A Farewell by Alfred, Lord Tennyson: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
Tennyson's "A Farewell" offers a heartfelt goodbye to a stream near his childhood home in Somersby, a place he is leaving for good.
Tennyson's "A Farewell" offers a heartfelt goodbye to a stream near his childhood home in Somersby, a place he is leaving for good. He asks the brook to continue flowing and singing in his absence, suggesting that nature can preserve the joy he experienced there. The poem reflects a deep love for a place, where leaving it feels like losing a piece of oneself.
Tone & mood
The tone carries a quiet sadness without slipping into despair. Tennyson expresses his grief with restraint and dignity — there's a gentle warmth in how he addresses the stream and the stars, treating them like old friends. Beneath the sorrow lies a sense of solace: nature will continue on, and that continuity offers its own form of comfort.
Symbols & metaphors
- The brook / rivulet — The stream symbolizes the ongoing presence of nature and the essence of childhood. It flows continuously, no matter who comes and goes, offering both comfort and a touch of heartbreak.
- The sea — The brook flows into the sea, symbolizing the vast and indifferent world the speaker is entering — a place that's larger and colder than the familiar valley he's departing from.
- The stars — Stars over the Somersby Valley hold a special place in the speaker's emotional landscape. They represent the lasting beauty of a cherished location and how it stays etched in your memory even after you've moved on.
- Farewell (repeated) — The repeated use of the word transforms it into a ritual. Saying goodbye multiple times indicates that the speaker struggles to fully commit to the departure — each farewell is an effort to acknowledge the reality of leaving.
Historical context
Tennyson grew up in the small village of Somersby, Lincolnshire, where a brook flowed by the rectory garden. After his father's death in 1831, the family had to leave their home, marking a goodbye to the landscape that had inspired him since childhood. He wrote "A Farewell" during this tumultuous time, likely between 1833 and 1837, and included it in his 1842 collection. The same brook from Somersby appears again, but in a different form, in the much longer poem "The Brook," written later in his life. For Tennyson, the departure from Somersby left a lasting ache, and many of his poems reflect on that valley, that stream, and the feeling of losing his original home.
FAQ
He's speaking to the brook close to his childhood home in Somersby, Lincolnshire. He also looks up at the stars shining over the valley. This direct conversation with nature — a technique known as **apostrophe** — was quite popular in Romantic and Victorian poetry.
After his father's death in 1831, the Tennyson family had to leave the Somersby rectory. The poem avoids naming a specific destination because the focus isn't on where he's headed—it's on what he's losing.
The brook embodies childhood, home, and the ongoing rhythm of nature all at once. It existed long before Tennyson and will continue to flow long after he's gone, serving as both a source of comfort and a reminder of his fleeting existence.
Sure! Here’s a more humanized version:
Yes. Both poems are inspired by the same Somersby stream. 'The Brook' (1855) is significantly longer and allows the water to express its own voice and character. 'A Farewell' captures the initial, heartfelt goodbye; 'The Brook' serves as a more developed homage written later.
Sad yet composed. Tennyson doesn’t cry out or lose his temper — he bids farewell softly and with grace. There's a comforting touch at the end, suggesting that the beauty of the place will remain even if he can’t be part of it.
The poem features short stanzas written in a straightforward ballad-like meter with a consistent rhyme scheme. The simplicity of the form reflects the simplicity of the emotion—this poem isn't about showing off; it's about genuinely feeling.
No, he's not dying, even if that phrase carries a heavy connotation. He's leaving Somersby for good. Tennyson uses distance to convey how definitive this departure feels — leaving your childhood home can often feel as permanent as death.
Repetition transforms the word into a sort of ritual. One goodbye isn't sufficient for a place this cherished. The repetition also reflects how we hesitate at the door when we truly don't want to depart.