Comments on: The Madeleine Project: Tennyson’s Ulysses

By: Dispatch From The Happiest Place on Earth « BlogLily

Dispatch From The Happiest Place on Earth « BlogLily — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:49:49 +0000

[...] ago, I wrote about his concession speech at the 1980 Democratic National Convention. It’s here. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)The Happiest Place on EarthTribute to all things [...]

By: realruth

realruth — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 05:25:43 +0000

Many years ago we were lent a record, which I played endlessly, of Rchard Burton reading Tennyson. My favourite has always been “The Lady of Shalott”. I can also still hear Richard’s voice intoning “Break, break, break, on thy cold grey stones, O Sea!”

Some years ago, when my mother was dying, I was sitting with her in the last hours. She was no longer able to speak or interact in any way, but because I knew that hearing is often the last sense to go, I read to her, and my choice was Tennyson because we both loved his poetry, and because his words are perfect.

By: litlove

litlove — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 17:29:01 +0000

This is such a wonderful reading of the poem, Bloglily, and I call it that for a want of a better word. No, maybe the word I’m looking for is a meditation. It’s a beautiful approach to a wonderful poem, situating it in the heart of life, death, failure and success, just where it belongs.

By: bloglily

bloglily — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 15:50:54 +0000

It is a wonderful poem. I read it out loud last night to a group of writers and was surprised to find myself chanelling wily Odysseus. I’m glad you’ve all enjoyed it. Edwin, what you say about weaknesses is quite true — Bill Clinton comes to mind immediately. Courtney, I don’t know if the art to living is so much lost as gone underground. The proliferation of intelligent blogs says a lot about how much people yearn for civilized conversations. Who knows? Maybe Barak Obama won’t be afraid to be an intellectual leader.

By: everythinginbetween

everythinginbetween — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 15:31:34 +0000

What a lovely post. Thank you so much for it. I love Tennyson and this as great break in my morning.

On another note, I’ve been thinking about this idea lately as well. It seems gone are the days of politicians incorporating poetry, history and art into their speeches, and it’s a sad, sad thing. Now our politicians pander to the lowest common denominator, hididng what intelligence they have in order to to not seem ‘better’ than others, I don’t know…some days it seems like any sort of art to living is lost…
Courtney

By: Edwinek

Edwinek — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 11:50:01 +0000

Interesting challenge, but the answer is easy: not one. Politicians do inspire me to creative use of foul language, maybe even to the extend of becoming poetic.

And I love this poem, hadn’t read it before (to my shame, of course.) Time to read more of Tennysons poetry, methinks.

By the way, few things are more appealing in a politician than his/her weaknesses.

By: fencer

fencer — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 09:38:46 +0000

Tales of brave Ulysses… Thanks. I’ve never read that before.

By: Dorothy W.

Dorothy W. — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 00:40:43 +0000

I like very much the lessons about poetry you talk about here — that we shouldn’t be afraid of it and our own readings of it, and that it belongs in many places, not just the classroom. Very, very true!

By: mick

mick — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 00:03:19 +0000

Tennyson, by my standards is a master.

Thanks — I hadn’t read this in some great time. It was a wonderful gift you have given us all.