The Essay - Tennyson 200 - Come into the Garden, Maud

Series in which contemporary British poets choose a single poem or extract by Tennyson and give a personal account of why it means so much to them. Brian Patten traces his complex relationship with the poetry of Tennyson, discussing the poem Come into the Garden, Maud. He recalls a mocking hostility to Tennyson during his schooldays in bomb-damaged Liverpool and an early attempt at parody with a poem called Come into the City, Maud. He then describes his later, thrilling discovery of one of Tennyson's little-known sources and his deep respect for the poet today. Weaving together readings from Maud and Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal with his own poems inspired by Tennyson, Patten pays an honest and witty homage to Tennyson, giving an insider's guide to poetic inspiration across continents and centuries. Reader: Simon Russell Beale.