The Record of a Spiritual Struggle

【Abstract】“I envy not in any moods” is the twenty-seventh stanza of the In Memoriam A.H.H， written by Alfred Tennyson （l809-1892）. Thackeray once asked， “if we love still those we lose， can we altogether lose those we love？” Poet Laureate Tennyson gave his answer in this poem. “Tis better to have loved and lost /Than never to have loved at all.” True love is last， true life is born of death. It is the experience of love and being loved that matters in life.

【Key words】In Memoriam A.H.H； Spirit Struggle； Love； Death

【作者簡介】劉會嫻（1997- ），女，漢族，河南安陽人，河南師范大學，本科，研究方向：英語語言學。

Since its first publication in 1850， In Memoriam A.H.H has been the treasure-house of felicitous expressions and deepest thoughts. Poem 27 is one of the most frequently quoted poems. A study of Tennyson’s “I envy not in any moods” must be as truly a study of the age and backgrounding. This stanza was written in Victorian era which witnessed resistance to the rationalism that defined the Georgian period and an increasing turn towards romanticism and mysticism with regard to religion， social values， and arts. As for the poet Tennyson， this poem is a requiem for the poet’s beloved friend Arthur Henry Hallam， who died suddenly in 1833. The very memory of such an affection as he had cherished for Hallam is an inspiration to record the way of the soul. This section brings us to the first Christmas which occurred after the death of Hallam. Thus far the poet has avowed his purpose to cherish with unabating tenderness the memory of the lost has given utterance to the thought.

This poem is composed of four exquisite stanzas. In the first stanza， the speaker expressed his opinion toward caged linnet. It deserves no love for it lacks the noble rage and is full of void all the time. Since the linnet never attempts to fly， it never has the ability to appreciate the splendid view of summer woods. In the following stanza， although wild beast tends to be able to hold all things in its hands， it never sets principles to behave itself and never fells guilty for the sorrow that it has caused for others. What is more， even though it can maintain a quiet mind state and be called happiness by the beholders， the heart that has not fallen into love and makes no vow is not complete. In the last stanzas， the poet presents his meditation toward love and loss. If people have experienced love， they attain the greatest happiness from the process of love even with the pain the loss of death. Though death does separate our beloved people or things from ourselves， forever love exists. Then love can pass with the pure soul， beyond death and become immortal.

The Book of Changes records that poets express their feelings and thoughts by way of images. Tennyson is such a great master in utilizing these effective details so as to figure vivid images. In this poem， a series of images in the four stanzas form a sharp contrast. The caged linnet and the beast are totally different. The former tends to be gentler and prefers to keep quiet in the cage instead of flying to the forest. In daily life， there are people who are afraid of love and being loved thinking that by this way they can escape the pain of loss. However， the beast comes to another pole of love which attempts to love and control everything. The caged linnet and the beast are natural images and the lazy heart are social images. Tennyson develops his meditation from the scene in the（去掉） nature to the social problems.

The objective of the poem is to record the spiritual struggle of Tennyson. It is written in the first Christmas after Hallam?s death. We can find how a human soul， stricken with the burden of a crowning sorrow， may pass in the process of restoration and recovery. It stands inseparably related to what is deepest and most vital in the thought of its time.

Conclusion

Just as T.S. Eliot said， “In In Memoriam， that Tennyson finds full expression. Its technical merit alone is enough to ensure its perpetuity.” His deep meditation thoughts were suggested and ripened which were to be a power on his fellows. To him， it was merely given to catch from the heights of poetic vision the first gleams of the dawn. His poem， the record of his spiritual struggle found and led his age. That is the power of poem and literature.

References：

[1]Anna Barton.（2012）.Alfred Lord Tennyson’s ‘In Memoriam’ Edinburgh：Edinburgh University Press.

[2]Kerry，M，Robert，B.（1982）.Tennyson：The Unquiet Heart.The Modern Language Review.

[3]Sean Shesgreen.（2009）.Canonizing the Canonizer：A Short History of The Norton Anthology of English Literature.Critical Inquiry.