Tithonus

Tithonus is a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Tithonus was a Trojan prince in Greek mythology who was granted immortality but not eternal youth. He was doomed to age forever without dying. The poem Tithonus by Tennyson is a dramatic monologue in blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter lines) told from Tithonus’s point of view. In the original myth, Zeus grants the gift of immortality. However, in this poem, Tithonus himself asks for immortality and it is Aurora, not Zeus, who grants this gift. However, the gift is imperfect. So, he sorrowfully reflects on his endless life after being granted immortality by Aurora. He continues to age forever—a fate that separates him from the mortal world and his love, Aurora, who remains immortal and beautiful. Tennyson first wrote Tithonus as Tithon in 1833 and completed it in 1859.

Line-by-line Explanation

The forest withers, the trees weaken and fall.

The mist sheds its heavy burden onto the ground.

Humans come, plough the land, and are buried beneath it.

And after many summers, even the swan dies.

But only I am consumed by cruel immortality.

I slowly fade away in your embrace,

Here at the quiet edge of the world,

A white-haired shadow wandering like a dream

Through the silent, endless lands of the East,

Where mist folds over itself, and the morning glows like a palace.

Alas, for this pale shadow, once a man—

So magnificent in beauty, your chosen one,

Whom you made special, so that he believed

In his heart that he was almost a god!

I once asked you, “Grant me immortality.”

And you did, smiling—like the rich,

Who give carelessly, not thinking of the cost.

But your relentless hours did their work,

Breaking me down, wearing me away,

And though they could not kill me, they left me broken,

To watch eternal youth while I aged forever—

An old man, unchanged, beside the ever-young.

And all that I was turned to dust.

Can your love, your beauty, make up for this?

Even now, the silver star—your guide—

Shines in your trembling eyes, filled with tears

As you listen to me. Let me go. Take back your gift.

Why should any man wish to separate himself

From his kind, to go beyond the natural end

Where all should rest, as is right for all?

A soft breeze parts the clouds, revealing

A glimpse of the dark world where I was born.

Once again, that mysterious glow returns

To your pure brow, your flawless shoulders,

And your heart beats with renewed life.

Your cheek flushes with colour in the dim light,

Your sweet eyes brighten as they meet mine,

Just before they outshine the stars.

And the wild horses that pull your chariot,

Longing for you, shake their manes free of darkness,

And turn the twilight into burning sparks.

This is how it always happens—

You grow more beautiful in silence,

Then leave before answering me,

And your tears fall upon my cheek.

Why do you always frighten me with your tears,

And make me fear that an old saying,

Learned long ago on that dark earth, is true?

“The gods themselves cannot take back their gifts.”

Oh, how different my heart was,

In those distant days, with those younger eyes,

When I watched you appear before me—

Saw your soft curls glow like golden rings,

Felt my blood warm as your light changed,

As your presence turned crimson with life.

I lay there, my lips, my forehead, my eyes

Growing warm with your kisses, softer

Than the first blossoms of April.

I heard your whispered words—wild and sweet,

Like the strange song Apollo sang

As the city of Troy rose like mist into towers.

But do not hold me in your eastern realm forever.

How can I remain here, when my nature is so different from yours?

Your rosy light washes over me, but I feel no warmth.

Your glow is cold, and my wrinkled feet grow numb

As I stand on your shining doorstep,

While the mist rises from distant fields—

Fields where happy men live and can die,

And where the dead, at peace, lie beneath the grass.

Let me go. Let me return to the earth.

You see all things—you will see my grave.

Morning after morning, you will renew your beauty.

And I, buried in the earth, will forget these empty halls,

And forget you as you return on your silver chariot.

Simplified Explanation

The poem tells the story of Tithonus, a man who was granted immortality by Aurora, the goddess of dawn. However, he was not given eternal youth, so he grows old and weak forever, unable to die. He reflects on his suffering and begs Aurora to let him die like other humans. He tells Aurora about his sufferings. He argues that the natural world around him decays and finally ends; he asserts the fact that ‘end’ is also a blessing. Here is what he says to her eternally young and beautiful beloved, Aurora:

The forest weakens over time. Trees grow old, lose strength, and fall. The mist releases its heavy weight onto the ground. Humans arrive, cultivate the land, and are later buried in it. After many years, even the swan, which lives for a long time, dies. But I, alone, suffer from the burden of immortality. I do not live with strength and joy. Instead, I slowly fade away in your arms. I remain at the silent edge of the world. I am like a white-haired shadow, wandering aimlessly like a dream. I move through the quiet, endless lands of the East, where mist layers upon itself and the morning glows like a palace.

I mourn for myself, a pale shadow of a man. Once, I was young and handsome. I was your chosen one, the special man you favoured. You made me believe that I was almost like a god. I once asked you for immortality. I wished to live forever. You granted my wish without hesitation, smiling, like a rich person who gives without thinking of the consequences. But time continued its work. It did not kill me, yet it wore me down. It weakened me. I remained alive, but I lost my strength and youth. Here, among gods, I was forced to watch others remain young while I grew old forever. I stayed beside you, never changing, but my body continued to age. Everything I once was has faded away. Now, I ask you—can your love and beauty compensate for my suffering? Even now, your guiding star shines in your tear-filled eyes as you listen to me. Let me go. Take back your gift of immortality. Why should any man wish to separate himself from his kind? Why should anyone wish to live beyond the natural end of life? It is right for all people to rest in death.

A soft wind clears the clouds. I see a glimpse of the dark world where I was born. Once again, I see that mysterious glow return to your pure face and flawless shoulders. Your heart beats with new energy. Your cheeks gain colour in the dim light. Your sweet eyes meet mine, shining brightly—brighter than the stars. Your chariot horses, eager to carry you away, shake off the darkness. Their movement turns the twilight into burning sparks. This always happens the same way. You grow more beautiful in silence.

You leave without answering me. Your tears fall upon my face before you depart. Why do you always make me afraid with your tears? You remind me of an old saying I once learned on the dark earth: “Even the gods cannot take back their gifts.”

My heart was different long ago. I saw you for the first time with young eyes. Your golden hair shone like rings of sunlight. Your presence filled me with warmth. My blood rushed with excitement when I saw you. Your kisses were softer than the first blossoms of spring. Your whispered words were wild and sweet, like the song of Apollo when he built the city of Troy. But do not keep me in your eastern world forever. I cannot remain here. My nature is different from yours. Your soft light surrounds me, but I feel no warmth. Your glow is cold. My old feet grow numb as I stand on your shining doorstep.

I see the mist rise over distant fields. In those fields, men live happily. They grow old and die as they should. The dead rest peacefully beneath the grass. Let me return to the earth. You see everything—you will see my grave. Morning after morning, you will shine with new beauty. But I, buried in the earth, will finally be at peace. I will forget these empty halls. I will forget you as you continue your journey across the sky.

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