EXPLANATIONS:
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.
Answer: These lines are extracted from an excellent dramatic monologue, “Tithonus” written by Lord Alfred Tennyson who was the poet laureate and the representative poet of the Victorian Period (1832-1901). Here Tithonus who is the speaker of the poem begins by surveying the scenery about him and complains that he cannot die.
Eos or Aurora is the goddess of dawn. She falls in love with Tithonus, a handsome young man. As her lover is mortal, she goes to Zeus to ask for the immortality of Tithonus. Her suit is granted and Tithonus becomes immortal. But what Eos forgets to ask is eternal youth for him as well as eternal life. As a result, Tithonus grows older and older but he cannot die. He watches everything live out its time and die ultimately. Vapour falls to the ground. Man comes and works in the fields. He dies at last. He goes on his job till his death and is buried beneath the earth. After many years, the swan dies. It is only Tithonus himself who cannot die. Death is inevitable for everything and everybody but not for him. Immortality is a curse to him. It is very cruel to him. He is unable to bear his over-aging body. Consequently, he wants to die.
However, the lines are really beautiful and echo the sense. They act as a short prelude to the entire poem. In these lines, Tennyson has given the agony of Tithonus. He also shows that Death is acceptable and there is nothing to fear from it.
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