KING ARTHUR’S FAREWELL – LORD TENNYSON

KING ARTHUR’S FAREWELL – LORD TENNYSON

Then loudly cried the bold Sir Bedivere,

‘Ah! My Lord Arthur, whither shall I go?

Where shall I hide my forehead and my eyes?

For now I see the true times are dead,

When every morning brought a noble chance,

And every chance brought out a noble knight.

Such times have been not since the light that led

The holy Elders with the gift of myrrh.

But now the whole ROUND TABLE is dissolved

Which was an image of the mighty world;

And I, the last, go forth companionless,

And the days darken round me, and the years,

Among new men, strange faces, other minds’.

And slowly answered Arthur from the barge:

‘The old order changeth, yielding place to new,

And God fulfills Himself in many ways,

Lest one good custom should corrupt the world.

Comfort thyself: what comfort is in me?

I have lived my life, and that which I have done

May He within Himslef make pure! But thou,

If thou shouldst never see my face again,

Pray for my soul. More things are wrought by prayer

Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice

Rise like a fountain for me night and day.

For what are men better than sheep or goats

That nourish a blind life within the brain

If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer

Both for themselves and those who call them friend?

For so the whole round earth is every way

Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.

But now farewell.’

Arthur was the legendary king of England. In a fierce fight with the traitor Modred he was mortally wounded. The last scene of his life is beautifully depicted in the ‘Morte De Arthur’ from which this extract has been taken.

Arthur was the legendary king of England. He was mortally wounded in the course of his fight with Modred the traitor. At his request Sir Bedivere, the last of the Round Table Knights, carried him to the boat which was moored in the nearby lake.

After putting him in the boat Sir Bedivere says that he is feeling lonely, as all his companions have already departed from this world. They really had a good time together, when every morning brought them a chance for some adventure or other. By undertaking adventures every one of them proved to be noble knight. Never in the history of Christendom there lived so many brave men at the same time. The Round Table which has hither to been an embodiment of the mighty world is now dissolved. Hereafter he has to live alone among men whose attitude to life is entirely different. As he thinks of this, future seems dark and dreary.

In reply to this, King Arthur says that the old order is changing giving way to new. It is perhaps God’s will that there should be changes, because otherwise the world is likely to be corrupted by one custom. So he wants Sir Bedivere to console himself and try to adjust with changing world. There is no use of expecting any consolation from a dying man like him. He has lived his life in a way he thought the best. If there is

Anything wrong in what he has done, let God purify it. When he is dead and gone the best thing Sir Bedivere can do is to pray for him. Prayer is very powerful. More things are wrought by prayer than this world dream of. Knowing this we should pray to God for one another and that is the best way to distinguish ourselves from beasts.

From Sir Bedivere’s speech we are able to learn something about his character, namely his love of adventure and loyalty to his master.

The speech of King Arthur reveals that he is a God fearing man. He makes God the judge of all that he has done. Equally edifying is his attitude to prayer.

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