'The Talking Oak' by Alfred, Lord Tennyson


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Once more the gate behind me falls;
Once more before my face
I see the moulder'd Abbey-walls,
That stand within the chace.

Beyond the lodge the city lies,
Beneath its drift of smoke;
And ah! with what delighted eyes
I turn to yonder oak.

For when my passion first began,
Ere that, which in me burn'd,
The love, that makes me thrice a man,
Could hope itself return'd;

To yonder oak within the field
I spoke without restraint,
And with a larger faith appeal'd
Than Papist unto Saint.

For oft I talk'd with him apart
And told him of my choice,
Until he plagiarized a heart,
And answer'd with a voice.

Tho' what he whisper'd under Heaven
None else could understand;
I found him garrulously given,
A babbler in the land.

But since I heard him make reply
Is many a weary hour;
'Twere well to question him, and try
If yet he keeps the power.

Hail, hidden to the knees in fern,
Broad Oak of Sumner-chace,
Whose topmost branches can discern
The roofs of Sumner-place!

Say thou, whereon I carved her name,
If ever maid or spouse,
As fair as my Olivia, came
To rest beneath thy boughs.---

"O Walter, I have shelter'd here
Whatever maiden grace
The good old Summers, year by year
Made ripe in Sumner-chace:

"Old Summers, when the monk was fat,
And, issuing shorn and sleek,
Would twist his girdle tight, and pat
The girls upon the cheek,

"Ere yet, in scorn of Peter's-pence,
And number'd bead, and shrift,
Bluff Harry broke into the spence
And turn'd the cowls adrift:

"And I have seen some score of those
Fresh faces that would thrive
When his man-minded offset rose
To chase the deer at five;

"And all that from the town would stroll,
Till that wild wind made work
In which the gloomy brewer's soul
Went by me, like a stork:

"The slight she-slips of royal blood,
And others, passing praise,
Straight-laced, but all-too-full in bud
For puritanic stays:

"And I have shadow'd many a group
Of beauties, that were born
In teacup-times of hood and hoop,
Or while the patch was worn;

"And, leg and arm with love-knots gay
About me leap'd and laugh'd
The modish Cupid of the day,
And shrill'd his tinsel shaft.

"I swear (and else may insects prick
Each leaf into a gall)
This girl, for whom your heart is sick,
Is three times worth them all.

"For those and theirs, by Nature's law,
Have faded long ago;
But in these latter springs I saw
Your own Olivia blow,

"From when she gamboll'd on the greens
A baby-germ, to when
The maiden blossoms of her teens
Could number five from ten.

"I swear, by leaf, and wind, and rain,
(And hear me with thine ears,)
That, tho' I circle in the grain
Five hundred rings of years---

"Yet, since I first could cast a shade,
Did never creature pass
So slightly, musically made,
So light upon the grass:

"For as to fairies, that will flit
To make the greensward fresh,
I hold them exquisitely knit,
But far too spare of flesh."

Oh, hide thy knotted knees in fern,
And overlook the chace;
And from thy topmost branch discern
The roofs of Sumner-place.

But thou, whereon I carved her name,
That oft hast heard my vows,
Declare when last Olivia came
To sport beneath thy boughs.

"O yesterday, you know, the fair
Was holden at the town;
Her father left his good arm-chair,
And rode his hunter down.

"And with him Albert came on his.
I look'd at him with joy:
As cowslip unto oxlip is,
So seems she to the boy.

"An hour had past---and, sitting straight
Within the low-wheel'd chaise,
Her mother trundled to the gate
Behind the dappled grays.

"But as for her, she stay'd at home,
And on the roof she went,
And down the way you use to come,
She look'd with discontent.

"She left the novel half-uncut
Upon the rosewood shelf;
She left the new piano shut:
She could not please herseif

"Then ran she, gamesome as the colt,
And livelier than a lark
She sent her voice thro' all the holt
Before her, and the park.

"A light wind chased her on the wing,
And in the chase grew wild,
As close as might be would he cling
About the darling child:

"But light as any wind that blows
So fleetly did she stir,
The flower, she touch'd on, dipt and rose,
And turn'd to look at her.

"And here she came, and round me play'd,
And sang to me the whole
Of those three stanzas that you made
About my Ôgiant bole;'

"And in a fit of frolic mirth
She strove to span my waist:
Alas, I was so broad of girth,
I could not be embraced.

