The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-12-28
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The Arthurian legends have had powerful
fascination for many of the English poets,
and although their influence is by no means
as great as might have been expected from
the peculiar nature of the subject, desire to
elaborate them into great national English
I epic appears to have taken possession of many
minds. Spenser gives Arthur a prominent
place among the shadowy heroes of his
E'Faerie Queene," and he seems to have in
tended to do for him what Ariosto did for
Roland in the 'Furioso" But Spenser, with
his intricate and utterly absurd allegory, un-
necessarily obscures his subject, and he alto
Sgether lacks the flow of narrative and the
story-telling power of the Italian, much as he
exceeds him in imagination and delicate
fancy. Spenser either totally misunderstood
or wilfully disregarded the old legends of
King Arthur, and as an Arthurian poem the
T'Faerie Queene" is scarcely entitled to con-
|sideration.
Milton at an early age conceived the idea
of making Arthur the subject Of great epic,
and although we have Paradise Lost" as the
result Of change of ideas, it is almost a
matter for regret that he did not carry out
his original intention. It may be considered
certain that an Arthurian epic would have
warmth and color that Paradise Lost" lacks,
and that it would not be disfgured by the
many absurdities that in Millions great poems
grow out of a want of hearty sympathy be-
tween the author and his subject, and that
make it appear too often as a mere intellec-
tual effort. Arthur would have given the
O al crhi cuh hat in
every way worthy of his genius, and one that
outrivalled the 'Iliad" and 'Eneid' for Incl
dent, character, movement, vividness of
color and grandeur of effect, and that would
have afforded him equally as great opportuni-
ties as the one he selected.
After Milton numerous writer's have looked
into the old romances, drawn inspiration from
i them, and worked up bits here and there
without venturing further; and Bulwer is the
only man who has had the temerity to at
Z tempt what Milton hesitated to do. His
great epic of 'King Arthur has some fine
passages, but it is deficient in the qualities
that give such work permanent value, and
it is read by nobody. Indeed, it is doubtful
whether many of the admirers of this popular
novelist are aware that he ever produced such
poem.
Tennyson remains as the only poet who
has made any extensive use of the Arthurian
romances, and he has succeeded in creating a
revival of interest in them that promises to
produce good results. In the prologue to
the "Morte d'Arthur," printed among his
earlier poems, Mr.. Tennyson hints at epic
aspirations that he found on trial to be
beyond his capacity. The 'Lady of Shalott,"
t'Sir Galahad," the "Morte dArthur,"
and other fragments show how he
experimental from the commencement
of his poetical career, but it was not until the
publication of the 'Idyls of the King" a few
years ago, that his designs assumed definite
shape. In these there is an entire abandon
ment of the epic design, and an apparent
purpose of giving view of the whole Arthu-
risn romance, both as to form and spirit, in
the shape of detached and Independent
episodes, which would nevertheless have a
certain relation and harmony with each other.
In the 'Idyls of the King" the episodes are
t'Geraint and Enid" ''Merlin and Vivien,
tIancelot and Elaine" and ''Guinevere." In
the work before us Mr.. Tennyson relates
t'The Coming of Arthur" the story of ''The
Holy Grail" the episode of "Pelleas and
Ettarre," and ''The Passing of Arthur
which last is his early poem with
such amplifcations rs are necessary to
make it complete. The whole may now, we
presume, be considered as a finished work.
and as the best that Mr.. Tennyson is able tc
do with his subject. In predatory note we
are informed that the eight poems are de-
signed to be read in the following ORDER
E'The Coming of Arthur" "Geraint and
Enid, ''Merlin and Vivien, 'Lancelot ant
Elaine" ''The Holy Grail, ''Pelleas and
Ettarre," "Guinevere, and ''The Passing o.
Arthur" Such fragmentary work is prac
tical confession of defeat, but it shows thai
: Mr. Tennyson has had the good taste an(
Judgment to do we'll what he felt was withiI
his power, rather than to risk failure by at
4 tempting too high fight.
1t is to be regretted that he did not com
plete his design years ago; for while his styl
has reached high state of perfection, fall
ing off in power has been decidedly apparen
for several years past, and the new poems il
the volume before us will greatly disappoin
4 many of his warmest admirers. In the ''Idyl
of the King, his story of ''Elaine," while
followed Sir Thomas Mallory more closely
lacked much of the peculiar charm tina
distinguished the more original LADY O
Shalott, Mr. Tennyson's earliest attempt t.
deal with an Arthurian subject; an
in tho volume before us the stor
i of the ''Holy Grail" in spite of som