Friday, February 01, 2008

from Ulysses by Lord Alfred Tennyson

This week's post is an excerpt from Tennyson's great poem Ulysses. The Greek hero and his crew are in their twilight years, and the poem is a rally call for one last heroic action. It's Tennyson at his most grand and inspirational. This was John F. Kennedy's favorite poem, and it reads like the best of Churchill's speeches.

For the full effect, the entire poem is here.


from Ulysses

There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail;
There gloom the dark, broad seas. My mariners,
Souls that have toil'd, and wrought, and thought with me,--
That ever with a frolic welcome took
The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed
Free hearts, free foreheads,-- you and I are old;
Old age hath yet his honor and his toil.
Death closes all; but something ere the end,
Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.
The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks;
The long day wanes; the slow moon climbs; the deep
Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends.
'T is not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down;
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'

We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are,--
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.


Lord Alfred Tennyson was born in Lincolnshire England in 1809, one of 12 children. He was one of the most popular poets of his era, and amassed considerable wealth publishing his poems. His best-known work includes In Memoriam and Idylls of the King.

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wonderful stuff, especially for an aging oarsman like myself!

(By the way, it's "Idylls of the King," singular -- namely, King Arthur.)

Thanks for the inspirational post!

12:44 PM  
Blogger Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said...

Thanks and good catch! Corrected...

1:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am a dreaded "Senior English Teacher", and this is one of my absolute favorites. Of course, I prefer it in its entirety, but even a chunk of Tennyson is more than most poets can dream of composing...

My students seem to respond to it, though I doubt they appreciate it as much as they would if they picked it up several years down the road.

Thanks for the moment of beauty.

2:14 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

A classic, and appreciated.

3:47 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

babyliss, insanity workout, mac cosmetics, hollister, converse outlet, hollister, valentino shoes, giuseppe zanotti, louboutin, reebok shoes, nike roshe, beats by dre, gucci, new balance, bottega veneta, nike air max, longchamp, soccer jerseys, north face outlet, ghd, nike trainers, chi flat iron, celine handbags, asics running shoes, jimmy choo shoes, nike huarache, lululemon, nike air max, ferragamo shoes, vans, wedding dresses, birkin bag, mcm handbags, mont blanc, abercrombie and fitch, baseball bats, instyler, ray ban, converse, oakley, p90x workout, timberland boots, iphone cases, north face outlet, hollister, herve leger, soccer shoes, nfl jerseys, vans shoes, ralph lauren

8:27 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home