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Posted by Wendy on June 17, 19103 at 11:18:46:
In Reply to: Tennyson's "Mariana" & "Mariana in the South" posted by JOHN on April 13, 19103 at 05:37:28:
John, your project sounds absolutely fascinating. Please do continue to keep us informed about what you are doing. As you migfht have realised this site is dominated by high school kids looking for ideas for term papers etc. I've posted a link below to another site which I visit from time to time. I'm sure that they would be interested in what you're doing.
Personally, I've never liked the poem, Mariana, especially that dreadful refrain " She said, "I am aweary, aweary,
I would that I were dead!", yet it is one of Tennyson's most well known poems – you will of course know the painting (by Waterhouse?). I much prefer the later work, "Mariana in the
south". I presume he added the phrase "in the south" to reflect its catholic references. Both poems
are very sad. It's as though Tennyson had some kind of obsession with the idea of the sorrowful
woman waiting endlessly for her lover to come. I had thought that maybe Tennyson got the idea from
the sad thought of his sister (who was engaged to Arthur Hallam) waiting for her fiance but in fact
both were written before Hallam's death. Tennyson rewrote the last verse of Mariana in the south
in 1842 (the version I've quoted above). Previously there was some ambiguity as to how Mariana
will be set free from her her loneliness. Here I think that he's made it clear that it is
death that will set her free. I love these two stanzas:
But sometimes in the falling day
An image seem'd to p the door,
To look into her eyes and say,
"But thou shalt be alone no more."
And flaming downward over all
From heat to heat the day decreased,
And slowly rounded to the east
The one black shadow from the wall.
"The day to night," she made her moan,
"The day to night, the night to morn,
And day and night I am left alone
To live forgotten, and love forlorn."
At eve a dry cicala sung,
There came a sound as of the sea;
Backward the lattice-blind she flung,
And lean'd upon the balcony.
There all in spaces rosy-bright
Large Hesper glitter'd on her tears,
And deepening thro' the silent spheres
Heaven over Heaven rose the night.
And weeping then she made her moan,
"The night comes on that knows not morn,
When I shall cease to be all alone,
To live forgotten, and love forlorn."
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