Break, Break, Break Poem PDF

**Break, Break, Break**  ([ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/alfred-tennyson)) Break, break, break,          On thy cold gray stones, O Sea! And I would that my tongue could utter          The thoughts that arise in me. O, well for the fisherman\'s boy,          Th...

**Break, Break, Break**  ([ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/alfred-tennyson)) Break, break, break,          On thy cold gray stones, O Sea! And I would that my tongue could utter          The thoughts that arise in me. O, well for the fisherman\'s boy,          That he shouts with his sister at play! O, well for the sailor lad,          That he sings in his boat on the bay! And the stately ships go on          To their haven under the hill; But O for the touch of a vanish\'d hand,          And the sound of a voice that is still! Break, break, break          At the foot of thy crags, O Sea! But the tender grace of a day that is dead          Will never come back to me. **Introduction:** Alfred, Lord Tennyson composed \"Break, Break, Break\" in 1835, two years after the death of his close friend and fellow poet, Arthur Hallam. Because the poem\'s speaker laments the death of a close acquaintance, most readers read \"Break, Break, Break\" as an [**elegy**](https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/elegy) to Hallam, though the poem stands on its own as a more general meditation on mortality and loss. Published in 1842, the poem is often read alongside Tennyson\'s \"**In Memoriam**,\" a longer work that is more explicit in its commemoration of Hallam and the impact he had on Tennyson\'s life. Annotations & Explanations: --------------------------- Utter- to pronounce/ to say Bay- sea (near the shore) Stately- gorgeous/ big/ magnificent Haven- harbour/an inlet providing shelter for ships or boats Still- silent Crags- rocks/ hills/a [steep](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=567192751&sxsrf=AM9HkKkjHOTraPrDMXUP2aQXd6EgrsZpKg:1695280949233&q=steep&si=ALGXSlanL1aSLkbkKVKYTZ8siJOeQ4ssI0dDIsfWz9gY6bFP5wOnk8dc5yX0v_ULp-Z38p267M9gCvYdrP0P6wR_c7ikMT4VDA%3D%3D&expnd=1) or [rugged](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=567192751&sxsrf=AM9HkKkjHOTraPrDMXUP2aQXd6EgrsZpKg:1695280949233&q=rugged&si=ALGXSlbD4fKmSL7CRU364kGH2u8kT9gA21-VmS-XbrhYGgfFUmxkUNSD5R0B6ReMTZVpTtBJwIAplkTBAi2HxIPVXQbyjgsgsw%3D%3D&expnd=1) cliff or rock face Summary of the Poem ------------------- *"Break break break"* is an elegy written by Alfred Tennyson in memory of his best friend Arthur Hallam. Through the poem the poet is emphasizing on the beautiful days he spent with his friend and the agony he suffers from the loss of Arthur: *Break, break, break,\ On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!"* The poet is standing on the sea shore watching the waves crash the gray stones. The poem is set in a sad tone mixed with agony, nostalgia and loss. He visualizes and recollects about the joyful youthful days with his friend through the people he sees at the shore. The sight of the fisherman\'s boy shouting and playing merrily with his sister and the sailor lad who is singing happy songs sitting on his boat reminds him about the young days he had spent happily with his friend. In the second part of the poem he goes into a philosophical tone. He watches the stately ships going to their next port. He compares this imagery with life and its journey. Like the ship sailing, life also moves from one point to the other. Whatever happens, life keeps on rolling and we are transported to the next phase. He can be referring to the journey between birth and death through these lines: *And the stately ships go on\ To their haven under the hill;* He laments about his lost friend by reconnecting him through the phrases 'the touch of a vanished hand' and 'the voice that is still'. These phrases are a direct reference to Arthur Hallam. The waves continue to crash on the rocks, and life continues. He continues to cry about how the lost old days are never going to return back to him: *But the tender grace of a day that is dead\ Will never come back to me.* In this poem the poet is talking to the readers through images. The death of his friend is implied through the 'vanished hands' and the 'voice that is still'. The image of the 'ship' that is going forward implies the cycle of life that waits for none. 'Sea' itself is an image. Life is like the sea that keeps on going. The waves in the sea never pause; similar is the journey of life.