Tithonus Summary, Lesson Explanation, Word Meanings | ISC Class 12 English Prism Book

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ISC Class 12 English - Poem-Tithonus-Summary, Exp

 

Tithonus Summary and Explanation

ISC Class 12 English Poem Tithonus Summary, Theme, Explanation along with Difficult Word Meanings from English Rhapsody Book 

Tithonus Summary – Are you looking for the summary, theme and lesson explanation for ISC Class 12 English Rhapsody Book (A Collection of ISC Short Stories) Poem- Tithonus. Get Lesson summary, theme, explanation along with difficult word meanings and Poetic Devices.

 

ISC Class 12 English Poem – Tithonus

– Alfred, Lord Tennyson

 

Tithonus is a dramatic monologue by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It tells the Greek myth of Prince Tithonus, who received the gift of immortality from the goddess Aurora but did not receive eternal youth. This leads to his constant suffering as he ages without the ability to die. The poem is a lament from Tithonus to Eos, where he expresses his tiredness with his never-ending, decaying life.

 

 

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Tithonus Summary

The poem is a lament from Tithonus, a mortal man who was granted immortality but not eternal youth by the goddess Aurora, the Dawn. He begins by observing the natural world around him. The woods eventually decay and fall, the clouds release their rain to the ground, humans live, till the fields, and then die and are buried, and even the long-lived swan eventually dies after many summers. These are all parts of a natural cycle of life and death.

However, Tithonus states that only he is cruelly consumed by immortality. He describes himself as slowly withering away in Aurora’s arms, existing at the edge of the world as a white-hair’d shadow, like a dream wandering through the silent, misty spaces of the East, where Aurora’s gleaming halls of morning are. He mourns his current state as a gray shadow, remembering that he was once a glorious man, chosen by Aurora for his great beauty, so much so that he felt like a god.

He recalls how he once asked Aurora to grant him immortality. She granted his wish with an easy smile, like a wealthy person who gives without much thought. But, Tithonus explains, Aurora’s powerful ‘Hours’, representing Time, worked against him. They beat him down, damaged him, and wasted him. Although they could not end his life, they left him ‘maim’d’, crippled by age, forcing him to live out an immortal old age right beside Aurora’s immortal youth. All his former glory and youth are now like ashes.

Tithonus questions if Aurora’s love and beauty can truly make up for his suffering, even as her guiding silver star shines in her trembling, tear-filled eyes as she listens to him. He desperately pleads with her to let him go and take back her gift. He wonders why any human would want to be different from the natural cycle of mankind, or go beyond the natural end where everyone else is meant to pause.

He then describes Aurora’s daily renewal. A soft breeze parts the clouds, and he catches a glimpse of the mortal world where he was born. He sees the mysterious glimmer of youth return to Aurora’s pure face, shoulders, and beating heart. Her cheek reddens, her sweet eyes brighten, and her wild horses, who love her and yearn for her command, rise to shake darkness from their manes and beat the twilight into flakes of fire, signaling the dawn. He notes that she always grows beautiful in silence, then departs before giving him an answer, leaving her tears on his cheek. He expresses fear that her tears might confirm an old saying that ‘the Gods themselves cannot recall their gifts’.

Tithonus then recalls his past with deep longing. He remembers how differently he used to watch Aurora in those far-off days, when he was young and could match her divine radiance. He saw the clear outline of her beauty form, her curls turned golden, and felt his own blood glow with the light of her presence. He remembers lying close to her, feeling her warm kisses, and hearing her sweet whispers, like a strange song Apollo once sang, as the city of Ilion rose like a mist into towers.

Finally, he makes a last, heartfelt plea for release. He begs Aurora not to hold him forever in her Eastern realm. He questions how his mortal, decaying nature can continue to mix with her divine, eternally young one. He feels cold as her rosy shadows bathe him, and his wrinkled feet are cold on her glowing thresholds, contrasting with the steam rising from the fields of happy men that have the power to die and the grassy barrows of the happier dead. He asks her to release him and restore him to the ground, where he can find peace in death and forget her empty courts and her daily return on her silver wheels.

 

Summary of the Poem Tithonus in Hindi

यह कविता टिथोनस का एक विलाप है, जो एक नश्वर व्यक्ति था, जिसे देवी अरोरा, डॉन द्वारा अमरता दी गई थी, लेकिन शाश्वत युवा नहीं।  वह अपने आस-पास की प्राकृतिक दुनिया को देखकर शुरू करता है।  जंगल अंततः क्षय और गिरते हैं, बादल अपनी बारिश को जमीन पर छोड़ देते हैं, मनुष्य जीवित रहते हैं, खेतों तक, और फिर मर जाते हैं और दफन हो जाते हैं, और यहां तक कि लंबे समय तक रहने वाला हंस भी कई गर्मियों के बाद मर जाता है।  ये सभी जीवन और मृत्यु के प्राकृतिक चक्र के अंग हैं।

