Tuesday Poem: “Vivien’s Song” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Vivien’s Song
‘In Love, if Love be Love, if Love be ours,
Faith and unfaith can ne’er be equal powers:
Unfaith in aught is want of faith in all.
‘It is the little rift within the lute,
That by and by will make the music mute,
And ever widening slowly silence all.
‘The little rift within the lover’s lute
Or little pitted speck in garnered fruit,
That rotting inward slowly moulders all.
‘It is not worth the keeping: let it go:
But shall it? answer, darling, answer, no.
And trust me not at all or all in all.’
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1809-1892
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I enjoy this poem for a number of reasons: because it is part of Tennyson’s Arthurian cycle, which includes the Morte d’Arthur, and because of the word play with meaning and double meaning (eg unfaith as ‘faithlessness’ or ‘lack of trust’, or both, as well as of question and answer within the poem. Fun and clever: “I like.” 😉
Alfred, Lord Tennyson was Poet Laureate from 1850 and one of the most notable poets of the Victorian age. To read an online biography. click here.
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I really like the all or nothing sentiment here. Just came from another poem with love in the air – I see some interesting connections between the poems posted this week. Great to come to this – I’ve not read some Lord Tennyson in ages.
Nice choice – love Tennyson’s work
And it just goes to show how repetition of a word (all, all, all…) can be effective in poetry.
By the way Helen, Tennyson may have lived a long life, but did he actually die in 1992? (-:
I also enjoy the polarisation in this poem – “unfaith in aught is want of faith in all”, “trust me not at all or all in all”. I also enjoy the themes of mortality, “or little pitted speck in garnered fruit, that rotting inward slowly moulders all.” Thanks, lovely to read some Tennyson!
Thanks for this Helen. It’s good to be reaquainted with Tennyson.I was brought up on King Arthur and Ulysees( their legends). And re his bio…it is so cheering that he he was acknowledged in his lifetime! A pension AND a peerage.
Thank you all for your comments—am so glad you enjoyed the poem.