Tennyson and Bond: Poetry in Film
Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are,
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
The lines above are from a poem called “Ulysses,” by Lord Alfred Tennyson. Having not read Lord Tennyson before (even though I was an English major in college), I first came across these lines recently while watching the James Bond movie Skyfall. It comes at a critical time in the movie, as the character M is in peril. As M spoke, the words resonated with me. There is power in well-crafted prose. But there is more power in well-crafted verse. Poetry communicates something that prose simply cannot. It conjures emotion and touches us in a way that mere prose cannot.
This particular poem struck a chord with me as soon as I heard the words “though much is taken, much abides” from the raspy voice of Judy Dench, who played M. That short phrase is chock-full of meaning and intensity. The phrase conveys strength. The phrase conveys power. From those few short words, we imagine what has been lost, but know a great deal remains: “Though much is taken, much abides.” I was…
