Tennyson’s “Tears, Idle Tears” reminds me of different stages of emotion where at times you find yourself crying and have no clue as to why. Most people have even had the experience of having a so called frog in the throat before just bursting into tears. Personally is truly understand where Tennyson is coming from when he speaks of the depth of tears. It seems like when you are holding emotions within you and they stay bottled up there comes a time when those tears no longer have tags or specific experiences. They become idle and from a force that finds it way from within you.
“Tears from the depth of some divine despair
Rise in the heart, and gather in the eyes,
In looking on happy Autumn fields,
And days that are no more.” (Line 1-5)
At times these same tears may become tears of joy especially when they are shed due to the loss of a loved one who is put out of misery and pain. I believe that this is what Tennyson was referring to when he mentions Autumn fields and days that are no more. Autumn represents the beginning of death.
“Dear as remembered kisses after death,” (Line 16)
Even though the act of crying sometimes is done to express pain there are times when tears are expresses when reminiscing on the joyous moments of the past.
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I wrote on this poem as well and I appreciate your interpretation, especially the different levels of emotion. I've had something to trigger a memory of a deceased loved one and all of the raw emotions seems to rush back and tears begin to flow. I definitely agree with your comment on tears of joy as well!
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ReplyDeleteVery good job here of focusing on a poem, quoting and analyzing specific passages, and engaging with the meaning of the poem. I think this is one of your more successful posts so far!
Nice job with the interpretation of this piece. I also like how you express your personal views on the subject of Idle tears and expresing one's emotions
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