Come Down, O Maid by Alfred Tennyson (Poem, Summary, Paraphrase & Analysis)

 

Come Down, O Maid

by Alfred Tennyson

(Poem, Summary, Paraphrase & Analysis) 

Come Down, O Maid

Come down, O maid, from yonder mountain height:

What pleasure lives in height (the shepherd sang),

In height and cold, the splendour of the hills?

But cease to move so near the Heavens, and cease

To glide a sunbeam by the blasted pine,

To sit a star upon the sparkling spire;

And come, for Love is of the valley, come,

For Love is of the valley, come thou down

And find him; by the happy threshold, he,

Or hand in hand with Plenty in the maize,

Or red with spirted purple of the vats,

Or fox-like in the vine; nor cares to walk

With Death and Morning on the silver horns,

Nor wilt thou snare him in the white ravine,

Nor find him dropt upon the firths of ice,

That huddling slant in furrow-cloven falls

To roll the torrent out of dusky doors:

But follow; let the torrent dance thee down

To find him in the valley; let the wild

Lean-headed eagles yelp alone, and leave

The monstrous ledges there to slope, and spill

Their thousand wreaths of dangling water-smoke,

That like a broken purpose waste in air:

So waste not thou; but come; for all the vales

Await thee; azure pillars of the hearth

Arise to thee; the children call, and I

Thy shepherd pipe, and sweet is every sound,

Sweeter thy voice, but every sound is sweet;

Myriads of rivulets hurrying thro’ the lawn,

The moan of doves in immemorial elms,

And murmuring of innumerable bees.

 

Summary

High upon the mountain stood a maiden, radiant and aloof, breathing the chill air of the heights. The world below seemed far away, wrapped in haze and murmuring life. From the valley below, a shepherd lifted his voice, calling out to her — gently, almost pleadingly.

He asked her why she lingered so long among the cold splendors of the hills, so close to the heavens that she seemed half a star, half a spirit of light. He told her that beauty and grandeur might dwell up there, but warmth and love were not found upon the frozen peaks.

“Come down,” he called, “for love lives in the valley. Love is not found among the clouds, nor in the icy silence of the heights. It dwells by the hearths, where people laugh and live, where the vineyards glow with fruit, and the air is full of songs and voices.”

He painted a picture of life below — fields of maize golden in the sun, vats overflowing with purple wine, and the simple happiness of human hearts joined in love. He warned that she would not find love among the cliffs where the torrents roar and the snowfields glisten, nor in the white ravines or icy firths where death walks with morning on the silver peaks.

“Follow the torrents,” he said, “let them lead you down. Leave the lonely eagles to their wild cries, leave the mist and the broken waterfalls behind. Come where life gathers — the valleys await you. There are warm homes with blue smoke rising like pillars to the sky, children calling from doorways, and songs filling the air.”

And as he spoke, the valley seemed to awaken — streams danced, doves cooed in the old elms, and the murmur of bees filled the fields. The shepherd’s voice rose like music, tender and earnest:

“Come down, O maid — for love is waiting here.”

 

Line-by-line Paraphrase

Come down, O maid, from yonder mountain height:

-> Come down, young maiden, from the high mountain where you stand.

 

What pleasure lives in height (the shepherd sang),

-> The shepherd asked, what joy is there in staying so high above the world?

 

In height and cold, the splendour of the hills?

-> In the cold, lofty hills, there may be beauty, but what true happiness?

 

But cease to move so near the Heavens, and cease

-> Stop wandering so close to the sky, and stop drifting there.

 

To glide a sunbeam by the blasted pine,

-> Stop moving like a ray of sunlight over the dead pine trees.

 

To sit a star upon the sparkling spire;

-> Stop appearing like a shining star on the mountain’s pointed peak.

 

And come, for Love is of the valley, come,

-> Come down, because love belongs to the valley, not the heights.

 

For Love is of the valley, come thou down

-> Truly, love lives in the lower lands, so descend to find it.

 

And find him; by the happy threshold, he,

-> You will find him waiting at the door of a cheerful home.

 

Or hand in hand with Plenty in the maize,

-> Or walking through golden fields of maize, enjoying abundance.

 

Or red with spirted purple of the vats,

-> Or stained with the red juice of the wine vats during harvest.

 

Or fox-like in the vine; nor cares to walk

-> Or moving cleverly among the vineyards; he doesn’t wander among…

 

With Death and Morning on the silver horns,

-> …the dangerous, icy mountain peaks where death and cold dwell.

