Break, Break, Break
By Alfred Lord Tennyson

Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) was a prominent English poet of the Victorian era, known for his expressive language and mastery of meter. He served as the poet Laureate of the United Kingdom for much of his life. Tennyson’s poetry often explores themes of love, loss, and the passage of time, earning him a lasting place in English literature. The poem written in 1835, reflects on the poet’s deep sorrow and sense of loss, likely inspired by the death of his close friend, Arthur Hallam. Through the repetitive crashing of waves on the shore, Tennyson expresses the unending pain of grief and the enduring nature of memory.

Text of the poem.

Break, break, break,

         On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!

And I would that my tongue could utter

         The thoughts that arise in me.

O, well for the fisherman’s boy,

         That he shouts with his sister at play!

O, well for the sailor lad,

         That he sings in his boat on the bay!

And the stately ships go on

         To their haven under the hill;

But O for the touch of a vanish’d hand,

         And the sound of a voice that is still!

Break, break, break

         At the foot of thy crags, O Sea!

But the tender grace of a day that is dead

         Will never come back to me.

“Break, Break, Break” Summary

The poet addresses the sea waves and tells them to smash against the rocky shore again and again. He is also yearning for the ability to express the thoughts that are troubling his mind and would not go away. He wishes good luck to the fisherman’s son who is yelling out while playing with his sister as well as for the young sailor who is singing happily in his boat. While watching the huge impressive ships sailing through the bay, the speaker imagines them traveling to somewhat heavenly destinations. But watching all these things standing on the shore, the speaker’s mind still regrets the loss of the touch of a hand and voice which will be never felt and heard by him again.

Once again, the speaker asks the waves to crash against the rocky mountains along the shore again and again. He is nostalgic and feels that the happiness that was associated with the lost loved one will never come back.