The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-01-24
The Swan song Of Tennyson

Written Tor the woman hlOSuOIn.
The last of the great poets has put out to
sea" will not here speak or Tennyson al
man or popular poet recent periodical lit
erature has done this often and fully instead,
let us find the simple, underlying object and
peculiarlties of his poetry.
1t is considered that age duils the IRE OF
genius but there Is nothing finer than those
last short verses, Crossing the Bar which
the poet iaurate, full of years. wrote with
trembling fingers and with clear gaze. almost
within sight of the life beyond.
"Sunset and evening start
And one clear call for me,
And may there be moaning
or the bar
When put out to sea;
But such tide as moving,
Seems asleep,
Too full for sound or foam
When that which drew from
Out the bouudleSs deep
Turns again home
Twilight and evening bell!
And after that the dark;
And may there be no
Sadness OF farewell
When [ embark
For tho from out this bourne
or time ana place
~----' h no Z q ni,s,,t my plot
Face to face
When | have crossed the bar"
Here is the simplicity of extremity. Familiar
though we may be with Tennysons poetry,
these few short lines have power to move us
beyond ali else he wrote. We, who have Tor
years walked with him i'll spirit, VINO
know him well, whose every line is osd
and dear 10 tis-Ae look upon these lines with
peculiar interest. they are the last will and
testunly ut OF who mas long been our ster
the Interpreter Of our higher ne NJ, the nlas
ter VINO, by his perfect word painting,
pleased beyond all others the love OF art
within our sous.
Crossing the Bar, Tor the hrst une-nay,
tn sc, ond, without II strangt, strong ag'ta.
feared death! No. Eecause the poet was
about to leave as: No But, this man, who
contamination Of life, knows not much more
of its mystery than the Little babe. 1t pans
him; We feet strangely hurt that not even
he, the great one, >uuuld nave so much as Il
single favored glimpse behind the veil.
drank tne fall of lies riches s., rarest
wine-far sweeter draught than the dregs
our common cups Aold-IiV.ng almost in soul
land on cath lac could stiil do no more than
the commences of us can do-hope and trust
as he f'.tt himself going out into the bound
hut, to our consolation, he simply helpfully
10 better arbier than he who was full Of
the brightest, broadcast wisdom of the world.
do not agree with critics who think 'In
MeInoriiim chiefly lament for init
matey loved lost freHd. Ii is true that a
f:icnd may actual. he closer to than
greater soul congenIal ty, but this great poet
did not could not ar his grief selnshly, but
hcart-wrench himself, he searched for It's
cause and It's aim. The writer of "ln
h M r;of Is man man, sinitten blind
his blindness, CROPPING his way 10 light on
hands and Knees with sensitive fingers
stretched forth to reel and understand the
darkness. all the while slowly reaching the
l!Pht-why grief is-and looking forward TO
thar "far-cn divine event to which the whole
creation moves The poetry OF TcnnySon
stands pre-eminent above ali other English
verse in its perfect and melodous grace its
aptness and richness Of imagery, it's gentle
lOItiuess browning may sometimes dig deep
er than he. ana bring strange, new gems to
light, but TcHnysOn does actually .'gld re-
fined gold" does paint the lily" does polish
again the nne-cut diamond.
TennySon is too Supremacy artistic to ne
supremacy human; his men and women seen
by the pale refined nght which he turns
uDon them, move hardly much as the
beings. made intensely human, passionate,
rough and deep 10y the burning beams which
the dramatic genius Of Robert browning 70
cuscS upon them.
OF Tennyson's poems. Maud" is the most
untricd youth under trouble and misfortune,
burning with the fierce, unchastened love OF
earlv manhood and eAtravagant despair.
'-idyIS of the King are old crown Jewels
recut, rc-polisled. reset. hut still not eqnlI
to that one great gem. In Mcmoriam." which
the poet himself dug out from the earth
with labor and tears and polished with inf
Tennvson carved ont his place in the realm
had such influence upon the modern world OF
letters as has he. His methods and
stvIe are plainly impressed upon almost all
the minor poets OF the day, who seem
strangely blind to the dangers OF Imitation.
He himself says: "Most can raise the flowers
now. for all have got the seod'
The question has been raised. shalt Tenny
son soon he suppantcd? Shall he not instead
grow nearer and dearer to those who come
after when he says so eageriy:
al can but trust that
Good will fail
At last-far off-at last-to all.
And every winter change
To spring. -
FRnDERICA REBEKAH VESSEL.