The Lotos Eaters Poem Explanation

In the afternoon they came unto a land In which it seemed always afternoon.

These lines have been quoted from the poem The Lotos Eaters by Alfred Tennyson. Here the poet speaks of a strange land where the sailors of Ulysses happened to go.

After the war of Troy the Greek hero Ulysses is returning home. One day in the afternoon they reach an island. It is a strange land. In it the atmosphere is always dreamy. No activities of life is seen there. Everything in nature seems sleepy. A look of laziness and melancholy is marked everywhere. It seems that from the sunrise to the sunset the same condition prevails. In the afternoon the days work ends and people go to their respective homes for rest. The brightness of the day disappears. This is the normal condition. But in the island it is abnormal. People eat a fruit called lotos and spend their days in a mood of lethargy and rest. The poet here describes the land to convey the mood of inaction and languor. It is a speciality of Tennyson's art that he describes landscape as a reflection of the mind or feelings he wants to express. We notice this feature of his poetic art in these lines also.

There is sweet music here that softer falls Than petals from blown roses on the grass, Or night-dews on still waters between walls Of shadowy granite, in a gleaming pass;

These lines have been gleaned from Alfred Tennyson's poem "The Lotos Eaters". Here the poet describes the beautiful and enchanting quality of the lotos-island.

Immediately after landing on the remote island, Ulysses and his comrades were greeted by the melancholy lotos-eaters. These fantastic creatures offered them lotos fruits to eat. The mariners tasted them and, as a result, their mental condition changed. They began to appreciate the island in an elevated state. They were charmed by the music of the island. The music is softer than the soft petals of roses or the night-dews that fall on the still water. It had a gentler effect on the sailors and provoked their sleep. They felt soothed and happy. They began to praise the cool mosses, flowers and sleep-inducing poppy. These lines express the enchanting effect of the island on the mind of the mariners. These lines show Tennyson's power of portraying beautiful images in words.

All its allotted length of days, The flower ripens in its place, Ripens and fades, and falls, and hath no toil, Fast-rooted in the fruitful soil.

These lines have been gleaned from the choric song of Alfred Tennyson's poem "The Lotos Eaters". Here the sailors observe the peaceful course of nature and contrast it with the course of human life.

After reaching the lotos island and eating lotos fruits, the mariners were fascinated by the calm and quiet atmosphere of the island. Now they realise that every object has a natural course. The leaf sprouts and grows, being caressed by the winds. It has to make no efforts of its own to develop and mature. Rather it is aided by the sun, the moon and the nightly dew. Then it grows yellow and, after passing its allotted time, dies out of a natural process. This same process is applicable to apple, which also takes no effort to grow and ripe. In nature everything has its natural course and fixed place. Unlike, human being, they do not have to struggle and move from one place to another. Thus, in these lines, the mariners tend to compare their own life to the carefree life of natural objects.

The Lotos Eaters Poem Explanation

Hateful is the dark-blue sky, Vaulted o'er the dark-blue sea, Death is the end of life; ah, why Should life all labour be?

These lines have been taken from the choric song of the poem "The Lotos Eaters" written by Alfred Tennyson. Here the mariners express their disgust at the extremely toilsome life which they have so far lived.

On their homeward journey, the mariners came across the island of the lotos eaters. Immediately after eating the lotos fruits, they became, as if, intoxicated and began to praise the island. They find complete peace, tranquillity and bliss in this island. In this place life is full of rest. In contrast, their earlier sea-life was heavily toilsome and monotonous. Day after day, they had to encounter nothing but the perilous sea and the dark-blue sky. This is the reason why they now preferred their present position in the lotos island. They further reasoned that as the journey of life leads only to death, one should only enjoy life instead of engaging in heavy toil. It is meaningless to fight evil. Thus, in their perverted state they expressed the hedonistic philosophy of life and desired easeful sleep, or even death.

How sweet it were, hearing the downward stream, With half-shut eyes ever to seem Falling asleep in a half-dream!

These lines have been taken from the choric song of the poem "The Lotos Eaters" by Alfred Tennyson. Here the mariners express deep wish to spend the rest of their life on the lotos island. They speak about the benefits of living here in an exalted state.

After the long and arduous sea-journey, the mariners reached the Lotos island. They ate lotos fruits and became overpowered by a sense of inaction, lethargy and melancholy. They wanted to travel no more. Instead, they wished to lead the life of complete rest and peace. They thought that their present life on the lotos island offered them the best life. Here they would be living in a state of perpetual sleep and dream. In their sweet dream, they would hear the lulling sounds. They would observe the charming ripples and the creamy foam on the beach. They would not engage in active life, rather recall their past life only in memory. Thus, in their heightened state of consciousness, induced by the lotos fruits, they envision an Edenic life. These lines show Tennyson's power of creating sweet and dream-like verse with the aid of alliteration and assonance.

Let what is broken so remain. The gods are hard to reconcile; 'Tis hard to settle order once again. There is confusion worse than death, Trouble on trouble, pain on pain Long labour unto aged breath.

These lines have been taken from the choric song of the poem "The Lotos Eaters" by Alfred Tennyson. Here, the mariners present some reasons why they should not return to their old home in a remote island.

On the homeward journey, the mariners landed on the lotos island. They ate the lotos fruits and their reasoning power got perverted. They began to hate their glorious but toilsome life of the past. They expressed their deep wish to spend the rest of life on the lotos island. With this wish in mind, they wanted to rationalise their decision of giving up their journey. They thought that although once they had happy home and hearth, all had changed due to their long absence. They would no more be welcomed by their wives and children. Or it may be that their properties have been looted by the naughty princes of the island. Their glorious deeds have been futile legends. All these are their fate fixed by the gods. Now to go and reclaim everything would invite only trouble. They have no more will power to face trouble. This is why, they prefer to stay here on the lotos island.