbyexclamationmarks.Bothstanzasconcludewithawish.Neitherofthemconcludeswithaperiod,suggestingthateachislinkedtothefollowingone.The2ndand4thstanzasarelinkedbecausetheybothbeginwithaqualifier:butinthe2ndstanza,andforthoughinthe4th.