हालांकि, टिथोनस का कहना है कि केवल वही अमरता द्वारा क्रूरता से भस्म हो जाता है।  वह खुद को अरोरा की बाहों में धीरे-धीरे मुरझाए जाने के रूप में वर्णित करता है, जो दुनिया के किनारे पर एक सफेद बालों वाली छाया के रूप में मौजूद है, जैसे कि एक सपना पूर्व के शांत, धुंधले स्थानों में घूम रहा है, जहां सुबह के अरोरा के चमकते हॉल हैं।  वह एक धूसर छाया के रूप में अपनी वर्तमान स्थिति का शोक मनाता है, यह याद करते हुए कि वह कभी एक शानदार व्यक्ति था, जिसे ऑरोरा ने अपनी महान सुंदरता के लिए चुना था, इतना कि वह एक भगवान की तरह महसूस करता था।

वह याद करते हैं कि कैसे उन्होंने एक बार अरोरा से उन्हें अमरता देने के लिए कहा था।  उसने एक अमीर व्यक्ति की तरह एक आसान मुस्कान के साथ उसकी इच्छा को स्वीकार कर लिया, जो बिना ज्यादा सोचे समझे देता है।  लेकिन, टिथोनस बताते हैं, समय का प्रतिनिधित्व करने वाले ऑरोरा के शक्तिशाली ‘आवर्स’ ने उनके खिलाफ काम किया।  उन्होंने उसे पीटा, उसे नुकसान पहुंचाया और बर्बाद कर दिया।  हालाँकि वे उसके जीवन को समाप्त नहीं कर सके, लेकिन उन्होंने उसे ‘अपंग’ छोड़ दिया, जो उम्र से अपंग था, जिससे वह अरोरा के अमर युवाओं के साथ एक अमर बुढ़ापे में रहने के लिए मजबूर हो गया।  उनकी सारी पूर्व महिमा और युवावस्था अब राख की तरह है।

टिथोनस सवाल करता है कि क्या ऑरोरा का प्यार और सुंदरता वास्तव में उसकी पीड़ा की भरपाई कर सकती है, यहां तक कि उसका मार्गदर्शक सिल्वर स्टार उसकी कांपती, आँसू से भरी आंखों में चमकता है जब वह उसे सुनती है।  वह उससे विनती करता है कि वह उसे जाने दे और उसका उपहार वापस ले ले।  उन्हें आश्चर्य होता है कि कोई भी मनुष्य मानव जाति के प्राकृतिक चक्र से अलग क्यों होना चाहेगा, या प्राकृतिक अंत से परे क्यों जाना चाहेगा जहां बाकी सभी को रुकना है।

फिर वह ऑरोरा के दैनिक नवीकरण का वर्णन करता है।  एक नरम हवा बादलों को विभाजित करती है, और वह उस नश्वर दुनिया की एक झलक पाता है जहाँ उसका जन्म हुआ था।  वह अरोड़ा के शुद्ध चेहरे, कंधों और धड़कते दिल में युवाओं की रहस्यमय झलक देखता है।  उसके गाल लाल हो जाते हैं, उसकी मीठी आँखें चमकती हैं, और उसके जंगली घोड़े, जो उससे प्यार करते हैं और उसके आदेश के लिए तरसते हैं, अपने हाथों से अंधेरे को हिलाने के लिए उठते हैं और गोधूलि को आग के गुच्छे में बदल देते हैं, जो सुबह का संकेत देते हैं।  वह नोट करता है कि वह हमेशा मौन में सुंदर होती जाती है, फिर उसे जवाब देने से पहले उसके गाल पर अपने आँसू छोड़ देती है।  वह डर व्यक्त करता है कि उसके आँसू एक पुरानी कहावत की पुष्टि कर सकते हैं कि ‘देवता स्वयं अपने उपहारों को याद नहीं कर सकते।’

टिथोनस तब गहरी लालसा के साथ अपने अतीत को याद करता है।  उन्हें याद है कि वे उन दूर के दिनों में ऑरोरा को कितने अलग तरीके से देखते थे, जब वे छोटे थे और उसकी दिव्य चमक से मेल खा सकते थे।  उसने उसकी सुंदरता की स्पष्ट रूपरेखा देखी, उसके कर्ल सुनहरे हो गए, और उसकी उपस्थिति की रोशनी से अपने खून की चमक महसूस की।  उसे याद है कि वह उसके पास लेटा हुआ था, उसके गर्मजोशी भरे चुंबन को महसूस कर रहा था, और उसकी मीठी फुसफुसाहट सुन रहा था, जैसे अपोलो ने एक बार एक अजीब गीत गाया था, जैसे इलियन शहर एक धुंध की तरह टावरों में चढ़ गया था।

