Tennyson: Selected Poetry

by Alfred Tennyson, Jenni Calder (Introduction), W.E. Williams (Editor)

Alfred, Lord Tennyson is among the most beloved English poets of all time. This edition of his selected poems includes classics like:
- " The Lady of Shalott"
- " Charge of the Light Brigade"
- " Maud"
- " Morte d'Arthur"
- " Ulysses"
- " The Lotus Eaters"
Elegantly packaged with a ribbon marker, this volume is the perfect addition to any poetry library.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Victorian, Fiction, Collections, 19th Century, Literature

234 pages, Paperback

Published September 3, 1985

About the author

Works, including In Memoriam in 1850 and "The Charge of the Light Brigade" in 1854, of Alfred Tennyson, first baron, known as lord, appointed British poet laureate in 1850, reflect Victorian sentiments and aesthetics.

Elizabeth Tennyson, wife, bore Alfred Tennyson, the fourth of twelve children, to George Tennyson, clergyman; he inevitably wrote his books. In 1816, parents sent Tennyson was sent to grammar school of Louth.

Alfred Tennyson disliked school so intensely that from 1820, home educated him. At the age of 18 years in 1827, Alfred joined his two brothers at Trinity College, Cambridge and with Charles Tennyson, his brother, published Poems by Two Brothers , his book, in the same year.

Alfred Tennyson published Poems Chiefly Lyrical , his second book, in 1830. In 1833, Arthur Henry Hallam, best friend of Tennyson, engaged to wed his sister, died, and thus inspired some best Ulysses and the Passing of Arthur .

Following William Wordsworth, Alfred Tennyson in 1850 married Emily Sellwood Tenyson, his childhood friend. She bore Hallam Tennyson in 1852 and Lionel Tennyson in 1854, two years later.

Alfred Tennyson continued throughout his life and in the 1870s also to write a number of plays.

In 1884, the queen raised Alfred Tennyson, a great favorite of Albert, prince, thereafter to the peerage of Aldworth. She granted such a high rank for solely literary distinction to this only Englishman.

Alfred Tennyson died at the age of 83 years, and people buried his body in abbey of Westminster.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an old friend; I've been reading it since before I understood half the things he was saying. It's not too often you find verses by one of the grand old masters that inspire similar feelings to those called up by a mug of hot chocolate and a huggable teddy bear.

[Court Schueller · Rating 2 out of 5]

I DID IT I FINISHED THIS BOOK!!! Only took me over a year.

I’ll admit, maybe this one’s on me. Maybe I am not intelligent enough to understand these poems. Or maybe I didn’t give it the time and energy it deserved, but man these made me feel dumb and uninterested. I even love classic novels and poetry, but these ones just weren’t so exciting? Some about King Arthur were interesting and there were definitely a few standouts, but if a book takes me over a year to finish, it’s a no for me.

Gave it 2 stars though bc it was long and when I finally finished it, I felt as though I accomplished something. So that’s nice! Honestly the only reason i finished it today was because I am going on a trip next week and want to save my fun vacation books that are up next for then.

I spent 50 cents on this poetry collection and that’s all I have to say.

[D Hendrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

"... and tho' we are not that strength which in old days
moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak in time and fate, but strong in will
to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield."

It is a testament to the poetry of this Lord Tennyson that I know those lines by heart. Truly, my favorite poets are of Irish extraction but I hold a special place in my heart for the words of Tennyson.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite collection of poetry. Tennyson just speaks to me, for some reason. My first taste of Tennyson was "The Lotus Eaters" which I studied in High School in connection with "The Odyssey." I get warm fuzzies just thinking about Tennyson and Homer.

[Stanky Leg II · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a mix of both great and mediocre poems. The shorter rhythmic poems were the best. Break Break Break, Locksley Hall, and The Charge of The Light Brigade stand out in this way. I didn’t care for the epic verse on Arthurian legend. Kind of boring.

[Ariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Hateful is the dark-blue sky,
Vaulted o'er the dark-blue sea.
Death is the end of life; ah, why
Should life all labour be?
Let us alone.
Time driveth onward fast,
And in a little while our lips are dumb.
Let us alone.
What is it that will last?
All things are taken from us, and become
Portions and parcels of the dreadful Past.
Let us alone.
What pleasure can we have
To war with evil? Is there any peace
In ever climbing up the climbing wave?
All things have rest, and ripen toward the grave
In silence; ripen, fall and cease:
Give us long rest or death, dark death, or dreamful ease."

