The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-01-15
TENNYSON'S NEW POEM.
Meaning of the "Ho1y Grail

The following letter appears in the London
Herald:
The new work of the Poet Laureate will be-
per,lsed by thousands of delighted readers, to
many Of whom, however, the title OF the chief
poem, "The Holy Grail, J" will require explana-'
ton, although the term is familiar to arch&olo-
gists. But it may be observed, firstly, that
the Laureate departs from the legend which.
has usually been current when he makes the.
Holy Grail to be cup, instead Of basin or
dish
"The cup, the cup itself from which our Lord
Drank at the last sad supper with his own"
Allow me to quote O description of what is:
generally regarded by antiqdaries as the "San
Greal:"
'The celebrated sangreal, or sdcro catino,
preserved at Genoa, Is referred to In manu-
scripts as early as the seventh century. 1t 1s
deep bowl or tureen of dark green glass, Of
diameter and three inches deep, with hexago--
nal border and two handles, first moulded and
then turned in the lathe; it derives its name
from the word great or grayle, q deep dish,
used in the middle ages to contain meat. This
Saint Greal was said to be the identical dish
on which the Paschal lamb was placed at our
Saviour's last supper, and preserved by Joseph
of Arimathea. 1t was formerly supposed to
have been cut out of an emerald. Bonaparte
transported 1t to Paris in 1906, when 1t was
broken, and it was then ascertained to be
glass. 1t has since been carefully repaired,
and returned to Genoa. Among the adven-
lures of King Arthur's Knights of the Round
Table was their search in quest OF Sangreal,
which could only be revealed to a knight at
once accomplished in earthly chivalry and
pure and gutless of evil conversation"
From the Introduction to Ancient and Ne
diaval Glass, in a"C.talogue of Antiquities;
and Works of Art exhibited at Ironmonger's
Hall, in 1861 p. 362.
Thus for twelve hundred years this sacred
vessel has been alluded to, and as dish; the
Italian word cdtino can only apply to dish OF
basin, derived from the Latin, and understood
to be g vessel on which meat or fish was served
up at feasts among the Romans. Thus Horace
used the term " augustus catinas" to imply a
scanty bill of tare. One OF the most celebrated
of King Arthur's knights was Sir Launcelot OF
the Lake, who went In search of the holy YES
sci. Sir Walter Scott alludes to him in the In
PRODUCTION to the first canto Of Marmion:"
"a sinful man and unconfessed,
He sought the Sangreal's holy quest
And slnmberlng, saw the vision high
He might not view with naked eye"
And this explanation is given in note
"One day, when Arthur was holding high
feast with his Knights of the Round Table, the
sangreal OF vessel out Of which the last pass
over was eaten, precious relic which had long
remained concealed from human eyes, be-.
cause of the sins of the land, suddenly ap-
peared TO him and oil his chivalry. The con-
sequence of this vision was that the knights
took on them solemn VOW 10 seek the san
greal," &c.
The substitution Of cup for dish as the
vessel supposed to have been used by our
Blessed Lord at His Last Supper, ia, no doubt,
quite within poets privilege, and will not in
the least affect the high and noble character Of
the poem. 1t Is only as e matter of antigua
ran interest that the foregoing explanation
has been given of an object which for many
centuries has attracted notice, and which Is
evidently ofvery early date.
Yours, &C.,
GEORGE RUSSELL FRENCH
No. 2 Powis Place, W. c., December 27.