अंत में, वह रिहाई के लिए एक अंतिम, हार्दिक अनुरोध करता है।  वह अरोरा से विनती करता है कि वह उसे अपने पूर्वी क्षेत्र में हमेशा के लिए न रखे।  वह सवाल करता है कि उसकी नश्वर, क्षयकारी प्रकृति उसके दिव्य, शाश्वत रूप से युवा के साथ कैसे घुल-मिल सकती है।  वह ठंड महसूस करता है क्योंकि उसकी गुलाबी छाया उसे नहलाती है, और उसके झुर्रियों वाले पैर उसकी चमकती दहलीज पर ठंडे होते हैं, खुश पुरुषों के खेतों से उठने वाली भाप के विपरीत जो मरने की शक्ति रखते हैं और खुश मृतकों के घास वाले बैरो।  वह उसे रिहा करने और उसे जमीन पर वापस लाने के लिए कहता है, जहाँ वह मृत्यु में शांति पा सकता है और उसके खाली प्रांगण और उसके चांदी के पहियों पर उसकी दैनिक वापसी को भूल सकता है।

 

Theme of the Poem Tithonus

 

The Curse of Immortality Without Eternal Youth
This is the central and most poignant theme. Tithonus was granted immortality by the goddess Aurora, but crucially, he was not given eternal youth. As a result, he endlessly withers and decays, trapped in a state of perpetual old age while Aurora remains eternally young and beautiful. This highlights the idea that immortality, when separated from youth, becomes a horrifying curse rather than a blessing. It emphasizes that life’s true value might lie in its finite nature and the cycle of renewal.

The Cruelty and Inevitability of Time
Time is a relentless force in the poem, personified as ‘strong Hours’ that ‘work’d their wills’ upon Tithonus, beating him down, marring, and wasting him. Even though he is immortal, Time’s destructive power still acts upon his body, causing endless decay. This theme emphasizes that for mortals, time is a force of change and eventual decline, and even an attempt to escape death cannot escape the ravages of time itself. Tithonus’s suffering is a direct result of time’s natural progression being applied to an unnaturally prolonged life.

The Desirability and Kindness of Mortality
Paradoxically, Tithonus longs for death as a release from his suffering. He observes the natural world where Man comes and tills the field and lies beneath, and after many a summer dies the swan, seeing death as a kindly and fitting end for all. He envies happy men that have the power to die and the happier dead resting in their graves. This theme suggests that mortality is not a punishment but a natural, merciful, and even desirable part of existence, offering peace, rest, and an escape from the pain of endless decay.

Nature’s Indifference and Eternal Renewal
Aurora, as the goddess of Dawn, embodies the cyclical and eternally renewing aspect of nature. Each morning, she ‘renews thy beauty morn by morn’,and the natural world around her is vibrant and fresh. However, despite her love for Tithonus, she cannot reverse his decay or grant him the youth he needs. This illustrates nature’s grand, indifferent cycle; it constantly renews itself but does not intervene in individual suffering or unnatural states. Tithonus is trapped in this cycle, witnessing eternal youth and beauty that he can no longer share, highlighting nature’s majestic but unfeeling progression.

Lost Love, Beauty, and the Pain of Memory
The poem is steeped in the agony of lost love and beauty. Tithonus remembers his past glory, when he was so glorious in his beauty and his choice, and how his blood used to ‘Glow with the glow that slowly crimson’d all / Thy presence’. He recalls the passionate kisses and sweet whispers. This vivid memory of his former self and their shared divine experience intensifies his present suffering. The contrast between his withered state and Aurora’s unchanging beauty creates a profound sense of isolation and sorrow, as their love cannot sustain itself across such a vast physical disparity.

 

Tithonus: Poem Explanation

 

Stanza
The woods decay, the woods decay and fall,
The vapours weep their burthen to the ground,
Man comes and tills the field and lies beneath,
And after many a summer dies the swan.

Word Meanings
woods: forest
Decay: To rot or decompose
vapours: clouds
weep: fall down on earth as rain
burthen: burden
Weep their burthen: A poetic phrase meaning they release their heavy load (moisture), which falls as rain.
tills: ploughs
lies beneath: remains buried underground after his death.
summer: year
Swan: A large, elegant water bird, often a symbol of longevity.
The woods decay… dies the swan (lines 1-4): Woods, clouds, human beings. swans, all have their fixed time and then they pass away. These lines contain the keynote of the poem.

Explanation of the above stanza—The trees in the forest get old, rot, and eventually fall to the ground. The clouds release their moisture, or burden, as rain. Human beings are born, they work the land by farming, and then they die and are buried beneath the ground. Even the swan, which lives for many years, eventually dies after many summers have passed.

 

Stanza
Me only cruel immortality
Consumes: I wither slowly in thine arms,
Here at the quiet limit of the world,
A white-hair’d shadow roaming like a dream
The ever-silent spaces of the East,
Far-folded mists, and gleaming halls of morn.

