THE LOTUS EATERS

 

THE LOTUS EATERS             

 

                     The Lotus Eaters

Hateful is the dark-blue sky,

Vaulted o'er the dark-blue sea.

Death is the end of life; ah, why

Should life all labour be?

Let us alone. Time driveth onward fast,

And in a little while our lips are dumb.

Let us alone. What is it that will last?

All things are taken from us, and become

Portions and parcels of the dreadful past.

Let us alone. What pleasure can we have

To war with evil? Is there any peace

In ever climbing up the climbing wave?

All things have rest, and ripen toward the grave

In silence; ripen, fall and cease:

Give us long rest or death, dark death, or dreamful ease.

            The poem given above was written by the English poet Lord Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892). It is about the Greek mariners who happened to come to the land of lotus-fruit and ate that fruit as a result of which they became dormant  and decided not to resume their journey of active life, travelling from one place to another, without any rest and relaxation.

           

            Tennyson’s source for this poem is Greek poet Homer’s Odyssey (Book IX). Odysseus, the Greek hero, was the king of the island of Ithaca. In English literature, he is referred to as Ulysses. Tennyson also wrote a poem about Ulysses who was aged and yet the converse of the Lotus-eaters . He wanted to remain active till his death and follow knowledge like a sinking star. He said to his companions including The Lotus Eaters : Every hour can bring new things, and with this personal  belief, he exhorted them ‘to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield’.

 

            The questions raised by The Lotus Eaters are absolutely valid. No great thinker, no top-ranking philosopher, and  no religious saint or spiritual  mystic  can declare them as meaningless.  

           

            This is what they say and ask:

 

(i). Death is the end of life. (ii).Why should life all labour be. (iii). Time driveth onward fast, and in a little while our lips are silent. (iv). What is it that will last? (v). All things are taken from us, and become portions and parcels of the dreadful past. (vi). Let us alone.

 

                        They also ask questions which may not be fully relevant. For example: What pleasure can we have to war with evil?

 

                        But again, here is a most relevant  observation :

           

            All things have rest, and ripen toward the grave in silence---ripen, fall, and cease.  

                                   

                                    Finally, let us look at these lines by a modern English poet William Henry Davies (1871-1940);

                                    What is  this life if, full of care,

                                    We have no time to stand stare?

                                    …………………………………………………

                                    A poor life this if, full of care,

                                    We have no time to stand and stare.

                                                            ********

G.R.Kanwal

4^th April 2026