Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, was an English poet who lived from 1809 to 1892. He became very famous as the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's time as queen. One of his early works, "Timbuktu," won a special award at Cambridge University when he was just a student.

Tennyson wrote many beloved poems, including “Claribel” and “Mariana,” which many people still read and enjoy today. His poems often told stories with strong pictures in them, and they influenced other artists. He also wrote short, powerful poems like “Break, Break, Break” and “The Charge of the Light Brigade.”

Many of Tennyson's poems used ideas from ancient stories, such as “Ulysses” and “The Lotos-Eaters.” One of his most famous works, “In Memoriam A.H.H.,” was written to honor his friend Arthur Hallam, who passed away young.

Several expressions from Tennyson's poems are still used in everyday English today, such as “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all” and “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” His writings remain well-known and are quoted often.

Biography

Alfred Tennyson was born on 6 August 1809 in Somersby, Lincolnshire, England. He grew up in a middle-class family with a strong background in learning and the arts.

Tennyson studied at King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth and later attended Trinity College, Cambridge. There, he made lifelong friends and began writing poetry. In 1829, he received an award for his poem "Timbuktu." His early poems were published in a collection called Poems by Two Brothers.

After his father passed away, Tennyson returned home to help his family. During this time, he continued to write and published more poems. One of his most famous poems, "The Lady of Shalott," appeared in a book in 1833. In 1850, Tennyson became the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, a job he kept until he passed away in 1892. That same year, he married Emily Sellwood, and they had two sons.

Tennyson wrote many famous poems, including "The Charge of the Light Brigade," which told a story from the Crimean War. He also wrote poems for special occasions and had a long and successful career as a writer.

Tennyson and the Queen

Queen Victoria really liked Alfred Tennyson's poems. After her husband, Albert, Prince Consort, passed away, she found comfort in reading his poem In Memoriam A.H.H.. She wrote in her diary that it made her feel better.

Tennyson met the Queen twice. The first time was in April 1862, and she described him as tall and dark with long hair and a beard. They met again in 1883, and the Queen told him how much his poem had helped her.

The art of Tennyson's poetry

Alfred, Lord Tennyson used many different ideas for his poems, from old stories to myths from ancient Greece and Rome, and even everyday life and nature. He was inspired by poets like John Keats and others who wrote before him. Tennyson was very good at creating rhythm in his poems. For example, the repeating sound in "Break, Break, Break" shows the deep sadness he wanted to express.

Tennyson worked hard on his poems, changing them many times until they were just right. He tried different ways to make his words flow and fit together well. He even tried to use rhythms from old Greek and Latin poems in his writing. His poems often talk about feelings of sadness and loss, which might come from his own experiences with hard times. Some people think he was one of the most sorrowful poets, while others had different opinions about his work. Two of his famous longer poems are Maud and Idylls of the King, which tells the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Influence on Pre-Raphaelite artists

Alfred Tennyson's early poems, with their medieval style and strong pictures, greatly inspired the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. In 1848, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt created a list of great artists they admired, including writers like John Keats and Tennyson. His poem The Lady of Shalott was a favorite subject for paintings by Rossetti, Hunt, John William Waterhouse, and Elizabeth Siddal.

Tennyson heraldry

A special design, called a heraldic achievement, exists for Tennyson. It was shown in a stained-glass window made in 1884 at Trinity College, Cambridge. The design includes symbols like a bend with a chaplet and leopard’s faces. There is also a crest with an arm holding a broken spear and garlands of laurel. Two leopards serve as supporters, and the motto is “Respiciens Prospiciens,” meaning “Looking backwards (is) looking forwards.”

This design is related to the arms of Thomas Tenison, Archbishop of Canterbury, and connects to older families and a bishop from history. The name “Tennyson” means “Denys’s son,” though no family connection has been found.

Works

Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote many famous poems and plays. Some of his well-known works include Poems, Chiefly Lyrical, The Princess: A Medley, and In Memoriam. He also wrote The Charge of the Light Brigade, a powerful poem about a historical battle, and Idylls of the King, a series of poems based on old stories.

Other important works are Enoch Arden, The Holy Grail and Other Poems, and plays like Queen Mary: A Drama about Mary I of England. His last poem, Crossing the Bar, was published near the end of his life.

Musical settings

Many musicians have created songs based on the poems of Alfred, Lord Tennyson. In 1857, a song called "Come Into the Garden, Maud" by Michael William Balfe became very popular. Later, Arthur Somervell used parts of Tennyson's poem Maud to make a song cycle in 1898.

Other composers like Charles Villiers Stanford, Maude Valérie White, and Liza Lehmann also made music from Tennyson's poems. The poem "Crossing the Bar" was set to music by Stanford in 1880. Many famous composers have used the lines "The splendour falls on castle walls" from The Princess in their works. Karl Jenkins also used parts of Tennyson's poem "Ring Out, Wild Bells" in his 1999 piece The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace.

Popular culture

Tennyson's poem "Ulysses" was used in the 2012 James Bond film Skyfall. The character M, played by actress Judi Dench, recited the poem. The film's soundtrack even had a track called "Tennyson," made by composer Thomas Newman.

Arms

Alfred, Lord Tennyson had special symbols and designs that represented his family and titles. These were called arms and were used on coats of armor and other important places. They showed his place and honor in history.