Word Meanings
cruel: painful
immortality: everlasting life
Consumes: eats up. The worry of deathlessness eats Tithonus up every day.
wither slowly: fade away bit by bit.
Here at the quiet limit of the world: The reference is to the quiet verge of the eastern horizon, which is the home of Eos.
A white-hair’d shadow roaming like a dream: Tithonus has become very old. He can no longer consider himself a man. The word “shadow” describes him more appropriately. So he compares himself to a dream which is something insignificant.
Thine: An old-fashioned word for “your.”
Shadow: A ghostly, insubstantial figure, not a real person.
Far-folded mists: far away regions covered with mist
gleaming: shining
halls of morn: Eastern sky
Gleaming halls of morn: A poetic phrase for the shining and majestic spaces where the morning begins.

Explanation of the above stanza—Tithonus states that only he is being slowly destroyed by a cruel, eternal life. He is withering and decaying slowly in the arms of the goddess of dawn, Aurora. Here, at the quiet edge of the world, he is like a white-haired ghost, a mere shadow. He wanders like a dream through the silent areas of the East, among the thick, distant mists and the bright, shining halls of the morning.

 

Stanza
Alas! for this gray shadow, once a man–
So glorious in his beauty and thy choice,
Who madest him thy chosen, that he seem’d
To his great heart none other than a God!
I ask’d thee, ‘Give me immortality.’
Then didst thou grant mine asking with a smile,
Like wealthy men, who care not how they give.

Word Meanings
gray: gray colour is used to refer to gloom, sorrow or death.
shadow: a weak old man.
Alas! for this gray shadow, once a man: A phrase expressing sorrow and pity for his current, withered state, which is a mere shadow of the magnificent man he once was.
Glorious: Wonderful, magnificent, or full of great beauty.
Thy choice: A reference to Aurora’s choice of Tithonus as her beloved.
Madest: An old-fashioned word meaning “made.”
Chosen: Selected or picked out from others.
great heart: ambitious heart
None other than a God: Someone who seemed exactly like a god; nothing less than a god.
Didst: An old-fashioned word meaning “did.”
mine asking: my wish
Wealthy men, who care not how they give: People who are rich and give things away freely, but without thinking about the true value or the consequences of their gift.

Explanation of the above stanza— Tithonus feels great sadness for his current state as a gray shadow, remembering that he was once a man so glorious and beautiful that Aurora chose him as her partner. Her choice made him feel as if he were a god. He recalls that he once asked her to give him immortality. She then granted his request with a smile, acting like a wealthy person who gives without considering the consequences of their actions.

 

Stanza
But thy strong Hours indignant work’d their wills,
And beat me down and marr’d and wasted me,
And tho’ they could not end me, left me maim’d
To dwell in presence of immortal youth,
Immortal age beside immortal youth,
And all I was, in ashes. Can thy love,
Thy beauty, make amends, tho’ even now,
Close over us, the silver star, thy guide,
Shines in those tremulous eyes that fill with tears

Word Meanings
thy strong Hours: the ravages of time
indignant: angry (Time is angry that Tithonus should try to escape from its clutches)
work’d their wills: had their way with him
But thy strong Hours indignant work’d their wills (line 18): Time proved callous and relentless and it duly carried out its task of bringing his old age. The “Hours” word refers to all-conquering Time. (Allusion) The Hours’ were three sisters, daughters of Zeus and Themis, represented here as attendants of Eos (and the other gods).
beat me down: defeated me
marr’d: disfigured
wasted: spoiled my life
could not end me: could not kill me
end me: finish off my life
Maim’d: Wounded or injured so that a part of the body is permanently damaged; crippled.
beside: by side with
And all I was, in ashes: All his former beauty and glory are in ruins.
make amends: compensate for
tho’ even now: even at this moment of time.
Close over us: is near to us
the silver star, thy guide: the planet Venus, or the Morning Star, which is the herald of the dawn
tremulous: tearful

Explanation of the above stanza—Tithonus tells Aurora that her powerful Hours, which represent the passage of time, were angry and worked against him. They weakened him, damaged his body, and made him withered and old. Even though they could not kill him, they left him crippled and broken. This forced him to live forever in his old age, right beside her immortal youth, while everything he once was has turned to ashes. He then asks Aurora if her love and beauty can make up for his suffering, even as the silver star that guides her shines down on them and her eyes tremble and fill with tears.

 

Stanza
To hear me? Let me go: take back thy gift:
Why should a man desire in any way
To vary from the kindly race of men
Or pass beyond the goal of ordinance
Where all should pause, as is most meet for all?
A soft air fans the cloud apart; there comes
A glimpse of that dark world where I was born.

Word Meanings
Let me go: let me die
vary: differ
kindly race: same race
goal of ordinance: laws of nature
pause: die
most meet: most befitting
Why should man desire…as is most meet of all? (Lines 28-31): It is not proper for an individual human being to wish a course of life different from that of the human race. Death therefore is the necessary end of life. Everlasting life on earth is quite unnatural.
soft air: soft breeze
fans the cloud: blows the clouds away
glimpse: passing look
dark world: The earth. The time is dawn- on the eastern horizon, it is bright but it is still dark on the earth.

