‘Thyrsis’ and the Consolation of Natural Magic

Abstract

Considers the poem simultaneously imbued with the elegiac tradition and yet intensely personal. Finds Arnold turning to both classical and romantic ideals in creating his elegy for Clough. Explains how, through the poem, Arnold comes to recognize in the natural world both the source of death and the possibilities for regeneration. Claims the poem is not only a tribute to Clough, but an acknowledgement by Arnold of the death of his own poetic faculty.