John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
6783 Alfred Tennyson Tennyson 1809-1892 John Bartlett
| NUMBER: | 6783 |
| AUTHOR: | Alfred Tennyson Tennyson (1809–1892) |
| QUOTATION: | I held it truth, with him who sings 1 To one clear harp in divers tones, That men may rise on stepping-stones Of their dead selves to higher things. 2 |
| ATTRIBUTION: | In Memoriam. i. Stanza 1. |
| Note 1. The poet alluded to is Goethe. I know this from Lord Tennyson himself, although he could not identify the passage; and when I submitted to him a small book of mine on his marvellous poem, he wrote, “It is Goethe’s creed,” on this very passage.—Rev. Dr. Getty (Vicar of Ecclesfield, Yorkshire). [back] |
| Note 2. See Longfellow, page 643. [back] |