Explanation of the above stanza—Tithonus is pleading with Aurora to listen to him. He begs her to let him go and take back the gift of immortality. He questions why any man would ever want to be different from the peaceful and natural human race, or want to live beyond the natural end of life, which is a rest that is fitting for everyone. As he says this, a soft breeze gently separates the clouds, allowing him to catch a brief glimpse of the mortal world where he was born.

 

Stanza
Once more the old mysterious glimmer steals
From thy pure brows, and from thy shoulders pure,
And bosom beating with a heart renew’d.
Thy cheek begins to redden thro’ the gloom,
Thy sweet eyes brighten slowly close to mine,
Ere yet they blind the stars, and the wild team
Which love thee, yearning for thy yoke, arise,
And shake the darkness from their loosen’d manes,
And beat the twilight into flakes of fire.

Word Meanings
glimmer: bright rays
steals/From: radiates from
Brows: Foreheads.
Bosom: The chest area
Renew’d: Renewed; made new again.
redden: become red
gloom: darkness
Ere: before
blind the stars: make the stars obscure. In the daylight starts are not seen as shining.
wild team: White horses drawing the rose-coloured chariot of Eos.
the yearning for thy yoke: the white horses looking forward to draw the chariot
loosen’t manes: long loose hair on the neck of a horse
twilight into flakes of fire: time before dawn, when sun is below the horizon there are rays of golden light

Explanation of the above stanza—Once again, Tithonus sees the familiar, mystical glow of youth returning to Aurora. It gently appears on her forehead, her shoulders, and her chest, which pulses with a heart made new. Her cheeks begin to blush with color in the fading darkness. Her beautiful eyes slowly become brighter as she gets closer to him, before they become so bright that they outshine the stars. At the same time, her wild horses, who love her and long to be harnessed to her chariot, wake up. They shake the darkness from their loose, flowing hair and cause the light of dawn to burst forth, as if beating the dim twilight into pieces of fire.

 

Stanza
Lo! ever thus thou growest beautiful
In silence, then before thine answer given
Departest, and thy tears are on my cheek.
Why wilt thou ever scare me with thy tears,
And make me tremble lest a saying learnt,
In days far-off, on that dark earth, be true?
‘The Gods themselves cannot recall their gifts.’

Word Meanings
Lo!: Look! or Behold! An old-fashioned way of drawing attention to something.
ever thus: always in the same way
Thou: You (used when speaking to one person).
Thine: Your or yours (also used when speaking to one person).
before thine answer given: before you answer my question
Departest – Depart or leave.
and thy tears are on my check: Eos’ tears of pity on seeing the miserable condition of Tithonus.
Wilt: Will (used with “thou” or “you”).
scare: frighten
Lest: For fear of that; in case.
lest a saying: just in case the old saying
recall: take back

Explanation of the above stanza—Tithonus observes that this is how Aurora always behaves. She grows beautiful in silence, and then, before she can give him an answer to his plea, she departs, leaving her tears on his cheek. He asks her why she continues to frighten him with her tears, making him tremble with the fear that an old saying he learned long ago on Earth might be true: that even the gods themselves cannot take back the gifts they have given.

 

Stanza
Ay me! ay me! with what another heart
In days far-off, and with what other eyes
I used to watch-if I be he that watch’d-
The lucid outline forming round thee; saw
The dim curls kindle into sunny rings;
Changed with thy mystic change, and felt my blood
Glow with the glow that slowly crimson’d all
Thy presence and thy portals, while I lay,
Mouth, forehead, eyelids, growing dewy-warm
With kisses balmier than half-opening buds
Of April, and could hear the lips that kiss’d
Whispering I knew not what of wild and sweet,
Like that strange song I heard Apollo sing,
While Ilion like a mist rose into towprs.

Word Meanings
Ay me!: poor me
another heart: it refers to the heart when he was young.
In days far-off: in the olden days
what other eyes: his youthful eyes
if I be he that watch’d: I wish I were with those youthful eyes now.
lucid outline: clear outline being formed in the East around the goddess of dawn
dim curls kindle into sunny rings: faint curly outlines of the dawn becoming brighter with the sun’s rays
Mystic change: The magical, mysterious transformation of the goddess as she prepares to bring the dawn.
Crimson’d: Turned a deep red color.
portals: gates; here: Eastern sky
with the glow…thy portals (Lines 56-57): with your bright glow which made your presence and your portals reddish in colour.
growing dewy-warm: growing from cold to warm
balmier: gentler
Of April: during the spring season
Apollo: in Greek mythology he is the God of the sun and also of musicians. (Allusion)
Ilion: the city of Troy

Explanation of the above stanza—Tithonus cries out in sorrow, remembering with what a different heart and with what different eyes he used to watch Aurora in the distant past. He even questions if he is the same person who once watched her. He remembers seeing a clear, bright shape forming around her as the sun rose, and her shadowy curls lighting up into rings of gold. He felt his own blood change with her mysterious daily transformation, glowing with the same light that slowly turned her whole presence and the space around her a deep red. As he lay there, his mouth, forehead, and eyelids became warm and moist with kisses that were softer and sweeter than the scent of fresh buds in April. He could hear her lips whispering words that were both wild and sweet, like a strange song he once heard the god Apollo sing, all while the city of Ilion (Troy) seemed to rise up like a mist to form its towers.

