The poem is remarkable for its sensuality. Gone is the colloquial style, the plain, unadorned language. This is Tennyson pulling out all the stops with passionate intensity, in spite of its rigid structure. It is written in ballad form - alternating lines of iambic tetrametres and iambic trimetres (four beats/three beats in a line) with a regular ababab rhyming scheme. This is predominantly sustained over eleven stanzas, showing Tennyson's technical mastery. Within this tight structure, he weaves a highly sensuous and erotic description of the garden and Maud, as well as conveying the obsessive nature of the narrator's passion.
At this point in the long poem, the intentions of the brother's friend towards Maud are becoming clear and the brother is supporting his claim. He holds a party to which the would-be bridegroom is invited - but our Narrator is not. The narrator stands in the garden as dawn breaks, waiting for Maud to keep her promise to visit him after the party.
MAUD I xxii
i
Come into the garden. Maud,
For the black bat, night, has flown.
Come into the garden, Maud,
I am here at the gate alone;
And the woodbine spices are wafted abroad,
And the musk of the rose is blown.
The coming of dawn is heralded by Venus, the "planet of Love", named after the Roman goddess, being seen in the sky, but her light fading as the sun comes up. The image of Venus lying on a yellow bed fainting is erotic - notice the sun is personified as "his light", making this an overtly sexual reference. The Victorians are characterised as being prudish about sex, at least in public. They were, in fact, highly sexualised, as a glance at their paintings would reveal! They also wrote a lot of pornography.
The narrator has been listening to the sounds of music from the party all night, from his hiding place in the garden and he fancifully imagines the flowers to have been doing the same. "Jessamine" is jasmine - another highly scented flower which symbolises attachment. (See below for a more detailed explanation of the "language of flowers".) At dawn, the party breaks up. Notice the continual use of noun phrases - "waking bird", "setting moon" to paint a detailed picture in a few words.
iv
The narrator now addresses his flowery companions showing his impatience with Maud's absence - and his assumption that she would rather be with him than partying. The party is breaking up, with the guests departing their various ways in their carriages. These few stanzas paint a fascinating portrait of how Victorian society entertained.
The narrator shows his contempt for the party in the world "babble" and for the "lord-lover" who has come to woo Maud in that portmanteau word. He despises him, not only because he presumes to win Maud's love, but because of his status - what was called "noveau riche" - people whose money was acquired through trade and not land. The "lord-lover"'s father was in mining. The "lord" is ironic. The repeated "mine" shows the narrator's growing obsession - and of course, could be a deranged echo of the "lord"'s trade.
The Victorian's had a highly developed "language of love" through flowers. It was a way of signalling one's feelings about another without speaking. So, "forget-me-not", a small, blue flower, meant just that. Roses are the traditional flower of love and passion and have featured in poetry as such since Chaucer in the 14th century at least. A contemporary book on the subject by Kate Greenaway can be found here. Click on the pages to turn them. This tradition was given a recent boost when Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, chose flowers with specific meanings for her bridal bouquet. The "rivulet" that he hears is a cascade running through the grounds of the Hall, from the lake through a meadow and into the wood where they used to meet, a sound he contrasts with the noise of the party. The rivulet is THEIR sound.
vii
He traces the course of the rivulet, imagining that Maud is walking there and as she does so, the earth responds by growing violets (faithfulness) where she steps. This is another common conceit used by poets and can be found in other lyrics, such as William Congreve's "Where'er You Walk" (18th century), made famous by Handel in his oratorio Semele:
Where'er you tread
The Blushing flowers shall rise
And all things flourish
And all things flourish
Where'er you turn your eyes
viii
It appears that the acacia (friendship - too cold?) by the lake, and the scarlet pimpernel (change; assignation) nearby do not react to her passing as the lake is not a place special to them - unlike the roses and lilies (purity; sweetness) in the garden.
ix
The language here is a combination of passion and purity - his passion, her purity, although he of course hopes for the passion to be reciprocated. Although Maud's appearance is idealised, we do learn from these stanzas that she has blonde, curly hair and blue eyes. She is, in fact, quite vividly depicted in the poem as a whole (see Canto I.ii) where we learn that she has a full bottom lip and a slightly curved nose! Maud was modelled on Charlotte Rosa Baring who lived near Tennyson in Spilsby in Lincolnshire and the garden is the garden of her house.
