The May Queen (1879)

The May Queen is a narrative poem written by the famous English poet Alfred Lord Tennyson in 1879. The poem tells the story of a young girl who is chosen to be the May Queen in her village, a traditional honor bestowed upon a girl each year to celebrate the arrival of spring. The May Queen is expected to lead the village in a procession, dance around the Maypole, and preside over the festivities.The poem explores themes of youth, innocence, and the passage of time. The May Queen is portrayed as a symbol of spring and rebirth, but as the day wears on, she begins to realize that her reign is temporary and that she will eventually grow old and die. The poem also touches on the fear of death and the inevitability of change.Tennyson's poetic language is rich and evocative, with vivid descriptions of the natural world and the May Day festivities. The poem is structured as a series of stanzas, each one describing a different aspect of the May Day celebrations and the May Queen's thoughts and emotions.Overall, The May Queen is a poignant and lyrical poem that captures the beauty and fragility of life, and the fleeting nature of youth and happiness.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.