The Brook - Alfred, Lord Tennyson
A Lively Ode to Nature’s Unceasing Flow
I come from haunts of coot and hern,
I make a sudden sally,
And sparkle out among the fern,
To bicker down a valley.
By thirty hills I hurry down,
Or slip between the ridges,
By twenty thorps, a little town,
And half a hundred bridges.
Till last by Philip’s farm I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.
I chatter over stony ways,
In little sharps and trebles,
I bubble into eddying bays,
I babble on the pebbles.
With many a curve my banks I fret
By many a field and fallow,
And many a fairy foreland set
With willow-weed and mallow.
I chatter, chatter, as I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.
I wind about, and in and out,
With here a blossom sailing,
And here and there a lusty trout,
And here and there a grayling.
And here and there a foamy flake
Upon me, as I travel
With many a silvery waterbreak
Above the golden gravel,
And draw them all along, and flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.
I steal by lawns and grassy plots,
I slide by hazel covers;
I move the sweet forget-me-nots
That grow for happy lovers.
I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,
Among my skimming swallows;
I make the netted sunbeam dance
Against my sandy shallows.
I murmur under moon and stars
In brambly wildernesses;
I linger by my shingly bars;
I loiter round my cresses;
And out again I curve and flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem “The Brook” personifies a small stream as it journeys from its source until it merges with a larger river, all the while steadfastly continuing “for ever.” Structurally, the poem uses short, lively stanzas with consistent refrains, echoing the rhythmic ebb and flow of moving water. Tennyson’s central emphasis is on the brook’s perpetual motion—water that sparkles, bickers, babbles, slides, and chatters across varied landscapes.
Nature, here, is an ongoing presence that underpins human existence; “men may come and men may go,” but the brook’s timeless cycle persists. By cataloging the brook’s path—mentioning fern, fields, villages, and trout—Tennyson brings rural England’s natural beauty into sharp focus. The recurring refrain about men’s transience highlights how, while human endeavors rise and fall, nature’s rhythms remain consistent and dependable.
In many ways, the brook’s voice doubles as a reflective guide. It merrily describes its surroundings but also calls attention to life’s impermanence. Despite passing by various changes and challenges—sharp rocks, pebbles, swirling eddies—the stream adapts, always moving onward. Tennyson’s deft use of light, color, and sound imagery captures the brook’s vivacity, suggesting that life, too, can be navigated with a sense of acceptance and continuity.
Ultimately, “The Brook” presents an uplifting perspective on change and constancy. Though people age, move on, or pass away, the natural world carries on around and beyond them. This quiet yet firm assertion of the brook’s ceaseless course gently reminds us that we, like Tennyson’s travelers, participate briefly in a much broader tapestry of time and flow.
Key points
• Emphasizes the contrast between human transience and nature’s continuous cycles.
• Uses refrains and vivid verbs to convey the brook’s lively, ever-flowing spirit.
• Offers detailed glimpses of rural scenes, highlighting Tennyson’s reverence for nature.
• Evokes a sense of calm acceptance of life’s passing generations.
• Demonstrates how poetic structure can mirror the movement and energy of its subject.