The narrator's growing frustration at Maud's tardiness is echoed by the flowers all around him. The passion-flower (religion and belief) is a plant long associated with Christ's passion, heightening the spiritual fervour he is feeling. The flowers are made up in parts of three and five - the Trinity, the five wounds - head, hands, feet and side. The red rose is passionate in its conviction of her arrival, while the white rose ("I am worthy") cries as she continues to deny him; the larkspur (haughtiness) hears him, but does not respond. The repetition also reflects his increasing impatience.
xii
Some critics interpret the final line as an image of violence. Given the flower imagery that precedes it, I am not convinced that this interpretation is supportable. A vivid and extreme evocation of a man's consuming passion, certainly.
The
repeated entreaty sets the tone of longing which characterises the canto.
The personification of "night" as the alliterative
"black bat" adds to the description of the scene (bats
fly at night) but also conveys that night is over, flown away. Both
"woodbine" (honeysuckle) and roses have strong scents which
are particularly noticeable at night. "Blown" here has
the double meaning of "blown by the wind", as in "wafted",
and finished - roses are described as "blown" when they
are dropping their petals. So we have in this first stanza a suggestion
of an ending - although the narrator is waiting expectantly.
ii
For a breeze of morning moves,
For a breeze of morning moves,
And the planet of Love is on high,
Beginning
to faint in the light that she loves
On a bed of daffodil sky,
To faint
in the light of the sun she loves,
To faint in his light, and to die.
The coming of dawn is heralded by Venus, the "planet of Love", named after the Roman goddess, being seen in the sky, but her light fading as the sun comes up. The image of Venus lying on a yellow bed fainting is erotic - notice the sun is personified as "his light", making this an overtly sexual reference. The Victorians are characterised as being prudish about sex, at least in public. They were, in fact, highly sexualised, as a glance at their paintings would reveal! They also wrote a lot of pornography.
iii
All night
have the roses heard
The flute, violin, bassoon ;
All night
has the casement jessamine stirred
To the dancers dancing in tune ;
Till a
silence fell with the waking bird,
And a hush with the setting moon.
The narrator has been listening to the sounds of music from the party all night, from his hiding place in the garden and he fancifully imagines the flowers to have been doing the same. "Jessamine" is jasmine - another highly scented flower which symbolises attachment. (See below for a more detailed explanation of the "language of flowers".) At dawn, the party breaks up. Notice the continual use of noun phrases - "waking bird", "setting moon" to paint a detailed picture in a few words.
iv
I said to
the lily, ‘There is but one
With whom she has heart to be gay.
When will
the dancers leave her alone ?
She is weary of dance and play.’
Now half
to the setting moon are gone,
And half to the rising day ;
Low on
the sand and loud on the stone
The last wheel echoes away.
The narrator now addresses his flowery companions showing his impatience with Maud's absence - and his assumption that she would rather be with him than partying. The party is breaking up, with the guests departing their various ways in their carriages. These few stanzas paint a fascinating portrait of how Victorian society entertained.
v
I said to
the rose, ‘The brief night goes
In babble and revel and wine.
O young
lord-lover, what sighs are those,
For one that will never be thine ?
But mine,
but mine,’ so I sware to the rose,
‘For ever and ever, mine.’
The narrator shows his contempt for the party in the world "babble" and for the "lord-lover" who has come to woo Maud in that portmanteau word. He despises him, not only because he presumes to win Maud's love, but because of his status - what was called "noveau riche" - people whose money was acquired through trade and not land. The "lord-lover"'s father was in mining. The "lord" is ironic. The repeated "mine" shows the narrator's growing obsession - and of course, could be a deranged echo of the "lord"'s trade.
