![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.everywritersresource.com\/poemeveryday\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/The-Death-of-the-Old-Year.jpg\")
<\/h2>\n<\/h2>\nAlfred, Lord Tennyson (1809 \u2013 1892)<\/p>\n
\nFull knee-deep lies the winter snow,
\nAnd the winter winds are wearily sighing:
\nToll ye the church bell sad and slow,
\nAnd tread softly and speak low,
\nFor the old year lies a-dying.
\nOld year you must not die;
\nYou came to us so readily,
\nYou lived with us so steadily,
\nOld year, you shall not die.<\/p>\n
He lieth still: he doth not move:
\nHe will not see the dawn of day.
\nHe hath no other life above.
\nHe gave me a friend and a true truelove
\nAnd the New-year will take \u2019em away.
\nOld year you must not go;
\nSo long you have been with us,
\nSuch joy as you have seen with us,
\nOld year, you shall not go.<\/p>\n
He froth\u2019d his bumpers to the brim;
\nA jollier year we shall not see.
\nBut tho\u2019 his eyes are waxing dim,
\nAnd tho\u2019 his foes speak ill of him,
\nHe was a friend to me.
\nOld year, you shall not die;
\nWe did so laugh and cry with you,
\nI\u2019ve half a mind to die with you,
\nOld year, if you must die.<\/p>\n
He was full of joke and jest,
\nBut all his merry quips are o\u2019er.
\nTo see him die across the waste
\nHis son and heir doth ride post-haste,
\nBut he\u2019ll be dead before.
\nEvery one for his own.
\nThe night is starry and cold, my friend,
\nAnd the New-year blithe and bold, my friend,
\nComes up to take his own.<\/p>\n
How hard he breathes! over the snow
\nI heard just now the crowing cock.
\nThe shadows flicker to and fro:
\nThe cricket chirps: the light burns low:
\n\u2019Tis nearly twelve o\u2019clock.
\nShake hands, before you die.
\nOld year, we\u2019ll dearly rue for you:
\nWhat is it we can do for you?
\nSpeak out before you die.<\/p>\n
His face is growing sharp and thin.
\nAlack! our friend is gone,
\nClose up his eyes: tie up his chin:
\nStep from the corpse, and let him in
\nThat standeth there alone,
\nAnd waiteth at the door.
\nThere\u2019s a new foot on the floor, my friend,
\nAnd a new face at the door, my friend,
\nA new face at the door.<\/p>\n
Alfred Lord Tennyson is considered one of the greatest English poets of the Victorian era. He was born in 1809 in England. His early poems were largely influenced by the times\u2014his famous poem \u201cThe Lady of Shalott\u201d is set in King Arthur\u2019s Camelot, showing his early interest in medieval themes. Tennyson continued writing and expanding his catalog of poems. In 1850, he was appointed the Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Ireland. Two years later, upon the death of William Wordsworth, Tennyson officially assumed the role of Poet Laureate. Some of his most famous poems are \u2018In Memoriam\u2019, \u2018Idylls of the King\u2019, and \u2018Tithonus\u2019. While Tennyson garnered fame and accolades in his home country, his reputation eventually spread across the globe. Much of his poetry focused on grief, loss, doubt, and faith. Despite periods of deep sadness, Tennyson maintained an unwavering faith throughout his life. His poems explore complex themes in mystical ways, allowing readers to uncover new interpretations with each reading. Though he passed in 1892, Tennyson\u2019s works continue to inspire and connect deeply with readers over 150 years later.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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