The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-01-10
The Laureate.
NrEnEsr y ACCOUNT OF AN INTERVIEW WITH
From . Private Letter1

g From. Private letter.
We orxSfd to Cowes, and took fly to Earring
ford, dsfxf twelve miles; q glorious drive across
the Isle ssh Wight between ivied hedges and past
gardens III laurel and laurustinus. found Far.
ringford knderfully improved: the little park is
gem Of 6erdening art THE magnificent Roman
nexes iD~font Of the house are finer than any
saw in ksy. We arrived about O clock, and
were ushAStd into the drawing. room. The house
has beenz ffurn shed, and great many pictures
and statu4fadded since was there. In q minute
In came 4knnyson, cordial as an old friend, fol-
lowed by8fs wife, as sweet as ever, but feebler
and et3foking. In TenDyson himself could
see no I4tticulaI change. We walked through
the parlf fnd garden; then he and went up on
the dox5i and walked for miles along the chalk
cliffs abGy The sea. He showed me all his newly
cquiretxfrritory-among the rest great stretch
OF wbeag telds bought for him by Enoch Arden.
We dine Et six In quaint room hung with
pictures AID then went into the drawing room for
dessert. ssnnyson and retired to his study at
the top oEne house. Lit pipes and talked of poetry
BE askedslie II could read his Boadices ?r L
thought 4 could. (" Read it, and let me see.n
said he. s. would rather hear you read it,"
answer9df Thereupon he did so, chanting the
lumber. nS zines with great JUNCTION. / spoke of
the idyN 20 |" Guinevere" as being, perhaps, his
finest poef, and said that could not read It aloud
without!1s voice failing me at certain passages.
!" Why, isu read 1t and keep my voice." he ex-
claimed Sfsnmphantly. This I doubted, and he
agreed y Try, after we went down. But the first
LINK nv Woo W PfVuuCc uoBuulu Vi WOuQers
full sherE thirty years old, which had been sent
him BY Specific wine dealer. Such wine never
tasted. Ewas meant to be drunk by Cleopatra,
or Catba$he Of Russia, !" said Tennyson. We had
two glss5s spiece, when he said, " Tonight You
shall he8 me drink one Of the few bottles of nv
Waterloo ISIS. We will make q night of it,
The boElb was brought and after another glass
all roust Tennyson took up the "Idylls of the
King" .t:a reading is a strange monotonous
chant, V2tk unexpected falling infections, which
cannot d scribe, but can initiate exactly. 1t is
very iDNfassive In spite Of myself / became
very m3h excited as he went on. Finally, when
Arthur ktgves the queen, Tennyson's voice fairly
broke. found tears on my cheeks, and -
and iNTsnnyson were crying on either side of
me-. HE psde an effort and went on to the end,
closing Stendly. How can you say asked,
referrinA TO previous conversation, "that you
have no9tSety Of permanent famel This poem
will ont die with the language in which it is writ
ten." iNrs. Tennyson started up from her
couch, al is true" she exclaimed; 81 have
told Ale Va the same thing" After that we had
more sl'sny-in fact, finished the Waterloo bottle;
then w~as up to the garnet to smoke and talk
TennysHs read the "Hylas" of Theocritus In
Greek, ~ own Northern Farmer,r and Andrew
MsrvelG Coy Mistress" We parted at two
Oiclsck$