Break, Break, Break by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Break, Break, Break by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Break, break, break,

On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!

And I would that my tongue could utter

The thoughts that arise in me.

O, well for the fisherman's boy,

That he shouts with his sister at play!

O, well for the sailor lad,

That he sings in his boat on the bay!

And the stately ships go on

To their haven under the hill;

But O for the touch of a vanish'd hand,

And the sound of a voice that is still!

Break, break, break

At the foot of thy crags, O Sea!

But the tender grace of a day that is dead

Will never come back to me.

 

INTRODUCTION –

"Break, Break, Break" is an elegiac poem written by the famous British poet, Alfred Lord Tennyson. The poem was composed in 1835 but was published a few years later in 1842. In this poem, the poet laments the death of his close friend and fellow poet, Arthur Henry Hallam. He also points out his feelings of loneliness and his incompetence to describe them. The poem consists of 16 lines which are divided into four quatrains. Each quatrain follows the rhyme scheme, ABCB. The poem is considered an elegy because it describes the feeling of loss and death not only of a friend but to an important part and happiness of life.

POET –

Alfred Lord Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was a famous British poet. He served as the Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Ireland. His famous works include Claribel, Mariana, Ulysses, and Tithonus.

SUMMARY –

LINES 1 TO 4 –

The speaker addresses the waves of the sea and asks them to crash against the rocky shore again and again. This action somewhat calms the poet’s inner turmoil. Watching this happen, the speaker yearns for the ability to express troubling thoughts that won't go away. These thoughts which create a sense of loneliness inside him can only be removed by being expressed.

LINES 5 TO 8 –

The poet looks out near the sea and finds a fisherman's son yelling out while playing with his sister. This boy is not worried about anything and expresses himself freely to others. Similarly, he finds a young sailor who is singing while sailing through the cove. This sailor expresses his happiness through those words. Hence, it is quite easy to understand how the poet is jealous of the boy and the sailor. They are free to express their emotions while the poet is left to suffer alone.

LINES 9 TO 12 –

There are also impressive boats sailing through the bay and providing an amazing picturesque view. The poet imagines them passing into ideal, somewhat heavenly destinations that are near some hills. The long journey comes finally to an end as they return home. But watching these ships doesn't distract the speaker from the memory of touching the hand of a friend who no longer exists. He remembers a friend whose voice has gone silent forever.

LINES 13 TO 16 –

Again, the speaker calls out to the waves as they smash against cliffs and rocks along the shoreline, again and again, feeling that the easy happiness of previous days will never return. The person whom he is missing is dead and he is now left alone in this world.

THEMES –

• Death and Loss – The speaker mourns the death of a friend who was close to him. He tells how he feels the loss of his touch and sound which was a reason for happiness for him.

• Loneliness – The death of such a close friend has left the poet sad and lonely. He has no one left to console him on this tragic loss. The even big pain is that he is unable to express this feeling to others. This sense of loneliness has made him jealous of others i.e. the fisherman’s boy and the sailor.

END –

The poem, as an elegy, describes the feelings of loss more than the death that occurred. The inability to express himself and the feeling of loneliness accompanies this feeling of loss. Hence, the pain increases manifold. The poet tries to find peace in nature by enjoying the view of the ships but these are not enough to stop him from thinking about his loss. The poem stands on its own as a general meditation on mortality and loss.