On this date in 1809, Alfred was born, the fourth of twelve children, and his father educated him at home. Also of interest, Tennyson couldn’t see very well; without a monocle he could not even see to eat. Therefore, he composed much of his poetry in his head, memorizing and working on the poems over the course of many years sometimes. Tennyson was enormously popular in Victorian England; his Idylls of the King sold more than 10,000 copies in one month. I can’t imagine a book of poetry being that popular in this day and time. Tennyson was a Christian, and he asked that this famous poem be printed at the end of any collection of his poetry:
Crossing the Bar
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho? from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.
Tennyson died in 1892 at the age of 83.