 

Stanza
Yet hold me not for ever in thine East:
How can my nature longer mix with thine?
Coldly thy rosy shadows bathe me, cold
Are all thy lights, and cold my wrinkled feet
Upon thy glimmering thresholds, when the steam
Floats up from those dim fields about the homes
Of happy men that have the power to die,
And grassy barrows of the happier dead.

Word Meanings
Thine East: The place where Aurora (the Dawn) lives and from which the sun rises.
Thine: An old way of saying “your” or “yours.”
How can my nature longer mix with thine?: Tithonus and Eos do not belong together now. She is perennially young, while he is perennially aged.
Coldly thy rosy…wrinkled feet (Lines 66-67): The use of the words “coldly” and “cold” in lines 66 and 67 offers a contrast to the youthful, passion and love depicted in lines 55-63.
rosy shadows: rosy reflection
bathe: surround
glimmering: shinning
thresholds: doorstep
Steam Floats up from those dim fields: The mist rising from the fields of the mortal world in the early morning.
Grassy barrows: Ancient burial mounds or graves covered in grass. A “barrow” is a mound of earth or stones raised over a grave.
Of happy…happier dead (Lines 70-71): Tithonus envies people who live on the earth because after having spent their life, they die. Even more fortunate and those who are dead and lie buried in their graves.

Explanation of the above stanza—In this final part of his speech, Tithonus begs Aurora not to keep him in her Eastern realm forever. He questions how his mortal, decaying body can continue to exist alongside her divine, eternally youthful nature. The rosy, glowing light of dawn that she brings now feels cold to him. He feels his cold, wrinkled feet standing on her shining, beautiful thresholds. He looks down at the mortal world below, where steam rises from the fields around the homes of men whom he considers happy because they have the power to die. He also sees the grassy graves of those whom he considers even happier because they have found final rest.

 

Stanza
Release me, and restore me to the ground;
Thou seest all things, thou wilt see my grave:
Thou wilt renew thy beauty morn by morn;
I earth in earth forget these empty courts,
And thee returning on thy silver wheels.

Word Meanings
Release me, and restore me to the ground: let me be free, let me go back to the earth, so that I may be able to die. renew thy beauty morn by morn: you (Eos) will appear more beautifully morning after morning.
Thou: An old form of the word “you.”
Seest: An old form of the word “see,” meaning “you see.”
Wilt: An old form of the word “will,” meaning “you will.”
Morn: A poetic or old-fashioned word for “morning.”
I earth in earth: I, being made of clay, will remain on earth.
empty courts: palace courts of Eos in the Eastern sky
And thee returning on thy silver wheels: You will be coming back every morning on your silver chariot drawn by your horses.

Explanation of the above stanza—He begs Aurora to release him and allow him to return to the earth, which is his natural place. He tells her that since she sees everything, she will see his grave. While she will continue to renew her beauty every morning, he, once buried in the earth, will be able to forget her empty palace and her daily return on her silver chariot.

 

Tithonus Poetic Devices

Personification
Personification is a literary device where human qualities or actions are given to inanimate objects, animals, or abstract ideas. Tennyson gives human qualities to abstract concepts and natural elements to deepen the emotional weight of the poem. The most notable example is the personification of time as ‘strong Hours indignant work’d their wills’. This portrays time not as an abstract force but as an angry, deliberate entity that actively worked to ‘beat me down and marr’d and wasted’ Tithonus. Similarly, nature is personified when the ‘vapours weep their burthen to the ground’, which gives the natural process of rain a sense of sorrowful release, contrasting with Tithonus’s own endless suffering. Immortality, too, is given the human-like ability to ‘consume’ and is described as ‘cruel’, which attributes a malicious will to an abstract concept.

Simile
Similes are a type of figurative language that compare two different things using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’. Tennyson uses similes to create vivid and relatable comparisons. Tithonus describes his ghostly existence by comparing  it to a dream in the line ‘roaming like a dream’. This simile suggests that his presence is insubstantial and detached from reality, much like a fleeting thought in someone’s mind. In the lines, ‘Like wealthy men, who care not how they give’, Tithonus compares Aurora’s careless granting of his wish to the actions of a wealthy person. This simile highlights the thoughtlessness of her act, implying she gave him the gift without considering the consequences, just as a rich person might give away something without a second thought. Tithonus uses the simile ‘Ilion like a mist rose into towers’ to describe the city of Troy. He compares the city’s creation to a mist, suggesting that even a magnificent and powerful human achievement is temporary and fleeting when compared to the eternal nature of the gods. 

