Tithonus by Lord Tennyson : The Journey of the goddess Aurora across the Sky – ISC Rhapsody Solutions

The Journey of the goddess Aurora across the Sky 

Question : How does the poet describe the journey of the goddess across the sky ? 

  Answer:  The poet describes the journey of the goddess of dawn across the sky, by portraying the transformation of Eos, at dawn with an ethereal beauty. He says that as a soft breeze of cold air separates the clouds from one another, it provides a glimpse of dawn appearing into the sky. The scene reminds Tithonus of his past when he used to live in this “dark world” or mortal world, where he was born. Tithonus remembers the sight and says once again I see that  “old mysterious glimmer” on your lovely forehead and on your lovely shoulders, and feel your heart beating with fresh strength. 

  The “old mysterious glimmer”  alludes to the recurring beauty of Eos that Tithonus has witnessed countless times. 

    As the goddess Eos renews her beauty “morn – by – morn” and remain eternally young and beautiful.

     Tithonus describes the journey of goddess of dawn across the sky as the onset of dawn. Tithonus compares the beauty of morning sky when the day breaks, with the beauty of his beloved Aurora when they used to meet every morning. 

  He says – 

  “Thy cheek begins to redden thro’ the gloom, /

   Thy sweet eyes brighten slowly close to mine.”

        Tithonus says to Aurora when you look closely into my eyes, your eyes slowly brighten and your cheeks start to blush and turn red, the sky also appears to turn red through the darkness of night.  The arrival of the dawn into the sky marks the end of the darkness of the night.

     Tithonus looks at her beauty and says, though your eyes have not yet grown so bright yet they overpower the lights of the stars and blind them to invisibility.

    Tithonus further adds, when the  “wild band” of her white horses, who love her and eagerly waiting for her to hitch them to rise and start pulling her chariot again. 

   He says – 

    “And shake the darkness from their loosened manes,/

    And beat the twilight into flakes of fires.”

       Tithonus says, as the chariot starts its journey the horses shake off the darkness of the night from their  “loosened manes”. As they set off, their hooves beat the darkness into  “flakes of fire” and light spreads through the sky.

    This way the poet paints the picture of journey of dawn by using beautiful visual imagery.

 Question : How does Tithonus try to convince the goddess at the end of the poem that she should not keep him in the East where she lives ? 

  Answer :  Tithonus pleads with Aurora –

   “hold me not for ever in thine East” 

     Tithonus requests Aurora, not to keep him bound the land of the eternal dawn, which she governs. Since their nature do not match with each other – she is an eternally youthful goddess, full of light and life while he is now a withered, trembling old mortal man.

     He has become so old and withered away as the beauty and charm of his beloved – goddess of dawn – Eos, does not please him but to reminds him of his decay. The  “rosy shadows” and the lights of dawn, once source of warmth and joy for him, now feels cold to him. Her cold light makes his withered and  “wrinkled feet” cold as he pass through the shimmering doorways of her palace.

    Tithonus does not want to share immortality with her as he has grown old, wrinkled and withered. In his deathless old age he feels no passion for her.

    On the other hand, a look at the steam floating from the homes of mortal men, who are destined to die tells him the truth that they are very happy. The sight makes him envious of those  “happy men that have the power to die”.

     He feels envy of these mortal men as they do not have to suffer eternal life without permanent youth as they have the  “power to die”. Even the dead who lie beneath their  “grassy barrows” are happier to him. 

    Tithonus further requests Aurora – 

      “Release me, and restore me to the ground” 

      Tithonus wants to be freed and returned to the human world where he can grow old and die naturally like all mortal men. So he requests Aurora to let him go and join them in the earth to end this eternal suffering. He further add that she can see him lying his grass covered grave after his death.

     He imagines the world where she will “renew thy beauty morn by morn” while once he  “earn in earth” or he returned to dust beneath the ground, he will no longer remember this hollow palace and forget the sight of her returning home in her silver wheeled chariot. 

     Tithonus do not want to remember her beautiful courts as he can not match her in youth and beauty. If he set free from immortality, he will die and go to his grave peacefully.