Since we had Alfred the Tennyson for last week's Poetry Monday, how about an elegy for him?
Death and Burial of Lord Tennyson
Alas! England now mourns for her poet that’s gone—
The late and the good Lord Tennyson.
I hope his soul has fled to heaven above,
Where there is everlasting joy and love.
He was a man that didn’t care for company,
Because company interfered with his study,
And confused the bright ideas in his brain,
And for that reason from company he liked to abstain.
He has written some fine pieces of poetry in his time,
Especially
the May Queen, which is really sublime;
Also the gallant
charge of the Light Brigade—
A most heroic poem, and beautifully made.
He believed in the Bible, also in Shakespeare,
Which he advised young men to read without any fear;
And by following the advice of both works therein,
They would seldom or never commit any sin.
Lord Tennyson’s works are full of the scenery of his boyhood,
And during his life all his actions were good;
And Lincolnshire was closely associated with his history,
And he has done what Wordsworth did for the Lake Country.
His remains now rest in Westminster Abbey,
And his funeral was very impressive to see;
It was a very touching sight, I must confess,
Every class, from the Queen, paying a tribute to the poet’s greatness.
The pall-bearers on the right of the coffin were Mr W. E. H. Lecky,
And Professor Butler, Master of Trinity, and the Earl of Rosebery;
And on the left were Mr J. A. Froude and the Marquis of Salisbury,
Also Lord Selborne, which was an imposing sight to see.
There were also on the left Professor Jowett,
Besides Mr Henry Whyte and Sir James Paget,
And the Marquis of Dufferin and the Duke of Argyll,
And Lord Salisbury, who seemed melancholy all the while.
The chief mourners were all of the Tennyson family,
Including the Hon. Mr and Mrs Hallam Tennyson, and Masters Lionel and Aubrey,
And Mr Arthur Tennyson, and Mr and Mrs Horatio Tennyson;
Also Sir Andrew Clark, who was looking woe begone.
The bottom of the grave was thickly strewn with white roses,
And for such a grave kings will sigh where the poet now reposes;
And many of the wreaths were much observed and commented upon,
And conspicuous amongst them was one from Mrs Gladstone.
The Gordon boys were there looking solemn and serene,
Also Sir Henry Ponsonby to represent the Queen;
Likewise Henry Irving, the great tragedian,
With a solemn aspect, and driving his brougham.
And, in conclusion, I most earnestly pray,
That the people will erect a
monument for him without delay,
To commemorate the good work he has done,
And his name in gold letters written thereon!
—William McGonagall
Okay, I jest, in the sense that a sucker punch is a joke. That's not an elegy — it's newspaper verse, in the sense that the poetaster, per his standard operating procedure, ripped his material from the headlines, versifying (I use the term advisedly) the newspaper article in hand as he went. If anyone here actually read all the way through that — and yes, I say this as a challenge — give yourself a pat on the back and/or a stiff drink. I have to admit, though, that what bugs me the most about this … production … is the missing article at the start of the title.
(Why pick out "The May Queen" of all poems? -- It's decidedly minor Tennyson. I'm guessing the tragical sentimentality was pitched right at McGonagall's level.)
—L.
Subject quote from "Late Leaves," Walter Landor. ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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