The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-07
THE BEGINNINGS OF TENNY.
SONS I'm MEMORIAM."

Emotions wordless thoughts. They
lie very near to our intuitions. In every
human bosom dwels the capacity for real
izing the fenceiess and shoreless Infinite
which everywhere surrounds us. This is
the real meaning of that scripture, I'm the
image OF God created He him." But we
human creatures lack the power of ex-
preston. although occasionally some great
sculptor, painter or poet comes along and
gives voice to these "longings, strivings,
yearnings" which dwell in every human
bosom. This is especially true of music,
which. more than any other of the fine
arts. is Gods language. For this reason
we have in Break, break, break" the first
study of Tennyson in and for his great
In Memoriam," which was given to the
world fifteen years later. Everybody has
1t by heart:
Break. break, break,
on thy cold, gray stones, o Sea!
And L would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise in me.
What thoughts? Thoughts concerning
that mystery that we in our ignorance per-
sonalize and name God. thoughts about the
hereafter. thoughts about 1.-The abysmal
deeps of personality thoughts about life
and its meaning and the great world of hu-
manity, with it's inexpressibie joys and
mysterious woes which everywhere crowd
in upon US. These moods "of the tender
grace of a day that is dead,'' or 'the touch
of a vanished hand" and 1.-THE sound of a
voice that is still are universal. and the
In Memoriam is an effort to put them
into language
The great poem, THE Two Voices" was
published in 1892, and in one of my editions
of the poet, purchased in India, in a foot
note after the title, occur the words, Writ
ten in season of great mental depres-
sion" THE Two Voices is really the ''In
Memoriam' in the small. In 624 lines the
poet shows us the beginning Of the greater
poem of 2,S40 lines. While the thread of
the argument is different, the question dis
cussed is the same: Does death end ALP"
There was never better study in the pre-
liminary enigma. What is death? than we
have here. Let me quote If somewhat at
large:
The sap dries up: the plant declines
A deeper tale my heart divines
Know l not Death? the outward signs?
found him when my years were few;
A shadow on the graves l knew.
And darkness in the village yew.
From grave to grave thu shadow crept:
In her still place the morning went:
Touched by his feet the daisy slept.
The simple senses crowned his head:
Omega! Thou art Lord" they said:
I'VE md no motion in the dead"
Why. II man rot in dreamless ease
Should that plain fact as taught by these
Not make him sure that he shall cease?
Who forged that other influence,
That heat of inward evidence.
BY which he doubts against the sense7
effe ba oha
His heart forehodes mystery:
He names the name Eternity.
That type OF Perfect in his mind
In Nature can he nowhere find.
He sows himself on every wind.
He seems to hear Heavenly Friend
And through thick wells 10 apprehend
labor working to an end.
He knows baseness I'm his blood
At such strange war with something good,
He may not do the thing he would.
Vast images in glimmering dawn.
Half shown. are broken and withdrawn.
All, sure within him and without
Could his dark wisdom find IL out
There must be answer to his doubt.
These lines suggest the profound and far
reaching question, Does not man make his
religion as he makes his literatures. gov
ernments, arts and sciences? Is not the
process. after all, evolutionary? What is
Revelation except the utterances OF great