lord alfred tennyson, poems

8/10/2019 Lord Alfred Tennyson, Poems

1/6

Alfred Lord Tennyson 1809 1892

Ulysses (1842)

It little prots that an idle king

!y this still hearth a"ong these #arren

$rags%at$h&d 'ith an aged 'ife I "ete and

dole

ne*al la's *nto a sa+age ra$e

That hoard and sleep and feed and

kno' not "e,

I $annot rest fro" tra+el- I 'ill drink

Life to the lees- All ti"es I ha+e en.oy&d

/reatly ha+e s*er&d greatly #oth 'ith

thoseThat lo+ed "e and alone on shore and

'hen

Thro& s$*dding drifts the rainy yades

e3t the di" sea- I a" #e$o"e a na"e

5or al'ays roa"ing 'ith a h*ngry heart

%*$h ha+e I seen and kno'n $ities of

"en

And "anners $li"ates $o*n$ils

go+ern"ents

%yself not least #*t hono*r&d of the"all

And dr*nk delight of #attle 'ith "y

peers

5ar on the ringing plains of 'indy Troy,

I a" a part of all that I ha+e "et

6et all e3perien$e is an ar$h 'herethro&

/lea"s that *ntra+ell&d 'orld 'hose

"argin fades

5or e+er and fore+er 'hen I "o+e,

o' d*ll it is to pa*se to "ake an endTo r*st *n#*rnish&d not to shine in *se7

As tho& to #reathe 'ere life7 Life piled on

life

ere all too little and of one to "e

Little re"ains- #*t e+ery ho*r is sa+ed

5ro" that eternal silen$e so"ething

"ore

A #ringer of ne' things and +ile it 'ere

5or so"e three s*ns to store and hoard

"yself

And this gray spirit yearning in desire

To follo' kno'ledge like a sinking star

:;< = >?@BCDE> ?BF=B D?BG BE;HJ=H@BEPRG [E:=B Q=N>E:B >:?B =B B_:@B =DB

BNFPR? OPNUO=:B

?FBQ


2/6

!eyond the *t"ost #o*nd of h*"an

tho*ght,

This is "y son "ine o'n Tele"a$h*s

To 'ho" I lea+e the s$eptre and the isle

b

ellclo+ed of "e dis$erning to f*llThis la#o*r #y slo' pr*den$e to "ake

"ild

A r*gged people and thro& soft degrees

*#d*e the" to the *sef*l and the good,

%ost #la"eless is he $entred in the

sphere

f $o""on d*ties de$ent not to fail

In o$es of tenderness and pay

%eet adoration to "y ho*sehold godshen I a" gone, e 'orks his 'ork I

"ine,

There lies the port the +essel p*s her

sail-

There gloo" the dark #road seas, %y

"ariners

o*ls that ha+e toil&d and 'ro*ght and

tho*ght 'ith "eb

That e+er 'ith a froli$ 'el$o"e tookThe th*nder and the s*nshine and

opposed

5ree hearts free foreheadsbyo* and I

are old

ld age hath yet his hono*r and his toil

eath $loses all- #*t so"ething ere the

end

o"e 'ork of no#le note "ay yet #e

done

ot *n#e$o"ing "en that stro+e 'ith/ods,

The lights #egin to t'inkle fro" the

ro$ks-

The long day 'anes- the slo' "oon

$li"#s- the deep

%oans ro*nd 'ith "any +oi$es, o"e

"y friends

&Tis not too late to seek a ne'er 'orld,

j*sh o and sitting 'ell in order s"ite

The so*nding f*rro's for "y p*rposeholds

To sail #eyond the s*nset and the #aths

B < ;

HJ BPB:EBPR B?UEYNV? N_B? =>

m>;;ME B?>B:?> - PB SUR

P>?M CV?DG, ^KMP> C:K? >:?B D?B N< ?D< QH=< ?B _MX,

=NEYXP> PEEMS=B REVQZG QBE@MG NXBUD?>BNH JEH?< QB = UDKRR

?B = ?B _MX> ?B E> QB ?B =R?


3/6

f all the 'estern stars *ntil I die,

It "ay #e that the g*lfs 'ill 'ash *s

do'n-

It "ay #e 'e shall to*$h the appy Isles

And see the great A$hilles 'ho" 'e

kne',Tho& "*$h is taken "*$h a#ides and

tho&

e are not no' that strength 'hi$h in

old days

%o+ed earth and hea+en that 'hi$h 'e

are 'e are

ne e*al te"per of heroi$ hearts

%ade 'eak #y ti"e and fate #*t strong

in 'ill

To stri+e to seek to nd and not toyield,

NBEBPRU>:,


4/6

Break, break, break

!reak #reak #reak

n thy $old gray stones ea7

And I 'o*ld that "y tong*e $o*ld

*tter

The tho*ghts that arise in "e,

'ell for the sher"anqs #oy

That he sho*ts 'ith his sister at

play7

'ell for the sailor lad

That he sings in his #oat on the

#ay7

And the stately ships go on

To their ha+en *nder the hill

!*t for the to*$h of a +anished

hand

And the so*nd of a +oi$e that is

still7

!reak #reak #reak

At the foot of thy $rags ea7

!*t the tender gra$e of a day that is

dead

ill ne+er $o"e #a$k to "e,

Crossing the Bar

*nset and e+ening star

And one $lear $all for "e7

And "ay there #e no "oaning of

the #ar

hen I p*t o*t to sea

!*t s*$h a tide as "o+ing see"s

asleep

Too f*ll for so*nd and foa"

hen that 'hi$h dre' fro" o*t the

#o*ndless deep

T*rns again ho"e,

T'ilight and e+ening #ell

And after that the dark7

And "ay there #e no sadness of

fare'ell

hen I e"#ark


5/6

5or thoq fro" o*t o*r #o*rne of Ti"e

and jla$e

The ood "ay #ear "e far

I hope to see "y jilot fa$e to fa$e

hen I ha+e $rost the #ar,

Tears, Idle Tears

Tears idle tears I kno' not 'hat

they "ean

Tears fro" the depth of so"e di+ine

despair

ise in the heart and gather to the

eyes

In looking on the happy A*t*"nc

elds

And thinking of the days that are no

"ore,

5resh as the rst #ea" glittering on

a sail

That #rings o*r friends *p fro" the

*nder'orld

ad as the last 'hi$h reddens o+er

one

That sinks 'ith all 'e lo+e #elo'

the +erge

o sad so fresh the days that are

no "ore,

Ah sad and strange as in dark

s*""er da'ns

The earliest pipe of halfca'akened

#irds

To dying ears 'hen *nto dying eyes

The $ase"ent slo'ly gro's a

gli""ering s*areo sad so strange the days that

are no "ore,

ear as re"e"#ered kisses after

death

And s'eet as those #y hopeless

fan$y feigned

n lips that are for others deep as

lo+e

eep as rst lo+e and 'ild 'ith allregret

eath in Life the days that are no


6/6

"ore,

lord alfred tennyson, poems

Documents