"I wish'd myself the fair young beech
That here beside me stands,
That round me, clasping each in each,
She might have lock'd her hands.

"Yet seem'd the pressure thrice as sweet
As woodbine's fragile hold,
Or when I feel about my feet
The berried briony fold."

O muffle round thy knees with fern,
And shadow Sumner-chace!
Long may thy topmost branch discern
The roofs of Sumner-place!

But tell me, did she read the name
I carved with many vows
When last with throbbing heart I came
To rest beneath thy boughs?

"O yes, she wander'd round and round
These knotted knees of mine,
And found, and kiss'd the name she found,
And sweetly murmur'd thine.

"A teardrop trembled from its source,
And down my surface crept.
My sense of touch is something coarse,
But I believe she wept.

"Then flush'd her cheek with rosy light,
She glanced across the plain;
But not a creature was in sight:
She kiss'd me once again.

"Her kisses were so close and kind,
That, trust me on my word,
Hard wood I am, and wrinkled rind,
But yet my sap was stirr'd:

"And even into my inmost ring
A pleasure I discern'd,
Like those blind motions of the Spring,
That show the year is turn'd.

"Thrice-happy he that may caress
The ringlet's waving balm---
The cushions of whose touch may press
The maiden's tender palm.

"I, rooted here among the groves
But languidly adjust
My vapid vegetable loves
With anthers and with dust:

"For ah! my friend, the days were brief
Whereof the poets talk,
When that, which breathes within the leaf,
Could slip its bark and walk.

"But could I, as in times foregone,
From spray, and branch, and stem,
Have suck'd and gather'd into one
The life that spreads in them,

"She had not found me so remiss;
But lightly issuing thro',
I would have paid her kiss for kiss,
With usury thereto."

O flourish high, with leafy towers,
And overlook the lea,
Pursue thy loves among the bowers
But leave thou mine to me.

O flourish, hidden deep in fern,
Old oak, I love thee well;
A thousand thanks for what I learn
And what remains to tell.

" ÔTis little more: the day was warm;
At last, tired out with play,
She sank her head upon her arm
And at my feet she lay.

"Her eyelids dropp'd their silken eaves
I breathed upon her eyes
Thro' all the summer of my leaves
A welcome mix'd with sighs.

"I took the swarming sound of life---
The music from the town---
The murmurs of the drum and fife
And lull'd them in my own.

"Sometimes I let a sunbeam slip,
To light her shaded eye;
A second flutter'd round her lip
Like a golden butterfly;

"A third would glimmer on her neck
To make the necklace shine;
Another slid, a sunny fleck,
From head to ankle fine,

"Then close and dark my arms I spread,
And shadow'd all her rest---
Dropt dews upon her golden head,
An acorn in her breast.

"But in a pet she started up,
And pluck'd it out, and drew
My little oakling from the cup,
And flung him in the dew.

"And yet it was a graceful gift---
I felt a pang within
As when I see the woodman lift
His axe to slay my kin.

"I shook him down because he was
The finest on the tree.
He lies beside thee on the grass.
O kiss him once for me.

"O kiss him twice and thrice for me,
That have no lips to kiss,
For never yet was oak on lea
Shall grow so fair as this.'

Step deeper yet in herb and fern,
Look further thro' the chace,
Spread upward till thy boughs discern
The front of Sumner-place.

This fruit of thine by Love is blest,
That but a moment lay
Where fairer fruit of Love may rest
Some happy future day.

I kiss it twice, I kiss it thrice,
The warmth it thence shall win
To riper life may magnetise
The baby-oak within.

But thou, while kingdoms overset,
Or lapse from hand to hand,
Thy leaf shall never fail, nor yet
Thine acorn in the land.

May never saw dismember thee,
Nor wielded axe disjoint,
That art the fairest-spoken tree
From here to Lizard-point.

O rock upon thy towery-top
All throats that gurgle sweet!
All starry culmination drop
Balm-dews to bathe thy feet!

All grass of silky feather grow---
And while he sinks or swells
The full south-breeze around thee blow
The sound of minster bells.

The fat earth feed thy branchy root,
That under deeply strikes!
The northern morning o'er thee shoot,
High up, in silver spikes!