Metaphor
Metaphors are figures of speech that directly compare two unlike things without using ‘like’ or ‘as’. Tennyson uses them to create powerful images and express Tithonus’s inner world. In the line, ‘Me only cruel immortality / Consumes’, Tithonus directly compares immortality to a fire or a disease that is slowly and painfully eating him away. This shows that the gift is not a blessing but a destructive force.  In ‘A white-hair’d shadow’, Tithonus describes himself as a shadow. This metaphor emphasizes his loss of physical substance and vitality. He is no longer a full, living man but a pale, ghostly remnant of his former self, a mere shade in Aurora’s vibrant, sunlit world. The ‘gleaming halls of morn’ is a metaphor for the beautiful, sunlit spaces of the dawn, which is Aurora’s realm. The ‘halls’ represent a magnificent palace, highlighting the divine nature of the setting. The ‘gray shadow’ is a metaphor that directly compares Tithonus’s current physical state to a shadow. It emphasizes his loss of vitality, substance, and color, reducing him to a mere ghostly presence compared to the vibrant man he once was. ‘None other than a God!’ is a metaphor for how Tithonus felt in his youth. It shows that he believed his beauty and his relationship with a goddess elevated him to a divine, powerful status. ‘All I was, in ashes’ is a metaphor that compares his former self, his youth, his beauty, and his vitality, to the residue left after a fire. It powerfully conveys the idea that his past life has been completely destroyed and is now gone forever, leaving only the memory of what was.In his final plea, Tithonus uses ‘I earth in earth’ metaphor to describe his ultimate wish. He is not just asking to be buried in the ground, but for his body to become one with the earth itself, to fully return to the natural world of which he was once a part. Tithonus refers to Aurora’s magnificent halls as ‘empty courts’. This metaphor shows that despite their beauty, they are emotionally hollow and lonely for him, filled with a sadness that his immortal life brings. 

Imagery
Imagery is a poetic device that uses descriptive language to appeal to a reader’s senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch). It creates vivid mental pictures and helps readers experience the setting, characters, and events of a literary work. Tennyson uses vivid imagery to create a strong sensory experience for the reader. The poem is full of visual and tactile details that contrast Tithonus’s decay with Aurora’s beauty. Phrases like ‘white-hair’d shadow’ and ‘far-folded mists’ paint a picture of a misty, unreal landscape. The ‘gleaming halls of morn’ add a contrasting image of bright, divine beauty that Tithonus can no longer fully appreciate. We see the ‘gleaming halls of morn’ and Aurora’s ‘dim curls kindle into sunny rings’, which evoke light, warmth, and vitality. This stands in stark opposition to the imagery of Tithonus as a ‘gray shadow’, with his ‘wrinkled feet’ and a mouth that was once ‘dewy-warm with kisses balmier than half-opening buds’. The imagery of the ‘wild team’ of horses beating ‘the twilight into flakes of fire’ vividly captures the powerful, dynamic onset of the dawn.

Alliteration
Alliteration is a literary device where the same consonant sound is repeated at the beginning of words that are close together. The repetition of consonant sounds is used for musical effect and emphasis. The opening line, ‘The woods decay, the woods decay and fall’, uses alliteration of the ‘w’ and ‘d’ sounds to create a slow, mournful tone that mirrors the theme of decay. In ‘Far-folded mists’, the repeated ‘f’ sound creates a soft, gentle quality that suits the description of the mist. The alliteration in ‘silent spaces’ emphasizes the silence where he belongs to now. The alliteration in ‘silver star’ adds to the sense of a quiet, beautiful, and distant light, which contrasts with the speaker’s own harsh reality. The other examples of alliteration in the poem ‘most meet’, ‘bosom beating’, ‘Why wilt’, ‘thus thou’, ‘strange song’ and ‘Ilion like’.

Repetition
Repetition is a literary device that involves intentionally repeating a word, phrase, sentence, or sound for emphasis, clarity, or rhythmic effect. Tennyson uses repetition to emphasize his central themes. The phrase ‘The woods decay, the woods decay and fall’ is repeated to stress the cyclical, inescapable nature of mortality. This contrasts sharply with Tithonus’s unchanging, miserable state, highlighting his exclusion from the natural order.

Allusion
An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a brief, indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance. The entire poem is a grand allusion to a Greek myth, telling the story of Tithonus and Eos (Aurora), which grounds the narrative in a classical and timeless context. The mention of ‘Ilion’ (Troy) also serves as an allusion, reminding the reader of the fleeting nature of human glory and achievement.

Symbolism
Symbolism is a literary device where an object, person, place, or idea represents something beyond its literal meaning. Certain elements in the poem serve as powerful symbols. The ‘woods’ represent all of nature, which follows a pattern of growth, decay, and renewal. The ‘swan’ symbolizes a long life culminating in a graceful, natural death, which is what Tithonus yearns for. Man represents the entirety of humanity, whose life is a brief period of work followed by death and burial. The ‘silver star, thy guide’ and ‘thy silver wheels’ symbolize Aurora’s eternal, divine nature and her majestic role in the universe. The ‘grassy barrows of the happier dead’ are a symbol of the peaceful end that mortality provides, contrasting with the suffering of immortality.

Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of speech that uses exaggeration for emphasis or effect. It’s a statement that is not meant to be taken literally but is used to create a strong impression or feeling. In the line, ‘he seem’d / To his great heart none other than a God!’, it’s a hyperbole. Tithonus did not literally become a God, but his beauty and status made him feel so powerful. This hyperbole emphasizes his past glory, which makes his present state even more tragic. ‘Ere yet they blind the stars’ is a hyperbole, an exaggeration for effect. Aurora’s eyes do not literally blind the stars, but their brightness is so intense that Tithonus feels it is powerful enough to do so. This emphasizes the overwhelming nature of her beauty.

Assonance
Assonance is a literary device in which a vowel sound is repeated in a series of words or phrases. Some of the instances of Assonance are ‘vapours weep their burthen to the ground’, ‘tills the field and lies beneath’, ‘And after many’, ‘summer dies’, ‘I wither slowly in thine arms’, ‘A white-hair’d shadow’, ‘roaming like a dream’, ‘The ever-silent spaces of the East’, ‘gleaming halls of morn’, ‘mine asking with a smile’, ‘And all I was, in ashes’, ‘Thy beauty, make amends, tho’ even now’, ‘those tremulous eyes’, ‘beyond the goal of ordinance’, ‘Once more the old mysterious’, ‘cheek begins to redden’, ‘sweet eyes brighten’, ‘silence, then before thine answer given’, ‘thus thou growest beautiful’, ‘make me tremble lest’, ‘earth, be true’, ‘lucid outline forming round’, ‘I earth in earth forget these empty’, ‘While Ilion like’, ‘Release me, and restore me’ and ‘the happier dead’.

Consonance
Consonance is the repetition of the same consonant sound in a series of words, especially at the middle or end of words. Some of the instances are ‘vapours weep their burthen to the ground’, ‘tills the field and lies beneath’, ‘summer dies the swan’, ‘Me only cruel immortality’, ‘I wither slowly in thine arms’, ‘Here at the quiet limit of the world’, ‘A white-hair’d shadow’, ‘roaming like a dream’, ‘The ever-silent spaces of the East’, ‘Far-folded mists’, ‘gleaming halls of morn’, ‘his beauty and thy choice’, ‘Who madest him thy chosen’, ‘To his great heart none other than a God!’, ‘Then didst thou grant mine asking with a smile’, ‘But thy strong Hours indignant work’d their wills’, ‘And beat me down and marr’d and wasted me’, And tho’ they could not end me, left me maim‘d, ‘Thy beauty, make amends, tho’ even now’, ‘Shines in those tremulous eyes that fill with tears’, ‘dark world where I was born’, ‘From thy pure brows, and from thy shoulders pure’, ‘beat the twilight into’, ‘flakes of fire’, ‘And shake the darkness from their loosen‘d manes’, ‘yearning for thy yoke’, ‘yet they blind the stars’, ‘In silence, then before thine answer given’, ‘thus thou growest beautiful’, ‘make me tremble lest a saying learnt’, ‘Why wilt thou ever scare me with thy tears’, ‘that dark earth, be true’, ‘with what another heart’, ‘lucid outline forming round’, ‘kindle into sunny rings’, ‘nature longer’, ‘Coldly thy rosy’, ‘grassy barrows’, ‘thy beauty morn by morn’, ‘Changed with thy mystic change’, ‘Glow with the glow that slowly crimson’d all’, ‘Thy presence and thy portals’, ‘mist rose into towprs’, ‘While Ilion like’, ‘thy lights, and cold my wrinkled feet’, ‘Whispering I knew not what of wild and sweet’, ‘thy glimmering thresholds’ and ‘Release me, and restore me’.

Paradox
A paradox is a statement that seems contradictory or absurd but may actually express a deeper truth. It challenges common sense and logic. ‘Immortal age beside immortal youth’ is a profound paradox. Tithonus is in a state of immortal age, which is a contradiction in terms, as age implies decay and an end. This ‘immortal age’ is then placed next to Aurora’s ‘immortal youth’, creating a stark juxtaposition. This contrast is the very source of Tithonus’s suffering, as he is a decaying figure living beside a perpetually renewed one.

 

Conclusion 

Tithonus is a dramatic monologue by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It tells the Greek myth of Tithonus, who received immortality from the goddess Aurora but did not receive eternal youth. This leads to his constant suffering as he ages without the ability to die. The poem is a lament from Tithonus to Eos, where he expresses his tiredness with his never-ending, decaying life. Students can take help from this post to understand the poem and also learn the difficult word meanings to get a better grasp of Tithonus. This post includes a summary of Tithonus, which will help students of ISC class 12, Rhapsody book to get a quick recap of the poem.

 

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