Details
Alfred, 1st Baron Tennyson (1809-1892)
Autograph manuscript of two poems, 'Come not, when I am dead' and 'The Eagle. Fragment', n.d. [after 1851]
20 lines on one page, 187 x 115mm. Provenance: Sotheby's, 18 December 1985, lot 114.

Two of Tennyson's best-known short poems.

Come not, when I am dead,
To drop thy foolish tears upon my grave,
To trample round my fallen head,
And vex the unhappy dust thou would'st not save.
There let the wind sweep & the plover cry
But Thou, go by.

Child, if it were thine error or Thy crime
I care no longer, being all unblest:
Wed whom Thou wilt, but I am sick of Time,
And I desire to rest.
Pass on, weak heart, & leave me where I lie
Go by, go by.

------------------------------------------------------

The Eagle.
Fragment.

He clasps the crag with hooked hands:
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ring'd with the azure world, he stands.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls:
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt, he falls.


Both poems were first published in 1851: 'Come not, when I am dead' in The Keepsake, 'The Eagle (Fragment)' as an addition to the seventh edition of Tennyson's Poems.
Brought to you by

Related Articles

Sorry, we are unable to display this content. Please check your connection.

More from
The Alphabet of Genius: Important Autograph Letters and Manuscripts
Place your bid Condition report

A Christie's specialist may contact you to discuss this lot or to notify you if the condition changes prior to the sale.

I confirm that I have read this Important Notice regarding Condition Reports and agree to its terms. View Condition Report