Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-11-04
TENNYSON,s "DEsPhIR."
: New Dramatic MOn0loguc by
the Poet Laureate of Eng
lana.

lNha
/ LONDON, November 2.-Alired Ienny-
son publishes a dramatic moGo.ogue,
entitled Despair" in the current mum
I Der OF the Nineteenth Century. 1t is
/ the story OF a man and his wife, who,
/ having lost latin in good future lie,
resolve to commit suicide by drowning.
I The woman is drowned, bat the man is
( rescued by the minister OF tue sect he
has abandoned. Ot this work one critic
remarks: "Mr. Tennyson has never
/ been less Ambiguous, seldom more
powerful. never more weirdly impressive,
than in this, the latest fruit OF his genius.
Mr.. Tennyson on this occasion, ex-
pmpliGes without enforcing, or, IN terms,
relating the mental misery OF man,
without hope, without belief and with.
out the capacity OF enjoying the only
life Of whose existence he can feel sure
The whole poem is addressed by the
man suatched from death 10 his I'M
welcome friend in apparent need. Here
and there are interspersed Fragments OF
spasmodic reproach to this Oiiicious in
truder, but the greater part OF the mono
lOgue is an explanation OF the sufferers
feelings so lar as they are capable OF
ANALYSIS. The following are quotations
IRON this poem:
l. IL YOU that preached i'll The chapel there,
lpOkiu" over the sand.
Followed US too, that night and dOgged MS AMI
drew us 10 land
What did (, ell that night You are cum Gus.
How should tell"
Does il matter So much what | felt You res
tICd me. yet was 1t well
That YOU came unwished for, uucalled for, be-
tween me aud the deep and my doom
Three days since, three more darS days OF the
goddess gloom
Oi a lttc without sun, without health, without
hope, without any delight,
Can anything here upon earth-but ali God.
tnst night, that night
When the rolling eyes OF the lighthouse there
on the fatal neck
OF land running out into rock they had saved
many hundreds from reck,
tr.aTct on cur way toward death, remembered
thought RS we passed,
Dor, IL matter how many tue saved We ar"
al OF H. wrecked al last.
d. YOU fear and the-c came thToHE'. inc 'o'i
nj the breaker whisper, breath,
bear. YIN NJ: with YOU lam frightened At
life. not death.
Al he suns OF the limitl"S> universe sparEled
and shore in tue sky.
Flashing with tircSa OF God, out We kh"" 'h"'
their light was lie.
hear them call
Life with its anguish anu NoErO" al'' 'I'o'S'
away with II all.
Ard size laid her hand i'm my own, She was al
WAYS lOAUl amt sNret
Til the points oi the iDam in III" dust came
pIavinG about our lrvt
Nhc-y wN> strong N,'lt rUTlr'lt, Wol!R sweep III
ulit 70 the main:
An. God. tuo. ! iclt as spoke Was taking the
lame in vain.
Ah tod. aal We turned 10 each other, We KISS
"a, We gnhUt- ed, she aud !,
Kuuy.luy Nh. love We were used L. believe ever
'i,tiug would lie.
W.. have Z, al their kuow nothing books ana We
leaned - the darker side:
All. God should We lind HIM, perhaps, perhaps
il We dici tive G.rl.
Ne never had iouut him on earth: this earth IS
iIthcrcSS hell.
Dear love, forever and ever, forever ana ever
Never Il cry 50 dcsolatc not since the world
began.
Never kiss 80 sad, no, not since the coming Of
rut the blind wave cas-. me ashore, aud YOU
saved me n valuelcSS lie:
Not y grain Oi gratitude mine, You have parted
the mlu from the wife.
am iciS alone uu the lana, NhS j Hiohs Oh ''V
liza cur,g meant aught would curse You for
not having lct me hc.
Hayc cralci InySeltovcr their horrible iuAHe'
r..- thc Sc are The new lark ages. yon SOC, ii the
lniic press.
when tho bat comes out OF MS cave al" inc Owls
are WhOOp.ug ~ noon,
And doubt j. the lord Of this dunsnliI ana
crows 10 the sriu and the lIOpu,
ILL the sun ami the moon OF our signs AZ" uuth
of them turned into blood,
And hope will have broken her heart running
u,tcra shadow OF good.
For their knowing and know nothing books are
scattered IRON hand to hand
We have kuelt in YOU know all chapel 100
looking over the sand.
Az vet have had some gimmeT a. times in my
gIuOulr>t woe.
OF tod bchjud all, after all-thc grea' Coz iof
au-At iilAt know.
But the. God OF love and al he'll together ttN
Crlau.t bc thought.
Il Their b. sch "a Cod may the great "pt curse
him and bring him to uaUgh'.