Ulysses (Poem)

Unit 4 – Poem

Ulysses

Alfred Tennyson

Warm Up

Introduction

The poem ‘Ulysses’ is a dramatic monologue that contains 70 lines of blank verse. Ulysses, the King of Ithaca, gathers his men together to prepare for the journey and exhorts them not to waste their time left on earth. Ulysses has grown old, having experienced many adventures at the battle of Troy and in the seas. After returning to Ithaca, he desires to embark upon his next voyage. His inquisitive spirit is always looking forward to more and more of such adventures.

The poem can be divided into three parts:
1. The thirst for adventure, which does not allow Ulysses to remain in his kingdom as a mere ruler.
2. Ulysses handing over the responsibility to his son Telemachus, with total confidence in his abilities.
3. Ulysses’ clarion call to his sailors, urging them to venture into unknown lands.

Read the poem Ulysses by Alfred Lord Tennyson, which speaks of the unquenchable thirst of the Greek hero Ulysses for travel and exploration of new vistas, until death would overpower him.

The Poem

It little profits that an idle king,
By this still hearth, among these barren crags,
Match’d with an aged wife, I mete and dole
Unequal laws unto a savage race,
That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.

I cannot rest from travel: I will drink
Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy’d
Greatly, have suffer’d greatly, both with those
That loved me, and alone, on shore, and when
Thro’ scudding drifts the rainy Hyades
Vext the dim sea: I am become a name;
For always roaming with a hungry heart

Much have I seen and known; cities of men
And manners, climates, councils, governments,
Myself not least, but honour’d of them all;
And drunk delight of battle with my peers,
Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy.
I am a part of all that I have met;
Yet all experience is an arch wherethro’
Gleams that untravell’d world whose margin fades
For ever and forever when I move.
How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
To rust unburnish’d, not to shine in use!
As tho’ to breathe were life! Life piled on life
Were all too little, and of one to me
Little remains: but every hour is saved
From that eternal silence, something more,
A bringer of new things; and vile it were
For some three suns to store and hoard myself,
And this gray spirit yearning in desire
To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.

This is my son, mine own Telemachus,
To whom I leave the sceptre and the isle,—
Well-loved of me, discerning to fulfil
This labour, by slow prudence to make mild
A rugged people, and thro’ soft degrees
Subdue them to the useful and the good.
Most blameless is he, centred in the sphere
Of common duties, decent not to fail
In offices of tenderness, and pay
Meet adoration to my household gods,
When I am gone. He works his work, I mine.

There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail:
There gloom the dark, broad seas. My mariners,
Souls that have toil’d, and wrought, and thought with me—
That ever with a frolic welcome took
The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed
Free hearts, free foreheads—you and I are old;
Old age hath yet his honour and his toil;
Death closes all: but something ere the end,
Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.
The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks:
The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep
Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,
’T is not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

About The Author

Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was a British poet. He was the Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Ireland during much of Queen Victoria’s reign and remains one of the most popular British poets. Tennyson excelled at penning short lyrics, such as “Break, Break, Break”, “The Charge of the Light Brigade”, “Tears, Idle Tears”, and “Crossing the Bar”. He wrote verses on classical mythology such as Ulysses, Idylls of the King and Tithonus. Tennyson’s use of the musical qualities of words to emphasise his rhythms and meanings is sensitive.

Glossary

• drink life to the lees – live life to the fullest
• scudding – moving rapidly because of the wind
• Hyades – a group of stars in the constellation Taurus often associated with rain
• vext – (past tense of ‘vex’) upset
• three suns – three long years
• Telemachus – son of Ulysses
• smite – strike
• furrow – mark made in the water by the ship
• baths – outer ocean or river that the Greeks believed to surround the flat earth
• Happy Isles – a fortunate island situated in the Atlantic Ocean, popularly known as Greek Paradise
• Achilles – the greatest of Greek warriors (as an infant his mother dipped him into the river Styx, which made him invulnerable everywhere but the feet by which she held him)

Exercises

1. Complete the summary of the poem, choosing words from the list given below.

Lines 1 to 32
Ulysses is unwilling to discharge his duties as a king, as he longs for travel. He is filled with an unquenchable thirst for adventure. He has travelled far and wide gaining knowledge of various places, cultures, men and matters. He recalls with delight his experience at the battle of Troy. Enriched by his experience he longs for more and his quest seems endless. Like metal which would rust if unused, life without adventure is meaningless. According to him living is not merely breathing to stay alive. Though old but zestful, Ulysses looks at every hour as a bringer of new things and yearns to follow knowledge even if it is unattainable.

