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Break, Break, Break
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
About Alfred, Lord Tennyson
This famous poem was written by Alferd, Lord Tennyson. Tennyson was appointed Poet Laureate of England in 1850. He wrote a great many poems during his lifetime. This poem is difficult to understand if we don't know who it is that the poet is referring to.
Tennyson had a great friend called A.H. Hallam who died at a young age. After Hallam's death Tennyson was very sad. He wrote a long poem called In Memoriam in which he showed how dearly he loved his friend and how much he missed him. Break, Break, Break was written with this friend in his mind.
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.
Available Answers
- 1.
Who is the poet addressing in the first stanza?
- 2.
Why cannot the poet say what is on his mind?
- 3.
What does the poet wish for in the third stanza?
- 4.
Who in the poem is having a pleasant time?
- 5.
Is the poem a happy one or a sad one? Give reasons for your answer.
- 6.
Why do you think the poet uses the sea, and the waves especially, to contrast with the feelings that he has?
1 more answer(s) available.