The Brook is a poem by Alfred Tennyson - in its verses, the poet draws parallels between a winding brook and a man's journey through life. This long poem is divided into many individual stanzas (verses), and each stanza is four lines long. In the poem, Tennyson celebrates the power and beauty of nature, which endures in a way that the human body can never do; however, he also celebrates the human spirit, which is eternal...
Nature imagery in the poem is not too dark or melancholy; in fact, many of the stanzas have an upbeat, positive quality, or mood.
Select Stanzas From Tennyson's The Brook
• I chatter, chatter, as I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever. - In this stanza, the poet contrasts the timelessness of the brook with the finite nature of human existence. The bubbling sounds of the brook are described as "chatter" - this light hearted description keeps the mood of the poem positive...despite the seriousness of Tennyson's contemplations...
• And here and there a foamy flake
Upon me, as I travel
With many a silver water-break
Above the golden gravel. - In this stanza, Tennyson compares water and stones to silver and gold - this comparison shows the poet's reverence for nature, and his romantic imagination. The reader can almost see the play of light on gravel and silvery streams.
Lord Tennyson has created a loving tribute to the beauty of a simple stream, and, in doing so, he has also contemplated one of the most enduring themes of poetry - the examination of fear of mortality, and the way spirituality soothes this fear...the journey of this babbling brook mimics the journey through life, death, and spiritual rebirth. The immortality of the spirit is like a brook, moving out to a larger river.
Nature imagery in the poem is not too dark or melancholy; in fact, many of the stanzas have an upbeat, positive quality, or mood.
Select Stanzas From Tennyson's The Brook
• I chatter, chatter, as I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever. - In this stanza, the poet contrasts the timelessness of the brook with the finite nature of human existence. The bubbling sounds of the brook are described as "chatter" - this light hearted description keeps the mood of the poem positive...despite the seriousness of Tennyson's contemplations...
• And here and there a foamy flake
Upon me, as I travel
With many a silver water-break
Above the golden gravel. - In this stanza, Tennyson compares water and stones to silver and gold - this comparison shows the poet's reverence for nature, and his romantic imagination. The reader can almost see the play of light on gravel and silvery streams.
Lord Tennyson has created a loving tribute to the beauty of a simple stream, and, in doing so, he has also contemplated one of the most enduring themes of poetry - the examination of fear of mortality, and the way spirituality soothes this fear...the journey of this babbling brook mimics the journey through life, death, and spiritual rebirth. The immortality of the spirit is like a brook, moving out to a larger river.
