Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-02-14
LECTURE ON "HOLY GRAIL

on Tennyson's Holy Grail in
Friends Westinghouse, Fourth and
West streets, last night week. The lecf
turer interspersed his remarks with
readings from the poem. Following
are notes from the lecture;
The cycle Of twelve noble poemst
which Tennysou wove around King \
Arthur cannot easily he considered as L
separate works of art. They must be
taken as a whole to appreciate them.
We do not know whether Tennyson n
most delighted In the underlying alle-
CORY or in the story as a story. Some
critics agree that the whole cycle is an \
allegory, Arthur signifying conscience I
and Merlin intellect.
BY other critics the allegory has heen
wholly denied. They say the real In.
| terest lies in the story itself. The
truth lies between the two extremes.
1t ia all right to make Arthur typify
| the conscience and Merlin the intel
lect, but Launcelot and Guinevere are
| too human to be considered alegori-
cally. There is no doubt that parts Of
| the poem were written for allegury,
but thrnughout the poem the story isS
told for the sake OF the story itself. N
The allegory is palmer in the first di-'
| vision OF the poem, ''The Coming Of
| Arthur" the doubts as to Arthur's
birth being equivalent to the doubts ina
scientific age Of the origin and 4
authority of conscience whether 1t Is AL
| God-g given feeling or AN hereditary in
stinct. We do not decide whether thef
Coming OF Arthur is wholly alle-
goricsl. The whole plot Of the story n
revolves on the faithlessness of Guiue-s
we're and Launoelot, which is full of"
human interest.
/ W. ..unzt koi.~ ada,..;.x 81 a esotal.y
leotual gifts which Tennyson used irl
this Arthurian cycle. yet We know that
he failed to successfully combine story
and allegory. Stopford Brooke says
that the Holy Grail is pure and
faultless allegory without flaw.
In 1885 Caxton printed Sir Thomas
Mallory's "Morte D'Arthur, :" and from
this source Tennyson chiefly drew his
materials. Mallory gives Arthur al
frankly human character with more
glorious side, while Tennyson clinga
to the glorious and spiritual character.
Istics Of Arthur and makes him less
human and less real than does Mallory
The origin Of the story Of the Holy
Grail" is lost in obsourity but it is
probably of Fagan origin. The Holy
Grail. . was the cup which caught the
last DROPS of Jesus blood as he hung
GU the cross. u
1.-THE good saint,
Arimathean Joseph, journeying brought
To Glastonbury, where the winter thorn
Blossoms at Christmas, mindful Of our Lord,
And there awhile it bode; and II man Z
Could touch or see it, he was healed at once
4 By faith, Of all ills. But then the times
, Grew TO such evil that the holy cup
, Was caught to Heaven, and disappeared"
Hence the pretext for its search by
brave and valorous knights. The
knights of the Round Table, smurting
, from the corrupt and evil times, hoped
/ to regain honor and purity by
asceticism. Their Ill success is the
thread of the poem. The central
thought of the poem is the inferiority
! Of ascetism. Percival, the pure and
holy knight dwelling IN visions and
!, dreams, tells tho plain ana hrmely little
: monk Ambrosius that the .'Huly
i Grail is not visionary cup. buta
! real one which his sister nun has
: seen, made worthy Of this holy sight
I by fasting and prayer. The boyish
= knight Sir Gaahad goes to see the
! pure and lovely nun ana thus becomes
! enthused. Then there comes year OF
i mystery. There is chair in Arihur's
! Hall called the ''Siege psrilous. " He
4 who sits in this chair looses himself.
/ Then Sir Galahad cried:
4 IL iose myself, save myself, ana sau
down in Merlin's chair,
: And in the blast there smote along the hall
4 beam of light seven times more clear than
U day; it.- l- a tg.. ~
/ And down the long beam stole the Holy
a All over covered with luminous cloud
n And Lone might see who bare it, and 10
past.
= Then many knights swear to find this
: CUP and depart Tor years journey.
:, Sir Perciyal tells Of his warderings,
/ how he tried by many ways to find the
right way, but did not succeed until he
!, passed through the valley Of humility
- and forgot self. And then he finds Sir
Galahad who has lost himself to eavo
himself and with whom the Holy Cup
goes always. Peroival tells how Sir
= Bors. who did not seek the cup +
= himself but for Launcelot, is permitted
!. to see it. Launcelot's reply to til |,
= kings question whether he has seen
y the Grail, is the finest part Of tito
poem. The vision co mes to each knight
10 manner 10 keeping with his
Z, . character. Then the king, 10 his adj =
4 dress to his returned knight, voices the
i thought of the poem, that it is better
! to follow the humble duties at hand
\ than to seek visions, aud that to those
:, who live the humble life the beatitc
Z visions will come.
i And some among you held, that If the
:. King -
3 Had seen the sight, he would have sworn
u the vow; s.f.
70 Not easily seeing that the King must guard
lr That which he rules, and isbut as the hind
!, 10 whom space OF land is given to plough,
Is Who may not wander from the allotted. field
II Before his work be done; but, being done,
~ Let visions Of the night or OF the day
- Come, as they will and many time they
], come,
y Until this earth he walks on seems not
Is earth,
q This light that strikes his eyeball is not
/. light,
IN This air that strikes his forehead is not air
= But vision-yea his very hands and feet
Z In moments when he feels he cannot die,
- And knows himself no vision to himself.
Nor the high God vision. nor that One
Who rose again; ye have seen what ye have
o SEEM
Ia Lowell expressed the same sentiment
IS In Sir Launfal," and While there is
W nothing orr ,inal In these thoughts We
j. are grateful to poet who has put
a them in such burning words.
1