44 



Lord Raglan addressed the memorable words "Well done, 

 Scarlett." Tennyson's battle pieces are inferior to the martial 

 odes of Campbell. " Balin and Balan" were intended to form 

 an introduction to " Merhn and Vivien " of the poet's earlier 

 work the " Idylls of the King." The romances gathering round 

 the Knights of the Round Table still retain their fascination for 

 the Laureate. The perpetual reappearance of that group of 

 legends is most remarkable. In no case have they been presented 

 with a completeness or depth of thought equal to the productions 

 of Tennyson. The " age of chivalry is gone," but the Laureate 

 by the mysterious magic of his music and the sweet voice of his 

 song has done much to restore in England the memory of the 

 ancient British Knights with their lofty ideal and the respect 

 that ideal inculcated for woman. Love and war are the two 

 great subjects on which our poets have loved to dwell. In nearly 

 all the 20 compositions in the volume the vision of death appears. 

 This characteristic of the work is somewhat in sympathy with a 

 passage in one of the last of Bacon's Essays, where he shews 

 that although prosperity is the distinguishing blessing of the Old 

 Testament, yet even there " if you Hsten to David's harp you 

 shall hear as many hearse-hke airs as carols." In these poems 

 the element of human reference is very noticeable. Skill in the 

 mystery of difficult dialects was shewn in two of the poems. A 

 Dublin paper was constrained to admit that Tennyson in 

 "To-morrow" had displayed an almost perfect acquaintance 

 with the Irish peasant dialect of EngHsh. The " Spinster's 

 sweet-arts," written in the North Lincolnshire dialect will rank 

 as one of his most successful character sketches. It is a quaint 

 concert, full of turns of richest humour. The author's faculty 

 of describing nature is conspicuous throughout the book. The 

 lyric "Early Spring" is a good example of this. There are 

 many similarities of thought and diction between the new volume 

 and Tennyson's earlier works. Evidently " the crescent promise 

 of the poet's spirit hath not set, ancient founts of inspiration well 

 thro' all his fancy yet." The publication of the volume is not 

 likely to add to or diminish the author's fame. The work shews 

 the comprehensiveness of the Laureate's talents, and proves that 

 the "sunset of life gives him mystical lore." Take Tennyson 

 either in his earlier or later poems, and in any of his varying 

 moods; you may indulge in the luxury of melancholy, may 

 linger in a delicious regret for the past, or weave fine visions of 

 the future. And still will sound through all, the words in the 

 dialogue between the poet and Irene : — 



" The man remains, and whatsoe'er 



He wrought of good or brave 

 Will mould him tlaro' the cycle year 

 That dawns behind the grave." 



I 