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of this book provides a convenient structure for my review of it.

Selected. This Penguin Poetry Library edition was first published in 1941, and had an introduction (taken from another book) added to it in 1971. About half of it is taken up with extracts from Idylls of the King, with the other half including many of Tennyson's most famous poems, as well as other pieces and selections from In Memoriam. There are no notes (fair enough: this is not a critical edition) and no editorial apparatus of any kind, beyond an Index of First Lines. Are the poems organized chronologically, or by some other system? What is The Princess, from which ten songs are taken—or indeed what are any of the other larger works from which extracts are included here? Is "Morte d'Arthur" a part of Idylls of the King or a separate poem? Reader: you're on your own.

Poetry. At his best, Tennyson's poetry is gorgeous. Although a few of his long lines edge a little too close to McGonagall territory for my liking, it's a pleasure to let the lyrical beauty of his verse flow over you, especially if you are in the mood for quiet melancholy. I'm not sure what this is meant to be in service of in the case of the songs from The Princess, but on the basis of the poems included here, I'd definitely like to read the whole of In Memoriam. But Tennyson's verse is not only images and feelings: there are occasions and ideas, too ("Locksley Hall" is an intriguingly odd example), and of course stories, most notably on a large scale in the Idylls of the King (which is well worth reading in full) but also in some of the famous anthology pieces, such as "Ulysses".

A great poet, but not a great book. Selected: two stars. Poetry: four, sometimes five.

[Gille Liath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently Tennyson asked that Crossing the Bar should be placed at the end of any anthology of his work, and this selection respects his wish. His godson Hallam, and perhaps the man himself, thought it the best thing he had ever done. It’s a poem where you get the general idea, but its specifics need a bit of explanation: what is the Bar? Why should it ‘moan’? And why hasn’t Tennyson already met his Pilot, before putting out to sea?

Nevertheless it’s a masterly creation of an atmosphere, which as TS Eliot said was Tennyson’s strength. However this selection, made in 1941, majors on his narrative, Arthurian pieces: 60 pages of Enid, 30 of The Holy Grail, 20 of Guinevere. It has only brief excerpts of what now seem his most interesting works, In Memoriam and Maud, and omits things like The Two Voices and The Vision of Sin – both major but dark – altogether. It feels like the official, polite, Poet Laureate Tennyson, rather than the ‘hungry heart’; in fact you could be forgiven for thinking it was compiled with children in mind. The brief Introduction was written much more recently, by someone else entirely, and commends precisely the works that are not included; there are no notes to help the reader with obscurities like those of Crossing the Bar. Overall, the Penguin Classics edition edited by Christopher Ricks is a much better bet.

There are some great poems here, though; Ulysses, for example, is genius. I would rather read that than the Odyssey itself.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tennyson is one of those hoary old English poets that seem like they wouldn't have much to say to today's readers, and so for years I had ignored his work. That was a big mistake, since there's a lot more to this writer than "Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward" and voluminous facial hair.

Although this small volume presents only small samplings of Tennyson's complete body of work, some of the excerpts from his longer poems are quite riveting, particularly those that are drawn from Idylls of the King, his cycle of narrative poems built around the Arthurian mythos. Tennyson manages to inject the familiar world of the Round Table with new energy derived from his vigorous blank verse, delivered in a boldly rhythmic style that remains highly readable more than one hundred years after it was written.

There are many other standouts in these pages, such as "Ulysses" and "The Voyage of Maeldune", and I'll be re-visiting this volume again, simply to revel in the rich music of Tennyson's powerful poetic voice.

[Ray's Artshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Be near me when my light is low,
__When the blood creeps, and the nerves prick
__And tingle; and the heart is sick,
And all the wheels of Being slow.

(from 'In Memoriam A.H.H.')

A good, small volume of selections from Tennyson's poetry. Brief passages only from larger works, and no critical notes, etc.

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Pure lilies of eternal peace,
Whose odours haunt my dreams"

-page 73 from 'Sir Galahad'

[Jen Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stirring poetry.

[Magid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like I said, I'm just not that interested in 19th Century culture.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have carried this used PB copy for years in my car, boat, in house...read at river, on porch, travelling...essential!

[Jennelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tennyson is one of my favorite poets!