Nor ever lightning char thy grain,
But, rolling as in sleep,
Low thunders bring the mellow rain,
That makes thee broad and deep!

And hear me swear a solemn oath,
That only by thy side
Will I to Olive plight my troth,
And gain her for my bride.

And when my marriage morn may fall,
She, Dryad-like, shall wear
Alternate leaf and acorn-ball
In wreath about her hair.

And I will work in prose and rhyme,
And praise thee more in both
Than bard has honour'd beech or lime,
Or that Thessalian growth,

In which the swarthy ringdove sat,
And mystic sentence spoke;
And more than England honours that,
Thy famous brother-oak,

Wherein the younger Charles abode
Till all the paths were dim,
And far below the Roundhead rode,
And humm'd a surly hymn.



Editor 1 Interpretation

The Talking Oak by Alfred, Lord Tennyson: A Masterpiece of Romantic Poetry

The Talking Oak is a poem written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, one of the most celebrated poets of the Victorian era. First published in 1842 as part of his collection, The Princess: A Medley, The Talking Oak is a poetic masterpiece that captures the essence of romance and nature, as well as the themes of love, loss, and nostalgia.

The Poem

The Talking Oak is structured as a ballad, a popular form of poetry in the medieval times that narrates a story or a legend in a simple and rhythmic manner. The poem consists of twelve stanzas, each composed of four lines with an ABAB rhyme scheme. The poem is also marked by the use of repetition, alliteration, and imagery, which contribute to its musicality and vividness.

The poem begins with an introduction of the oak tree, which serves as the setting and the narrator of the story. The oak, described as "hoar, and rough, and round," tells the story of a maiden who used to visit him and "blush like any rose" as she listened to the birds and the rustling of the leaves. The oak remembers every detail of her visits, from the sound of her footsteps to the color of her dress.

In the second stanza, the oak reveals that the maiden's name was Ellen, and that she used to come to the forest to meet her lover, who was a knight. The oak describes the knight as "proud" and "bold," with a "warrior's beard" and a "hawk's bright eye." The oak also mentions that the knight used to swear his love to Ellen and promise to marry her.

However, the third stanza introduces a tragic twist to the story. The oak reveals that Ellen's father, who was a lord, disapproved of her relationship with the knight and ordered her to marry another man instead. The oak describes the scene of Ellen's departure, as she wept and kissed the knight goodbye, and he rode away on his horse, "with a grace that none could tell."

In the fourth stanza, the oak reveals that Ellen became ill and died soon after her forced marriage. The oak laments her death and calls her a "flower that faded as soon as blown." The oak also reveals that he witnessed the knight's grief and his attempt to reach Ellen's grave in the forest, but he was stopped by the lord's men and never returned.

The rest of the poem is a dialogue between the oak and a "pilgrim," who comes to the forest and asks the oak to tell him the story of Ellen and the knight. The oak tells the pilgrim the story, and the pilgrim expresses his sympathy and admiration for Ellen and the knight. The oak then asks the pilgrim to take care of his acorns, as they contain the souls of Ellen and the knight, and to plant them in a place where they can grow and flourish.

The Interpretation

The Talking Oak is a poem that explores the themes of love, loss, and nature, as well as the power of memory and storytelling. The oak symbolizes the natural world, which witnesses and remembers the human drama of love and death. The maiden, Ellen, represents the vulnerable and innocent beauty of youth, while the knight represents the passion and heroism of love. The lord represents the authority and conventionality that oppose and suppress love, while the pilgrim represents the empathy and appreciation that honor and celebrate love.

The poem also reflects Tennyson's Romantic sensibility, which values the imagination, the emotions, and the individuality of the artist. The oak's narration of the story is a poetic act of creative memory, which transforms the factual events into a mythic tale of love and tragedy. The oak's personification and anthropomorphism also reflect the Romantic idea of nature as a living and sentient presence, which shares and communicates the human experience.

The poem also reveals Tennyson's interest in the medieval and the Gothic, which were popular themes in the Romantic literature of his time. The ballad form, the knight's description, and the tragic ending all evoke the atmosphere of the medieval romance, while the oak's voice and the natural setting add a Gothic tone to the poem. The poem also reflects Tennyson's nostalgia for the past, which he idealized as a time of chivalry, romance, and honor.