vi
And the
soul of the rose went into my blood,
As the music clashed in the hall ;
And long
by the garden lake I stood,
For I heard your rivulet fall
From the
lake to the meadow and on to the wood,
Our wood, that is dearer than all ;
The Victorian's had a highly developed "language of love" through flowers. It was a way of signalling one's feelings about another without speaking. So, "forget-me-not", a small, blue flower, meant just that. Roses are the traditional flower of love and passion and have featured in poetry as such since Chaucer in the 14th century at least. A contemporary book on the subject by Kate Greenaway can be found here. Click on the pages to turn them. This tradition was given a recent boost when Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, chose flowers with specific meanings for her bridal bouquet. The "rivulet" that he hears is a cascade running through the grounds of the Hall, from the lake through a meadow and into the wood where they used to meet, a sound he contrasts with the noise of the party. The rivulet is THEIR sound.
vii
From the
meadow your walks have left so sweet
That whenever a March-wind sighs
He sets
the jewel-print of your feet
In violets blue as your eyes,
To the
woody hollows in which we meet
And the valleys of Paradise.
He traces the course of the rivulet, imagining that Maud is walking there and as she does so, the earth responds by growing violets (faithfulness) where she steps. This is another common conceit used by poets and can be found in other lyrics, such as William Congreve's "Where'er You Walk" (18th century), made famous by Handel in his oratorio Semele:
Where'er you tread
The Blushing flowers shall rise
And all things flourish
And all things flourish
Where'er you turn your eyes
viii
The
slender acacia would not shake
One long milk-bloom on the tree ;
The white
lake-blossom fell into the lake
As the pimpernel dozed on the lea ;
But the
rose was awake all night for your sake,
Knowing your promise to me ;
The
lilies and roses were all awake,
They sighed for the dawn and thee.
It appears that the acacia (friendship - too cold?) by the lake, and the scarlet pimpernel (change; assignation) nearby do not react to her passing as the lake is not a place special to them - unlike the roses and lilies (purity; sweetness) in the garden.
ix
Queen
rose of the rosebud garden of girls,
Come hither, the dances are done,
In gloss
of satin and glimmer of pearls,
Queen lily and rose in one ;
Shine
out, little head, sunning over with curls,
To the flowers, and be their sun.
The language here is a combination of passion and purity - his passion, her purity, although he of course hopes for the passion to be reciprocated. Although Maud's appearance is idealised, we do learn from these stanzas that she has blonde, curly hair and blue eyes. She is, in fact, quite vividly depicted in the poem as a whole (see Canto I.ii) where we learn that she has a full bottom lip and a slightly curved nose! Maud was modelled on Charlotte Rosa Baring who lived near Tennyson in Spilsby in Lincolnshire and the garden is the garden of her house.
x
There has
fallen a splendid tear
From the passion-flower at the gate.
She is
coming, my dove, my dear ;
She is coming, my life, my fate ;
The red
rose cries, ‘She is near, she is near ;’
And the white rose weeps, ‘She is late ;’
The
larkspur listens, ‘I hear, I hear ;’
And the lily whispers, ‘I wait.’
The narrator's growing frustration at Maud's tardiness is echoed by the flowers all around him. The passion-flower (religion and belief) is a plant long associated with Christ's passion, heightening the spiritual fervour he is feeling. The flowers are made up in parts of three and five - the Trinity, the five wounds - head, hands, feet and side. The red rose is passionate in its conviction of her arrival, while the white rose ("I am worthy") cries as she continues to deny him; the larkspur (haughtiness) hears him, but does not respond. The repetition also reflects his increasing impatience.
xii
She is
coming, my own, my sweet,
Were it ever so airy a tread,
My heart
would hear her and beat,
Were it earth in an earthy bed ;
My dust
would hear her and beat,
Had I lain for a century dead ;
Would
start and tremble under her feet,
And blossom in purple and red.
The
narrator reaffirms his belief that she will come to him and that however
lightly she were to walk, he would hear her and respond with all his being -
even if he were dead in the ground beneath her feet. This idea is
developed and he imagines himself as "dust" (from whence man
came - as in "dust to dust, ashes to ashes" in the burial
service) and that Maud has the power of resurrection - again, a
Christ-like image. Like Lazarus, he will rise from the dead. The
final line reinforces the flower imagery that has run throughout the poem - his
(brown, dead) "dust" will regrow and bloom in the
colours of his passion and the roses that surround him as he waits.
Some critics interpret the final line as an image of violence. Given the flower imagery that precedes it, I am not convinced that this interpretation is supportable. A vivid and extreme evocation of a man's consuming passion, certainly.
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