In Memoriam A. H. H.: 44. How fares it with the happy dead?

Alfred Lord Tennyson 1809 – 1892



How fares it with the happy dead?
        For here the man is more and more;
        But he forgets the days before
    God shut the doorways of his head.
    The days have vanish'd, tone and tint,
        And yet perhaps the hoarding sense
        Gives out at times (he knows not whence)
    A little flash, a mystic hint;
    And in the long harmonious years
       (If Death so taste Lethean springs),
       May some dim touch of earthly things
   Surprise thee ranging with thy peers.

   If such a dreamy touch should fall,
       O turn thee round, resolve the doubt;
       My guardian angel will speak out
   In that high place, and tell thee all.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

33 sec read
79

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBACDDCEFFE GHHG
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 649
Words 110
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 12, 4

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, FRS was Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Ireland during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular British poets.  more…

All Alfred Lord Tennyson poems | Alfred Lord Tennyson Books

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    "In Memoriam A. H. H.: 44. How fares it with the happy dead?" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/1012/in-memoriam-a.-h.-h.:-44.-how-fares-it-with-the-happy-dead?>.

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