Tithonus
Poetry
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Alfred Lord Tennyson
Tithonus Poem
Tithonus
By Alfred, Lord Tennyson
The woods decay, the woods decay and fall,
The vapours weep their burthen to the ground,
Man comes and tills the field and lies beneath,
And after many a summer dies the swan.
Me only cruel immortality
Consumes: I wither slowly in thine arms,
Here at the quiet limit of the world,
A white-hair'd shadow roaming like a dream
The ever-silent spaces of the...
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Tithonus Key Facts
Key Facts:
Writer: Lord Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892)
Title of the Author:
Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom (1850–1892)
One of the most prominent Victorian poets
Representative poet of the Victorian Age
Original Title: Tithonus
Written Time: Around 1833
Published Date: First published in 1859 (in Poems), revised version of an earlier 1833 poem titled Tithon.
Total Lines: 76
Stanza: Unsta...
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Tithonus Themes
Death is Natural: In the poem “Tithonus,” we hear a sad story. Tithonus loved a goddess named Eos (Aurora), the goddess of dawn. She loved him too and made him live forever. But she forgot to give him eternal youth. So, Eos stayed young, but Tithonus grew old. Now he is very, very old. He is like a shadow. Living forever is painful for him. His body is old, but Eos is still young and beautiful. He...
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Tithonus Character
Tithonus: Tithonus is the main speaker and narrator of the poem. He was a mortal prince of Troy in Greek mythology. The goddess of dawn, Eos (Aurora), fell in love with him because of his great beauty. She asked Zeus to make him immortal. But she forgot to ask for eternal youth. As a result, Tithonus kept aging but could not die. He became weak, tired, and wrinkled, but lived forever. In the poem,...
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Tithonus Quotations
“Me only cruel immortality consumes.”
Exp: Tithonus is saying that living forever is not a blessing. It is painful because he keeps aging but cannot die.
“Why should a man desire in any way
To vary from the kindly race of men?”
Exp: Tithonus regrets his wish for immortality. He now believes it is better to be like other humans who can die.
“The Gods themselves cannot recall their gifts.”
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Notes
Explore 2 detailed notes related to Tithonus. Each note provides in-depth analysis, explanations, and critical insights.