"Break, Break, Break"

By Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809 - 1892)

“Break, Break, Break” is probably Alfred Lord Tennyson’s second most famous poem, after “The Charge of the Light Brigade.” Tennyson had a deep belief in the eternal beauty of nature, but that beauty was often contrasted with the darker side of humanity in his poetry.

Break, break, break,
         On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!
And I would that my tongue could utter
         The thoughts that arise in me.

O, well for the fisherman's boy,
         That he shouts with his sister at play!
O, well for the sailor lad,
         That he sings in his boat on the bay!

And the stately ships go on
         To their haven under the hill;
But O for the touch of a vanish'd hand,
         And the sound of a voice that is still!

Break, break, break
         At the foot of thy crags, O Sea!
But the tender grace of a day that is dead
         Will never come back to me.

This poem’s meaning hinges on the emotional resonance of an image. Powerful waves crashing and breaking against an unrelenting stone cliff. How this image makes you feel will create the framework for how you interpret the rest of this poem.

After opening with this image, our speaker tells us right away that he wishes his “tongue could utter the thoughts that arise in me.” Seeing the sea break upon the rocks reveals a frustration at his inability to express himself. The rest of the poem explores why he finds himself mute, and if there is any possibility to regain his voice.