Lines 33 to 42
Ulysses desires to hand over his kingdom to his son Telemachus, who would fulfil his duties towards his subjects with care and prudence. Telemachus possesses patience and has the will to civilise the citizens of Ithaca in a tender way. Ulysses is happy that his son would do his work blamelessly and he would pursue his quest for travel and knowledge.

Lines 44 to 70
Ulysses beckons his sailors to gather at the port where the ship is ready to sail. His companions who have faced both thunder and sunshine with a smile, are united by their undying spirit of adventure. Though death would end everything, Ulysses urges his companions to join him and sail beyond the sunset and seek a newer world, regardless of consequences. These brave hearts who had once moved heaven and earth, may have grown old and weak physically but their spirit is young and undaunted. His call is an inspiration for all those who seek true knowledge and strive to lead meaningful lives.

2. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences each.

a) ‘Ulysses is not happy to perform his duties as a king.’ Why?
He finds ruling a “savage race” that only hoards, sleeps and feeds both tedious and unfulfilling; his passion is exploration, not governance.

b) What does he think of the people of his kingdom?
He regards them as barbarous, ignorant and indifferent to him—“they know not me.”

c) What has Ulysses gained from his travel experiences?
He has acquired intimate knowledge of men, manners, climates, councils and governments, and has won honour on the windy plains of Troy.

d) Pick out the lines which convey that his quest for travel is unending.
“Yet all experience is an arch wherethro’ / Gleams that untravell’d world whose margin fades / For ever and forever when I move.”

e) ‘As tho’ to breathe were life!’ – From the given line what do you understand of Ulysses’ attitude to life?
He scorns mere physical existence; true life must be active, adventurous and purposeful.

f) What does Ulysses yearn for?
He yearns to pursue knowledge “beyond the utmost bound of human thought,” even unto death.

g) Who does the speaker address in the second part?
He addresses his own son, Telemachus.

h) Why did Ulysses want to hand over the kingdom to his son?
He trusts Telemachus’ prudence and gentleness to civilise the rugged people while he himself seeks further adventures.

i) How would Telemachus transform the subjects?
“By slow prudence” and “soft degrees” he will subdue them “to the useful and the good.”

j) ‘He works his work, I mine’ – How is the work distinguished?
Telemachus’ work is domestic governance; Ulysses’ work is eternal quest and discovery.

k) In what ways were Ulysses and his mariners alike?
Both have toiled, wrought and thought together, sharing “thunder and sunshine” with free hearts and heroic temper.

l) What could be the possible outcomes of their travel?
They may perish in the gulfs or reach the Happy Isles and meet great Achilles; either way, noble endeavour abides.

3. Identify the figures of speech employed in the following lines.

a) Thro’ scudding drifts the rainy Hyades / Vext the dim sea...
Personification – the Hyades (stars) are said to vex the sea.

b) For always roaming with a hungry heart
Metaphor – the heart is likened to a hungry creature.

c) And drunk delight of battle with my peers;
Metaphor – delight is presented as an intoxicating drink.

d) ...the deep / Moans round with many voices.
Personification – the sea is given a moaning voice.

e) To follow knowledge like a sinking star.
Simile – knowledge is compared to a sinking star.

f) There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail
Personification – the ship “puffs” like a living creature.

4. Read the sets of lines from the poem and answer the questions that follow.

(Answers provided inline within the original text above.)

5. Explain with reference to the context the following lines.

(Detailed contextual explanations to be developed by students as per teacher guidance.)

6. Answer the following questions in a paragraph in about 100 words each.

a) What makes Ulysses seek newer adventures?
b) List the roles and responsibilities Ulysses assigns to his son Telemachus, while he is away.
c) What is Ulysses’ clarion call to his sailors? How does he inspire them?

Parallel Reading

Haikus

1. A summer river being crossed
   how pleasing
   with sandals in my hands!

2. O Snail
   Climb Mount Fuji,
   But slowly, slowly!

3. Cutting into with the ax,
   I was surprised at the scent of
   The winter trees.

Listening

Listen to the poem and fill in the blanks with appropriate words and phrases. Choose the best option and complete the sentences.

1. ___ works like madness in the poet.
   a) Wander – Thirst
   b) Bidding Farewell
   c) Eastern Sunrise
   d) Western Seas

2. A man could choose ___ as his guide.
   a) the sun
   b) the hills
   c) a star
   d) a bird

3. There is no end of ___ once the voice is heard.
   a) walking
   b) roaming
   c) talking
   d) voyaging

4. The old ships return, while the young ships ___.
   a) drift
   b) move
   c) sail
   d) wander

5. The blame is on the sun, stars, the road and the ___.
   a) hills
   b) trees
   c) seas
   d) sky