The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1920-03-26
GRAND OLD MEN.
Alfred Tennyson.

Alfred Tennyson, the most repre-
sentative poet of the Victorian age,
lived to the extreme age of eighty
three, and for three score and ten
of these years the poet vas almost
constantly employed in enriching
English literature. His first poems
were written when he was a school
boy, and the year of his death, 1892,
saw the publication of a volume of
his latest poems, death of Aenone
and Other Poems."
Three years before the publication
Of this volume. when Tennyson was
eighty wears of age he presented to
the public his more pretentiOus
"Demster and Other POEMS" The
general tone of criticism was graft
flying, and to the effect that the
poems were wonderful productions
for a man Of four score years that
they were especially remarkable for
rhythm and strength, and ~closepack-
ed diction, and that there was
throughout a trustful peace and resig-
nation in the evening of life, which
touched the heart of the "great pub
lic."
In this year also was published the
three interesting poems, ITO Edward
Lear" "The Daisy" and 1.-THE Pal
ace of Art" The publishers accept
ed the book on condition that zone
hundred copies were signed by Lord
Tennyson," and although he was
averse to complying, he did so out of
his affection of Mr.. Lear, who illus
trated his 1.-The Palace of Art"
Tennyson wrote his beautiful po-
EN-, Crossing the Bar"-one of the
most sublime short poems in the Eng
lish language, in his eighty-irst
year., on a day in October, says his
son, when we came from Aldworth
to Farringford. Before reaching
Farringofrd he had the "Moaning of
the Bar in his mind, and after din
ner he showed me this poem written
out"
After the son read the poem he
said to his father: "This is the row
of your LIES work" To this Ten
nyson replied: ut came in a mo-
ment. Put Crossing the Bar at the
end of all editions of my POEMS"
Tennyson spent the last few years
of his life entertaining friends, with
a walk of an hour and a half to two
hours before luncheon, which were
generally taken along the Downs and
in reading many books, mostly fiction.
His favorite writer was Thackeray,
but he was also very fond of the nov
els by Sir Walter Scott and Jane
Austen.
Tennyson's eighty-second winter
was spent in a revision of his poems
for a new single volume edition. He
walked regularly for an hour and a
half on fine days, and on stormy days
paced up and down the music room
or practiced gymnastic exercises with
his legs and arms.
At this time his son wrote of him !:
AT eighty-two father preserved the
high spirits of youth. He would de-
fly his friends to get up twenty times
quickly from a low chair without
touching it with their hands, while
he was performing this feat himself,
and one afternoon he had a long
waltz with M--in the ball
room.
Tennyson, in his last years, vas
very IOHu VI WfllHiS pUciHo W q HC"
meter, and as an example is his "Ak-
hairs Dream" written the year he
died. The fine poem vas followed
by "Kapiolani" and "Whirl and Fol-
low the Sum-" The latter was the
last poem Tennyson finished. The
great poet breathed his last on Oc-
tober 9Th, 1892, at 1885 in the
morning.-N. o. States.