The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-07

It was in September. ls45. that Tcnnyson re-
ceived a letter from Sir Robert Peel. then Prime
Minister. acquainting him with the fact that he
had advised the Queen to confer on him a peo-
sion Of 1900 a year. There had been a question.
1t seems. whether Sheridan Knowles or Tenny-
son should be placed on the pension list. Peel
knew nothing OF either Of them. Lord Hough-
ton said that no then made Peel read Ulysses"
whereupon the pension was granted to Tcuny-
son. Touching this matter the poet wrote to an
old friend: II suppose I ought. in o manner.
to be grateful. have done nothing slavish to
get 1t; I never even solicited for It. either BY my
self or through others. 1t was all done for me,
without word or hint from me. and Peel tells me
need not by it be tettered in the public express
sion OF any opinion l choose to take up; so, IL
I take a pique against the Queen, or the Court,
or Peel himself. l may, II I will, bully them with
as much freedom. though not, perhaps, quite so
gracefully, as II I was still unpcnsioned. Some
thing in that word pension sticks In my gizzard;
1t Is only the name, and perhaps would smell
sweeter by some other" 1t is well known that
Tennyson was bitterly assailed by Lytton-B Bull
wer because Peel had placed him on the pension
list. Tennyson retorted BY contributing to
Punch the only personal satire he ever wrote,
THE New Timon and the POETS" followed
a week later by IAN Atterthought." About
eiAtoo PoShAo NJ Vhb - hotC. bCNtE
wrote q line against any one but Sir
Edward Ly~tton-Bulwer. His lines did not move
me to do so. But. at the very time he was writ
ing. or had written these. he was visiting my
cousins, the D'Eyncoarts. and said to them,
How much ! should like to know your cousin
Alfred and I. going into u book club in the
town where I was then living. found a newspa-
per turned up and folded SO that I could not
miss. SEQ how Sir Edward tickles up the poet
esters and their patrons.' The stupid. insiGnif-
cant paper and tho purpose with which 1t had
been set before me provoked me. I saw after
wards q letter which he wrote to my friend John
Forster. Moreover. he stated In q note that I
belonged to a very rich family. the younger
son of my grandfather his friend. who had in.
herited the family fortune. was rich enough. but
the elder branch was shut out in the cold, and,
ut that time. 1 had scarce anything. Moreover.
I remembered that he had said, If O man DO
attacked. let him attack
"wretched work. odium literartvm."
Tennyson added: IT never sent my lines to
Punch. John Forster did. They were too bit.
ter. lido not think that should ever have pub
Iished them"
THE Princess" mostly written In Lincoln's
Inn Fields. was published in 1s+7. A second
edition appeared the next year. with only
a few amendments, but in the third edition
1850 there were omissions and many addi-
tions, and, notably. six songs were intro
duced. The following notes on THE Princess
were left by Tennyson: "In defence OF what
some have called the too poetical passages. it
should Be reco!lected that the poet of the party
was requested to dress the tale up POLITICALLY
and he was full of the gallant and
heroic chronicle Some of my remarks
on passages in The Princess havs been
published by Dawson of Canada who ronied
them from a letter which I wrote to him criti-
cising his study OF The Princess The child is
the link through the parts. as shown in the
songs. which are the best interpreters of the
poem. Before the first edition came out, I
deiiberated with myself whether I should put
songs between the separate divisions Of the
poem; again I thought that the poem would
explain itself; but the public did not see the
drift" OF the song "Sweet and Low two
versions were made, and were sent to the poets
wife. that she might choose which should be
published. She chose tho published one in
preference to that which follows. because 1t
seemed to her more sone-like:
Bright is the moon on the deep.
Bright arc the ciinS in her beam.
Sleep. my little one, slespi
Look. he smiles, and opens his banda
He secs his father In distant IandA.
And kisses him there In . dream.
slssp. slsepI
Father Is over the deep,
Father will come to thee soon.
sa.ep. my pretty one, sleep!
Father will come to his babe in the MAST
Silver sailS all out of the west
Under the silver moon.
Sleep. sleep!
vi.