Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1851-05-28
Literary Gossip.
ALFRED TENNYs6N.

ALFRED TENNYsoN.
Alfred Tennyson is poet of the mystical-phl-
osophical schoo,-a compound quality that does not
pertain exclusively to bis written poetry but TO the
poetry of his life also. Some twenty years ago, he
walked with quiet. scholastic step, into public no.
tce, in the form of thin, little duodecimo volume
of poems;-a step which was declared by Taips
Edinburgh Magazine TO herald the advent of the
star of the poetic era; but which, on the other
hand provoked the most sarcastic and biting of all
Kit .North's critical essays.
Tennyson rhymed sarcasm back on ''rusty, musty,
fusty, crusty Christopher as cody as if he had
been twitted by the old mans cruch instead of his
pen; and although he has continued to write and
publish until the present time, we believe the pre-
dicton of TAFT is unful6ed, for the star of the new
poetic era is still in au6i6us
Personally, Tenuyson is perhaps the most un-
known of the British literati. He has seldom min
ged in the reunions of his countrys celebrities, pre-
ferring to hang over ong, green boxes of mignion-
cite, and to shear the roaring of the sea, far away
ffom the presence of men, and the din ofcities.
'hSH Gin sun has pi6dSGu ~ WISH LOHuulls anu
to sit in the council of the critics, he has appeared
as the embodiment of the poetry of silence, more
than as its living voice. With short, black pipe
In his mouth, and his large black earnest eyes, ra-
diant with the light of his Dream he sits amongst
the coteres, more like a pupil in Academy, than a
master.
Genius does not choose her favorites as young la.
dies do; her course in this respect seems to have
been general satire manly forms, handsome
whlskers, ruddy cheeks, and brawny lmbs-fo- Ten
nyson is small in stature, with pale cheeks, long
straight, black hair, and large, earnest eyes, such
Melpomene has always loved, however 'sairy, fair,
Lilllans'' might appreciate them
Tennyson's quiet independence ofspirt was adj
mraby illustrated in his conduct to the English arts
tocrary, upon that fine summer day that they stimuli
taneously discovered that he was a great poet.
Victoria Guelph, whom the accident of an acct
dent has made queen of Great Britain took it into
her head one morning, to command this Alfred Ten
nyson, whom God had made poet, to wait upon he
at her residence. The poet came and she said some
pretty things in praise of his muse Shortly after
wards, Tennyson was at Bath, when the butterflies
of ha~t ton Immediately bethought them that the in
terpreter of nature, whom their queen had praised
must needs be made lion; and they showered thei
scented cards and aromatic bilet-doux into his ette
box, to the number Of two hundred but the cards anC
notes came back again, and Alfred Tennyson wa,
non est inUentus. The trees and streams, and bird.
and flowers of the country, had through life com.
muned with him without Aattery, and he had the
good sense to prefer their company to that of syco
plants, who gathered around him at the call of roya
ty.
Tennyson had one thousand dollars year, of pen
sion, previous to the death of Wordsworth another
thousand and butt of Malmsey has been added
since he has gone to fill what the witty, wicked By
ron called the ''laureate's sty'' Upon the strength
of this pension and pipe of wine, Alfred Tennysor
has taken to himself wife, &