THE LOTUS-EATERS. 247 



No reader of English poetry but is familiar with Tennyson's 

 " Lotus-Eaters " -a poem founded on the old myth of a people 

 who lived upon the insane root that takes the reason prisoner, 

 and, beguiled by its sweet intoxication, abandoned themselves 

 to a state of dreamy repose. 



" And round about the keel with faces pale, 

 Dark faces, pale against that rosy flame, 

 The mild-eyed, melancholy Lotus-eaters carnc. 



" Branches they bore of that enchanted stem, 

 Laden with flower and fruit, whereof they gave 

 To each, but whoso did receive of them, 

 And taste, to him the gushing of the wave 

 Far, far away did seem to mourn and rave 

 On alien shores ; and if his fellow spake, 

 His voice was thin, as voices from the grave ; 

 And deep asleep he seemed, yet all awake, 

 And music in his ears his beating heart did make. 



"They sat them down upon the yellow sand, 

 Between the sun and moon upon the shore ; 

 And sweet it was to dream of Fatherland, 

 Of wife, and child, and slave ; but evermore 

 Most weary seemed the sea, weary the oar, 

 Weary the wandering fields of barren foam. 

 Then some one said, ' We will return no more j ' 

 And all at once they sang, ' Our island home 

 Is far beyond the wave ; we will no longer roam.' " 



But the lotus of poetry is not the NelumUum speciosum. 

 There is some difficulty in identifying it with any modern 

 plant ; but the general opinion seems to be, that it was the 

 Zizyphus lotus, a species allied to the Zizyphus jujuba, and 

 included in the Buckthorn family (Rhamnacea). 



