We all grow old, unless we prematurely pass into death. Our deaths are not a variable in our life, but an ever present constant. We pass the time given as best we can, until that day arrives and we can no longer continue. During that process we think. We think of our present, our future, but above all, we think of our past.
Our past is our connection to the person we think we are, and the person we would like to be. It solidifies our connection to what is just and truth. Our past can cause us to yearn for what we once had, or search for what we do not. No poem I have read as expressed these notions s vividly as Tennyson’s Tears, Idle Tears. Tears…, is a poem that provokes the reader to think about the process of aging in a way that embraces life’s accomplishments and end with dignity and longing. However, to get to the point of embracing one’s end a recollection of one’s past is needed, and this poem provides the necessary steps to insure a happy transition.
“Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,
Tears from the depth of some divine despair
Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes…” (597, lines 1-3)
I have never thought tears to be an idle element. It moves from Earth to human and back to Earth in a definite motion. But I do not think Tennyson wants us to believe that tears are idle in the sense or never moving or not actively being engaged. I believe he would like us to wonder the meaning behind our tears, why are they meaningless, or idle. That is where the recollection of the past comes in.
The narrator continues to rant about “the days that are no more” (597, lines 5, 10, 15, 20) and the “friends from the underworld” (597, line 7). All of the memories ride on the tide of the tear that finds its way to the narrator’s duct. But the tears do not move? Why? Why does the narrator not allow the tears to fall? I believe Tennyson wants to the reader to question why tears are the expression of internal turmoil. Tears do not cause friends to return or to flee. They cannot heal wounds or mend broken hearts. They cannot protect against death.
So, why do we need tears? I believe Tennyson is telling the reader we need tears to strengthen our ability to cope with the reality of life. Our tears do not compromise or strength. They are the vessels upon which tears move through our bodies.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Chrishon,
Insightful and thoughtful exploration of Tennyson's poem. I enjoyed reading your commentary on "Tears, Idle Tears," and your meditation on the way it communicates truth on mortality and emotions. Nice job.
I absolutely loved your analysis of the text! Personally, I loved the poem, which is why i decided to blog the poem also. Your interpretation of the poem was catching. Why do we need tears? I feel as though we need tears to express our extreme sorrow. Sorrow can be seen on the face, but extreme sorrow can only be expressed through tears and distruction. Tears show the world that we are human. A person that does not shed tears is a person that does not feel, and should be feared.
Post a Comment