What Is The Explanation Of The Poem The Brook By Tennyson?

This lyrical, slightly haunting poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson uses a brook to symbolize a man's journey through life. Tennyson personifies the brook, giving it the ability to evoke emotions and impressions in the reader. By using nature imagery, Tennyson shows the correlations between the natural world and the human spirit. To understand the poem's deeper meanings, we need to examine a key turn of phrase.

• Highlight of the poem

In two crucial lines of this long poem, which is arranged into groupings of four lines each, Tennyson creates this tender and meaningful couplet, "For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever." This statement is deep and resonant, and it seems to symbolize the human spirit, which is eternal, just like nature.

• A symbol of England?

Other people also see the brook as a symbol of England, a country which has endured despite the rise and fall of an Empire, and the leadership of countless rulers, both royal and political. In this sense, the brook could represent the land of England, which is sacrosanct, and continues to amaze with its beauty and longevity, long after new generations of English people pass away...

Poets who frequently use nature image in their work include Tennyson and William Wordsworth; these poets seem to find God in the world all around them...such as the trees, the sweeping sky, and the velvety green fields. Since nature's beauty is unparalleled, it is an endless source of inspiration and emotion. But, like humanity, nature can occasionally be rash, violent, and ugly. When analyzing poems for school, it's important to check various sources to see what a poem means. When enjoying poetry for its own sake, it's important to use your imagination and feel the words in your own way. A poet would never want his or her reader to give up this important part of understanding and enjoying poetry in a personal way.

The poem tells the story of the life of the brook.It comes from the places where water-birds like coot and hern live.It suddenly rushes out and is seen flowing among fern.It makes noise as it flows hurriedly down a valley.During its journey,it passes by thirty hills,twenty hamlets and fifty bridges.At last it flows to Phillip's farm and joins the overflowing river.
     It tells its own experiences as it journeys from its origin down to the ultimate destination.It draws a parallel between the life of journey of the brook and the journey of human life.Similar to the journey of the brook,human life also passes through many ups and downs.It has to overcome many hurdles,difficulties and struggles in its life.But just as the brook goes on undaunted and heads towards its destination,human beings must also go on.

The brook has been personified.the different ways in which the brook travels has been described in a very well way by the poet.the brook flows over a great distance to reach the philips farm.men are mortal and may come and go but the brook is immortal and so it goes on forever.
The brook suddenly emerges from the place haunted by the coot and hern-the sea birds and makes a sparkling appearance through the ferns and makes its way in the valley.its flows hurriedly through the thirty hills,ridges,20 thorpes and half a hundred bridges and then joins the brimming river.it passes throught he stony ways as it makes a chattering sound in little sharps and high pitched music,the brook bubbles into the bays and produces a babbling sound while striking the pebbles.it curves and winds itself while flowing through the fields and beautiful fairylands with weeds and mallows,the brook flows slowly winding its course and as it flows time passes the suns raysfall on it creating a beautiful yellow drawing on its surface.the brook collects all the things it has passed through flows to join the big river.it passes through the various lawns,grassy plots,hazel trees and also the forget-me-not flowers .it slips ,slides,glooms and glances among the skimming seabirds-swallows while the sun beam dances on its shallows.the brook slows its speed and murmurs under the moon and the stars at night as it passes through the wild flowers and wildernesses and loiter and lingers around its small rounded pebbles and cresses.it curves and flows out again to join the brimming river while men come and go but the brook goes on forever.

 Parallelism is made in  the journey of the
brook with man's life. According to the poet in early days of life  a
child is very agile, energetic and lively ,same as the  the brook in
the beginning stage of its life.  It is usually   very active , enhancing and keeps
on flowing with a great  enthusiasm in the life .When it has to face the world of mountains, it works like the most energetic one but as it got the plain surface it lessens its pase. Here again the comparison is made that like the brook a man toward the end of his life he becomes slow in his
moves and ultimately meets the horns of death and also emerges with its
final destination.

The Brook means a small stream
The poet has drawn a parallel between the life of a man and a Brook.
It tells us the nature of the brook that it is energetic and vigorous in its young stage of life. It becomes slow and sluggish as it moves to its evening of its life.
It shows alliteration and refrains at some points.

Alliteration in the poem The Brooks by Alfred Tennyson