The Tuesday Poem: “Ulysses” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson 1809 – 1892
Ulysses
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by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1809 – 1892
As both a poet and also a Fantasy novelist, the great narrative poems, and those that address classical themes, are dear to my heart. In a long and distinguished career, Alfred, Lord Tennyson addressed many legendary and mythological topics, including the poems from the Arthurian cycle, and those inspired by Homer’s The Odyssey.
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Earlier this year, I featured The Lotos Eaters and today it is the great Ulysses. I do not think Homer would be disappointed by the treatment of his hero — but this is more than just a narrative poem. The language is wonderful and the lines powerful, but the “voice” of the aged king and hero is also a deeply reflective one — reflection that captures something of the most positive aspect of the human spirit:
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” … yearning in desire
To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.”
I am sure you will find many individual lines and phrases that you recognise, but the whole poem is powerful and accomplished work.
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To read this week’s poem on the Tuesday Poem Hub, and other great poems featured by fellow Tuesday poets from around the world, click here.