He was extremely short-sighted, and his eyepiece of choice was most often a monocle. He was terrified of mental illness due to his father George's excessive drinking and resultant epileptic fits. He was a direct descendant of King Edward III. Towards the end of his life, he allowed himself to be recorded by Thomas Edison as he railed against his own verse.These are just a few snippets from the life of one of England's greatest poets, Alfred, Lord Tennyson. In addition to the well-known but perhaps overly patriotic poems published during his tenure as Poet Laureate of the British Empire, Tennyson wrote some of the most profoundly spiritual (though not overtly Christian) poetry of the Victorian era, despite that historical period's propensity for pooh-poohing such verse as "sentimental" and "fanciful." In Memoriam, Tennyson's elegy to his best friend Arthur Hallam, changed my life and my view of death. If you have not read this beautiful work, you may access it unabridged and free of charge here.
After his appointment by Queen Victoria herself (she was a big fan) in 1850, Tennyson served as Laureate for 42 years. Her Majesty later insisted upon making him a Baron of the Realm, despite Alfred's having declined the offer several times, and this barony made him the first writer to become a British Peer.
And apparently, his sense of fashion was a major influence on John Lennon during the Let It Be photo sessions of '69.
4 comments:
And yes, I realize that Tennyson's birthday is in fact on the 6th of August (though there seems to be some disagreement on this point), but when I composed this post on Saturday and saved it to be posted on Sunday, I guess I saved the date, too.
Nice date stradling. And Happy Birthday, Al.
Bibb, any suggestions of what the appropriate beverage would be with which to toast Lord Al?
Probably something non-alcoholic, since his father and brother drank themselves into the grave with gin. Perhaps a nice, warm cup of English Breakfast Tea or Earl Grey would be most germane.
How about I pretend that I didn't have that piece of information and toast him with a nice cold brewski?
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