Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “The Eagle”
By Corey • February 7, 2008 • 25 commentsPerhaps one of the best known bird poems, Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “The Eagle: A Fragment” packs a punch as powerful as a Golden Eagle’s in merely six lines. First published in 1851 in the seventh edition of Tennyson’s Poems, it became a favorite and is now frequently anthologized. The alliteration and assonance utilized by Tennyson let the lyrical verses roll off of one’s tongue and the imagery of the poem is as simple as the rhyme scheme but memorable. The first time I got a good view of an eagle’s talons I immediately thought of “crooked hands.”
The Eagle
He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ring’d with the azure world, he stands.
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.
Tennyson employed the pairing of two-syllable adjectives with one-syllable nouns to help keep the meter of the poem intact. Indeed, Tennyson used no other adjective-noun combination, just “crooked hands,” “lonely lands,” “azure world,” “wrinkled sea,” and “mountain walls.” In fact, he used no word longer than two syllables until the last line of the poem where the three syllables of “thunderbolt” stand out to the reader, much as a loud clap of thunder would draw one’s notice. It conveys power, which any eagle certainly has.
The only thing that really bothers me about the poem is the idea of an eagle falling like a thunderbolt. If the poem was called “The Falcon” it would make more sense to me as I can easily picture a Peregrine Falcon falling like a thunderbolt. Despite this seeming inaccuracy the imagery of the poem is what stays with me and what makes the short six lines so poetic. Whatever you call it the poem is one for the ages.
Oh yay, I was hoping you’d do this soon! I like this analysis - thanks for posting. Now I look forward to your HDM post.
I like the first line. It describes the eagles (and other raptors) that I have seen really well.
Perhaps he was describing some sort of courtship? Bald Eagles often lock talons and plunge earthward.
Anyway its a thought.
Corey, you should read Jeff Watson’s The Golden Eagle. Page 49:The eagle soars at a great height before making a sudden, rapid descent resembling the vertical stoop of a Peregrine Falcon. . . . It is likely that a variation on this method is used by Golden Eagles hunting colonial seabirds in parts of western Scotland.” So, let us tip our hats to the great Lord Tennyson’s poetic, but accurate, powers of description. Thus our eagle like a “thunderbolt” falls toward the “wrinkled” sea far below. Love it.
@Pam: Thanks for the idea…
@John: I agree wholeheartedly!
@Will: Tennyson really emphasizes the eagle’s solitude…
@Alan: Hmm…maybe I am guilty of parochialism by really only taking into account my experiences with Bald Eagles. Thanks for the info!
i am bothered about what the line mean to an eagle the it is like a thunderbolt he falls please give me a concise explanation about the poem the eagle.
oh my god! i love this poem so much,
im so glad you put up an analysis.
:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
omg! this is the poem ive been looking for!
its so amazing! i nearly cried reading it :/
its really made my day…
thank you (:
i love you
keep up the good work (:
xxx
What is the rhyme scheme of this poem
@Brad: It is AAA BBB.
I read this poem thirty five years ago as a first year student. It is so powerful, it stayed indelibly etched in my mind, giving credence to the adage of old: ………poetry is what was always thought of, but never so well expressed. This is a timeless piece
what is an example of assonance in this poem
@rose: If you are looking for help with your homework, well, I would say to google search assonance and then figure it out. Good luck!
I have to do a report about this poem, here is a few of my questions:
Does the poem have any more parts to it?
Did Alfred Tennison make any more poems?
From Calah, age 10 2009
@Coolgirl: No and yes.
You can liken the eagle to a christian and the sun to God .
Close to the Sun in lonely lands - that is a beautiful way to say how it is to know God in a world that does not hear or see him.
The enlightened that see all from up high fall back into the world like a thunderbolt.
Great poem .
@Gladstone: I guess you could, but why would you?
l heard the poem earlier today and that was my first thought . Was Tennyson a christian ?
Thanks i’m using it for lamda! i love it
I love this poem
if you read this poem without knowing the title you get a totally different meaning … it can be described as an old man getting closer to death or god or just the changing from youth to adulthood.
AwEsOmE!!!!!
I have this poem tattooed on my back
as a young grade 7 (1971) lad, growing up in tropical africa (ghana) we studied and memorised this and other exciting poems(including the wind).This was my very favorite poem. We were excited to learned about describing the sea as “wrinkled”. Each time i go the beach or see a body of water i try to look if it is indeed wrinkled. Your guess is a good as mine if you see the deep lines, strokes, and the curves on the water. The ending words of both the first and second standards are indeed standardised. the rhyming words are excellent and so sweet to the ears. the magic of the internet has brought back this nostalgic memories. i am asking the question “where is everybody who studied with me at grade 7?”
The eagle represents the hierarchy of the time, kings, bishop, ect., and how they have placed themselvs above all. The distance they have placed themselves is dictated by placing you in the same eyes of the “eagle”, the wrinkled sea beneath him crawls. When he descovers himself to be mortal by his downfall and comes crashing to earth. The first line uses the word “hands” and his ability to hold on is shown how he is holding onto the mountain walls, “He clasps the crags with crooked hands;”. Alfrad also used words to audibly to convey the meanings, especially when you read the poem aloud. The word structure makes the line difficult to say the words smoothly.
Alfred Lord Tennyson was knighted in 1884 by Queen Victoria for his written works such as “The Eagle”.