Showing results by author "Alfred Tennyson" in All Categories

"Idylls of the King" is a series of twelve narrative poems which recite the legend of King Arthur, his knights, his love for Guinevere and her tragic betrayal of him, and the rise and fall of Arthur's kingdom. The whole work recounts Arthur's attempt and failure to lift up mankind and create a perfect kingdom, from his coming to power to his death at the hands of the traitor Mordred. Individual poems detail the deeds of various knights, including Lancelot, Geraint, Galahad, and Balin and Balan, and also Merlin and the Lady of the Lake.

Hero and Leander is a Greek myth concerning the tragic story of two lovers. One was a priestess of Aphrodite who lived in a tower in Sestos, and the other a young man from Abydos on the opposite side of the strait. Leander fell in love with Hero and would swim every night across the Hellespont to spend time with her, with Hero's lamp at the top of her tower as his guiding light, and they shared a warm summer of love.

"Love lieth deep; love dwells not in lip-depths." In this tender and tragic idyll, the innocent Elaine of Astolat falls deeply in love with Sir Lancelot, who cannot return her feelings. Bound by his love for Queen Guinevere, Lancelot's heart is unreachable, and Elaine's devotion leads her to a sorrowful fate; a poignant tale of unrequited love, honour, and heartbreak in the shadow of Camelot.

"If I am dear to someone else, then I must act as though I am worth the care. Even if I cannot yet feel it fully, I must begin to believe that I am worth saving. Because to be loved by another is not only a gift, it is a call to rise, to heal, to protect what has been seen as worthy." Maud is a narrative poem by Tennyson which tells the story of a tormented man who falls for the beautiful and enigmatic Maud, a love that promises salvation but spirals into obsession and despair. This book is a novelisation of Maud, intended to make the poem more accessible to the general reader and students ...

"Late, late, so late! and dark the night and chill! Late, late, so late! but we can enter still. Too late, too late! ye cannot enter now." Guinevere begins as the radiant bride of King Arthur, chosen not only for her beauty but as the woman who might help him build a new moral order in Camelot. Yet despite Arthur’s love and her high place, Guinevere falls into a forbidden passion with Sir Lancelot, the noblest of Arthur’s knights. Their secret love becomes the fatal flaw in the Round Table’s ideal.

"I am thy fool, and I shall lose my wits." In this dark and compelling idyll, the great wizard Merlin, wise, but weary, and growing old, falls under the spell of Vivien, a cunning and ambitious seductress. Through flattery and deceit, she seeks to learn his secrets and gain power over him. A tale of betrayal and the downfall of wisdom, Merlin and Vivien explores the dangers of desire and the fragility of even the greatest minds.

"The King will follow Christ, and we the King In whom high God hath breathed a secret thing. Fall battleaxe, and flash brand! Let the King reign." This book is a novelisation of The Coming of Arthur from Tennyson's Idylls of the King. It describes the start of the Arthurian world, This is not the polished Camelot we often picture, but a raw, uncertain Britain on the brink of becoming something greater, or falling apart, written in a way that offers a commentary of the Britain of Tennyson’s own time.

"And still he cried, 'Ah me, the knighthood's gone, The glory gone, and I am here alone!'" The Last Tournament is a tale that explores the complex nature of chivalry, loyalty, and the unraveling of ideals in a world that once prized honor above all else. Set against the turbulent backdrop of Arthurian legend, it focuses on the waning days of Camelot, where once-untouchable knights like Lancelot, Tristram, and Gawain are forced to confront the consequences of their actions, both on the battlefield and in their hearts. It is a story not merely of jousts and glory, but of fractured allegiances...

"I am a man now. I must do a man's work. Follow the deer? No, follow Christ. Follow the King. Live pure. Speak true. Right wrong. Follow the King. Why else was I born?" Gareth, the youngest son of King Lot, embarks on a daring quest to rescue a maiden, throwing off his disguise as a kitchen-knave to reveal himself as a true knight who is eager to prove himself among the greatest of King Arthur's Round Table.

"Make me a little happier: let me know it: Owe you me nothing for a life half-lost?" This Idyll continues the story of Geraint and Enid from Book 3. Geraint suspects that Enid no longer loves him, though she has done nothing to deserve his doubt. Without explaining himself, he asks her to ride with him on a long and dangerous journey, during which he forbids her to speak to him. Though hurt and confused, Enid obeys, warning him of danger along the way and helping him in silence, even as he risks his life again and again.

This is the first of Tennyson's poems to be based on Sir Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur. The first draft was composed in 1834, and the finished work was published in Poems (1842). Later Tennyson incorporated the poem into the Idylls of the King (1870) under the title of "The Passing of Arthur". The narrative of this poem was drawn from the third, fourth, and fifth chapters of the 21st book of Thomas Malory's romance.

Phillip J. Mather's masterful rendition of this timeless classic is a must-listen for any with an interest in and respect for the past.

This poet of Victorian times was held in awe for his magnificent works, including "In Memoriam", "Morte D'Arthur", and "Charge of the Light Brigade". His language and command of vocabulary seem particularly in keeping with the grand sweep of Victorian ambition. Many selections are asembled here and read with great character by Dame Sybil Thorndike, Sir Edward Casson, and Robert Speaight.

The lyrical ballad The Lady of Shalott is one of Tennyson's best-known and best-loved poems. It is based on the story of Elaine of Astolat, a figure from Arthurian legend, who dies from her unrequited love for Sir Lancelot. The subject matter provided inspiration for many of the Pre-Raphaelite painters. Tennyson published two versions of the poem, both of which are included in this recording. The first was written in 1832, and the second—the better-known of the two versions—in 1842.

A beautiful young woman hides away, wanting nothing to do with men; and founds a women's university, where no man can enter. But as the master Tennyson writes, "Life is brief but love is long"; love will find a way, and the prince to whom the young woman was betrothed in infancy disguises himself into a woman and enters the premises... This classic narrative poem continues to enchant generation after generation of listeners and it is no wonder why: "Better not be at all than not be noble."

The legends of King Arthur remained one of Tennyson's major interests during his long life. The Idylls of the King is his longest and most ambitious work read here by Basil Rathbone.

Simon Cliffe reads some of the greatest Christmas poems for the 12 days of Christmas. Day 1 - Merry Christmas by Louise May Alcott. Day 2 - Christ's Nativity by Henry Vaughan. Day 3 - Ceremonies for Christmas by Robert Herrick. Day 4 - New Prince, New Pomp by Robert Southwell. Day 5 - Christmas Cheer by Thomas Tusser. Day 6 - Ring Out, Wild Bells by Lor Alfred Tennyson. Day 7 - The Oxen by Thomas Hardy. Day 8 - Nativity by John Donne. Day 9 - A Christmas Carol by G.K. Chesterton.

Enjoy these 10 Christmas pieces by celebrated authors. The experience includes music and a range of lively and touching characters. Add a little poetry to your Christmas!

A wonderful selection of classic Christmas poetry from G. K. Chesterton, Henry Vaughan, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Burns, Lord Tennyson, and many more.

"Enoch Arden" is a long narrative poem that is built on a theme that has been widely explored in literature and on film. A man is separated from his family due to shipwreck and marooned on an island. After several years of absence from his home, it is assumed that he has died, and his wife remarries and starts a new family. After 10 years, the man finally makes his way home and has to deal with the trauma of discovering his wife and family happily established in a new relationship.