The Talking Oak is also a poem that invites multiple interpretations and readings. On the one hand, it can be seen as a critique of the patriarchal and classist conventions that oppress and divide people. Ellen's fate is a result of her father's authority and social status, which deny her freedom and happiness. On the other hand, it can be seen as a celebration of the power of love and memory, which transcend time and death. Ellen and the knight live on in the oak's storytelling, and their souls are preserved in the acorns, which symbolize the continuity and regeneration of life.

The Conclusion

The Talking Oak is a remarkable poem that showcases Tennyson's poetic talent and his Romantic vision. The poem combines musicality, imagery, and narrative skill to create a poignant and memorable story of love and loss. The poem also reflects the themes and concerns of the Romantic movement, such as the power of nature, the imagination, and the individuality. The Talking Oak is a timeless and universal poem that speaks to the human experience of love, death, and memory, and invites us to cherish and appreciate the beauty and mystery of life.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

The Talking Oak: A Masterpiece of Victorian Poetry

Alfred, Lord Tennyson is one of the most celebrated poets of the Victorian era, and his works continue to captivate readers even today. Among his many masterpieces, The Talking Oak stands out as a unique and intriguing piece of poetry that explores themes of love, loyalty, and the passage of time. In this 2000-word analysis, we will delve into the intricacies of this classic poem and uncover its hidden meanings and messages.

The Talking Oak is a narrative poem that tells the story of a young woman named Gertrude who is courted by two suitors, Sir Walter and Lord Ronald. The poem is structured in the form of a dialogue between Gertrude and an oak tree, which serves as a symbol of wisdom and guidance. The oak tree recounts the history of Gertrude's family and their relationship with the tree, and offers advice on which suitor she should choose.

The poem begins with Gertrude wandering through the woods, lost in thought about her suitors. She comes across the oak tree and begins to speak to it, asking for its advice. The oak tree responds by telling her the story of her ancestors, who had also sought its counsel in matters of love. The tree recounts how Gertrude's great-grandmother had chosen a suitor against the tree's advice, and how that decision had led to tragedy and heartbreak.

The oak tree then goes on to describe the two suitors who are vying for Gertrude's hand. Sir Walter is described as a wealthy and powerful man who is used to getting what he wants. Lord Ronald, on the other hand, is a humble and loyal man who has loved Gertrude since childhood. The oak tree advises Gertrude to choose Lord Ronald, warning her that Sir Walter's wealth and power will not bring her happiness in the long run.

Throughout the poem, Tennyson employs a variety of literary devices to convey his message. The use of dialogue between Gertrude and the oak tree creates a sense of intimacy and familiarity, as if the tree is an old friend who knows Gertrude's family history intimately. The tree's voice is also imbued with a sense of authority and wisdom, which adds weight to its advice.

Tennyson also uses symbolism to great effect in The Talking Oak. The oak tree itself is a symbol of strength, wisdom, and longevity. Its roots run deep into the earth, connecting it to the past and the present. The tree's ability to speak is also symbolic, representing the idea that nature has a voice and can offer guidance to those who listen.

The two suitors, Sir Walter and Lord Ronald, are also symbolic of different values and ideals. Sir Walter represents wealth, power, and ambition, while Lord Ronald represents loyalty, humility, and love. The contrast between these two characters highlights the theme of choosing between material wealth and true happiness.

Another important theme in The Talking Oak is the passage of time. The oak tree's recounting of Gertrude's family history emphasizes the idea that time is cyclical and that the past has a way of repeating itself. The tree's advice to Gertrude is also rooted in the idea that the choices we make in the present will have consequences in the future.

The poem's use of language is also noteworthy. Tennyson's use of alliteration, assonance, and rhyme creates a musical quality to the poem that adds to its beauty and elegance. The repetition of certain phrases, such as "O love, they die in yon rich sky" and "O sweet and far from cliff and scar," creates a sense of rhythm and momentum that propels the narrative forward.

In conclusion, The Talking Oak is a masterpiece of Victorian poetry that explores themes of love, loyalty, and the passage of time. Tennyson's use of dialogue, symbolism, and language creates a rich and complex narrative that offers insights into the human condition. The poem's enduring popularity is a testament to its timeless themes and universal appeal.

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