from The Princess: Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal

By Lord Alfred Tennyson

Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white;
Nor waves the cypress in the palace walk;
Nor winks the gold fin in the porphyry font.
The firefly wakens; waken thou with me.

Now droops the milk-white peacock like a ghost,
And like a ghost she glimmers on to me.

Now lies the Earth all Danaë to the stars,
And all thy heart lies open unto me.

Now slides the silent meteor on, and leaves
A shining furrow, as thy thoughts in me.

Now folds the lily all her sweetness up,
And slips into the bosom of the lake.
So fold thyself, my dearest, thou, and slip
Into my bosom and be lost in me.

Summary of From the Princess: Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal

Popularity of “From the Princess: Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal ”: This beautiful sonnet type of ghazal first appeared in 1847 when Lord Alfred Tennyson published his collection of poems, The Princess: A Medley. Almost all the poems in this collection were sung with music by different singers. The poem presents a beautiful scene of the sleep of the princess and the thoughts of the lover about her. The popularity of the poem lies in its ambivalent description of the flowers, earth, and lily.
“From The Princess: Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal” As a Representative of Ambivalence of Feelings: The speaker opens the poem with his ambivalence about the sleeping beauty saying that it seems to him crimson in one moment and white in the next at the time when the cypress has stopped waving on the way to the palace and the gold fins in the marble do not shine. Only a firefly is moving here and there to which he states that it has awakened both, the princess as well as the speaker. He goes on to state that she, the princess, glimmers on him like a ghost after comparing her to a peacock adding that like the earth which has given birth to the stars, the princess has also opened her heart to him. Although she is not with him, her thoughts shoot through him like a meteor, he argues saying that like the lily that blossoms in the lake, he wants her to be in his bosom to lose herself in him.
Major Themes in “From the Princess: Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal ”: Desire for unity, sensuous descriptions, and physical love are three major thematic strands of this poem. Tennyson has beautifully presented the description of the princess, the palace, and the night when the firefly happens to awaken both of them. Comparing his beloved, the princess, to a white peacock, Danae, and the earth, he wants to state that she always lives in his thoughts but he wants her to live in his heart or his bosom like the lily that grows in the middle of the lake or the meteor that slides down. He wants her to be with her at every cost and in every situation. This is the desire for physical unity or union with his beloved that has made him find relevant metaphors.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in From the Princess: Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal

Lord Alfred Tennyson used various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of his poem. Some of the major literary devices in this poem are as follows.

Allusion: It is a reference to a literary, historical, and social event or incident, or figure to show its importance in the existing context. The poet used Grecian allusion to Danae and the Earth.
Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white” and the sound of /o/ in “Now droops the milk-white peacock like a ghost.”
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /w/ in “wakens; waken.”
Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /p/ in “Now droops the milk-white peacock like a ghost” and the sound of /s/ in “And slips into the bosom of the lake.”
Enjambment: It is a device in which the meanings of verse roll over to the next without having any pause or punctuation mark. The sonnet shows the use of enjambment, such as;

Now folds the lily all her sweetness up,
And slips into the bosom of the lake.
So fold thyself, my dearest, thou, and slip
Into my bosom and be lost in me.

Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Lord Alfred Tennyson used imagery in this poem, such as “Now lies the Earth all Danaë to the stars”, “Now slides the silent meteor on, and leaves” and “A shining furrow, as thy thoughts in me.”
Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different. The poet has used the metaphors of sleeping beauty, lily, and the earth for his beloved.
Simile: This literary device shows a direct comparison of things to clarify meanings. The poem shows different similes, such as; ‘Now droops the milk-white peacock like a ghost’ and ‘And like a ghost, she glimmers on to me.’ In both cases, the peacock is compared to a ghost, and the prince is also compared to a ghost as both are white and both glimmer at night.

Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols, such as crimson, white, milk white, the earth, stars, and lily to show the beauty and habits of his beloved.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in From the Princess: Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

Couplet: Two verses having different ending words is a couplet. This poem has three couplets between the first and the last stanza.
Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows good use of formal and poetic diction.
Irregular Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows ABCEDE and such rhyme scheme which is not regular. Therefore, this poem has an irregular rhyme scheme.
Quatrain: It is a Persian stanza having four verses. This poem has two quatrains the first and the last one.
Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There is a total of two stanzas and three couplets. The first and the last stanzas are quatrains.
Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a loving, sensuous, and seductive tone.

Quotes to be Used

The following lines are useful to quote when expressing love for somebody.