Understanding - 'Break, Break, Break' by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

#'Break, Break, Break' by Alfred, Lord Tennyson  

#ALFREDTENNYSON (1809-1892) (#Victorian Age)

The Victorian Age in English literature refers to the period during the reign of Queen Victoria, from 1837 to 1901. It was a time of great change in England because of industrial growth, scientific discoveries, and social reforms. Literature of this age reflects these changes.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, is one of the most iconic poets of the Victorian era.

 

 

Tennyson lived a long life, continuing to write prolifically. He became a beloved and revered figure, a kind of national treasure. He eventually even got a title and became Lord Tennyson, sitting in the House of Lords.

Early Life

• Tennyson was born on 6 August 1809 in the village of Somersby, England.
• He was the fourth of twelve children in a large family.
• His father, George Clayton Tennyson, was a clergyman and encouraged his children's interest in literature.
• Tennyson began writing poetry at a very young age.

Education

• He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge.
• At Cambridge, he became friends with a brilliant young man named Arthur Henry Hallam.
• This friendship deeply influenced his life and poetry.

A Great Personal Tragedy
The most important event in Tennyson's life was the sudden death of his close friend Arthur Hallam in 1833. Hallam died at the age of only twenty-two.
Tennyson was heartbroken. He mourned his friend for many years, and this sorrow inspired one of his greatest works, the long poem In Memoriam A.H.H.. In this poem, Tennyson reflects on grief, faith, doubt, and the meaning of life.

Literary Success

• Tennyson gradually became the most respected poet in England.
• In 1850, after the death of William Wordsworth, he was appointed Poet Laureate by Queen Victoria.
• As Poet Laureate, he wrote poems for important national occasions.

Some of his famous works include:

• In Memoriam A.H.H.
• The Charge of the Light Brigade
• Ulysses
• The Lady of Shalott
• Idylls of the King 

"Break, Break, Break" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson is one of his most beloved and poignant short poems, often read as a direct expression of his grief after the death of his dear friend, Arthur Henry Hallam. "Break, Break, Break" can be classified as an elegy on the subject of Tennyson's feelings about Hallam.
Elegy:

Elegy is a poem that reflects and describes the dead. It is mostly written about a person who is near and dear to the author. Other examples of the elegy includes:

1. In Memory of W.B Yeats by W. H. Auden
2. O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman

It is a powerful and very personal poem about grief, loss, and the stark contrast between the unchanging, indifferent natural world and the profound pain of human sorrow. The poem was written in the 1830s, one of Tennyson’s many poetic responses to the premature death of his best friend Henry Hallam. It records his inarticulacy of heartbreak, on a walk along the seashore.

 Stanza 1:

Break, break, break,

On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!

And I would that my tongue could utter

The thoughts that arise in me.

• "Break, break, break,": This repetition immediately sets a rhythm, mimicking the relentless sound of waves crashing. It's a harsh, almost desperate sound.
• "On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!": The sea is personified here, addressed directly. It's described as "cold" and "gray," reflecting the speaker's own emotional state. There's a sense of indifference from nature.
• "And I would that my tongue could utter / The thoughts that arise in me.": This is the core of the speaker's struggle. He's overwhelmed with "thoughts" (which we understand to be feelings of grief and sorrow), but he can't articulate them. The pain is too deep for words.

Stanza 2:

    O well for the fisherman's boy,
    That he shouts with his sister at play!
     O well for the sailor lad,

    That he sings in his boat on the bay!

• Here, the speaker observes other people around him. He sees a "fisherman's boy" and his sister playing, full of innocent joy and shouts. He sees a "sailor lad" singing happily in his boat.
• "O well for...": This isn't necessarily envy, but rather a emotional observation of others experiencing normal, joyful life. It highlights the speaker's isolation in his grief. Their happiness is a stark contrast to his own inability to feel anything but sorrow.

Stanza 3:

And the stately ships go on
To their haven under the hill;
But O for the touch of a vanish'd hand,

And the sound of a voice that is still!

• "And the stately ships go on / To their haven under the hill;": Again, life continues for others. Ships, symbols of travel, commerce, and purpose, are moving smoothly towards their safe destinations ("haven"). This further emphasizes that the world keeps turning, even in his personal tragedy.
• "But O for the touch of a vanish'd hand, / And the sound of a voice that is still!": This is the heartbreaking core of his longing. He yearns for the physical presence of the lost one – the warmth of a hand that is now gone, the comfort of a voice that is now silent. This direct, simple expression of loss is incredibly powerful.

Stanza 4:

  Break, break, break,
  At the foot of thy crags, O Sea!
  But the tender grace of a day that is dead

  Will never come back to me.

• "Break, break, break, / At the foot of thy crags, O Sea!": The poem returns to the opening image of the crashing waves. The "crags" suggest the rugged, unyielding nature of the shore, mirroring the unyielding nature of his grief.
• "But the tender grace of a day that is dead / Will never come back to me.": This final couplet is devastating. The "tender grace of a day that is dead" refers to the past joy, the companionship, the beauty of his friendship with Hallam. He acknowledges that, unlike the waves which keep coming, or the ships which reach their destination, his lost happiness is gone forever. It's a statement of absolute, unchangeable loss.