 

Nor wilt thou snare him in the white ravine,

-> You will not catch him in the snowy valleys.

 

Nor find him dropt upon the firths of ice,

-> Nor will he be lying on frozen rivers or icy fjords.

 

That huddling slant in furrow-cloven falls

-> Those icy slopes that descend in narrow gullies…

 

To roll the torrent out of dusky doors:

-> …sending streams and torrents down from hidden openings.

 

But follow; let the torrent dance thee down

-> Instead, follow the flowing streams, letting them lead you downward.

 

To find him in the valley; let the wild

-> There you will find him in the valley; let the wild…

 

Lean-headed eagles yelp alone, and leave

-> …eagles cry alone on the cliffs, and leave them be.

 

The monstrous ledges there to slope, and spill

-> Let the huge rocky ledges drop water and mist without disturbance.

 

Their thousand wreaths of dangling water-smoke,

-> Their countless sprays of mist and waterfall smoke…

 

That like a broken purpose waste in air:

-> …that scatter into the air like unfulfilled plans.

 

So waste not thou; but come; for all the vales

-> Don’t waste your time up there; come down, for the valleys…

 

Await thee; azure pillars of the hearth

-> …are ready for you, with the blue smoke of chimneys rising like pillars.

 

Arise to thee; the children call, and I

-> Children call to you, and I, the shepherd…

 

Thy shepherd pipe, and sweet is every sound,

-> …play my pipe for you, and every sound is pleasant,

 

Sweeter thy voice, but every sound is sweet;

-> Your voice is even sweeter, yet all the sounds are delightful.

 

Myriads of rivulets hurrying thro’ the lawn,

-> Countless little streams rush across the meadows,

 

The moan of doves in immemorial elms,

-> Doves coo softly in ancient elm trees,

 

And murmuring of innumerable bees.

-> And bees hum quietly among the flowers.

 

Analysis in Detail

Alfred Tennyson’s “Come Down, O Maid”, extracted from The Princess, is a lyrical poem that combines rich imagery with a persuasive, almost pleading tone, conveying a universal theme of love, human connection, and the contrast between isolation and participation in life. The poem opens with a direct appeal to a maiden perched upon a lofty mountain height. Tennyson immediately establishes a vivid spatial metaphor: the height represents isolation, ambition, and the allure of beauty and grandeur that is detached from ordinary human life, while the valley below symbolizes warmth, community, and the fullness of love.

The shepherd’s voice functions as both narrator and moral guide, addressing the maiden directly. His repeated urging, “Come down,” reflects not just a physical descent but a symbolic invitation to engage with life’s emotional and relational dimensions. Tennyson contrasts the chilling majesty of the mountaintop with the vibrant, fertile life of the valley. The maiden’s current realm is described in terms of splendor and celestial imagery — “to glide a sunbeam by the blasted pine” and “to sit a star upon the sparkling spire” — suggesting that she occupies a rarefied, almost supernatural position. Yet, this beauty is intertwined with coldness, barrenness, and a sense of detachment. Tennyson implies that aesthetic grandeur alone cannot fulfill human desires for companionship and love.

The poem is rich with pastoral imagery that celebrates the sensory pleasures of the valley. The shepherd describes golden fields of maize, vats overflowing with wine, and streams dancing across the lawn, creating a scene of abundance, warmth, and human activity. The natural world here is not merely scenic; it is intimately linked with human life and emotion. The imagery of children calling, doves cooing in ancient elms, and bees murmuring emphasizes the vibrancy and continuity of life, reinforcing the valley as a place of belonging, joy, and relational harmony. Tennyson contrasts these images with the danger and desolation of the heights — icy firths, white ravines, and torrents — which, although visually dramatic, offer no personal warmth or emotional connection.

Another key feature of the poem is its moral and psychological undertone. The shepherd’s exhortation can be read as a commentary on human priorities: the pursuit of lofty ideals, ambition, or isolation may yield beauty and intellectual fulfillment, but love and true happiness are grounded in human relationships and shared experiences. The poem’s rhythm and structure, flowing with the imagery of movement from mountain to valley, mimic the shepherd’s guidance, compelling the reader to descend from abstraction into the warmth of lived experience. Tennyson also employs repetition strategically — particularly “come down” and “for Love is of the valley” — reinforcing the urgency and significance of his plea.

Furthermore, the poem subtly addresses the theme of accessibility versus inaccessibility. The maiden, like the star and sunbeam she resembles, is elevated and distant, admired but unreachable. Tennyson portrays her position as aesthetically admirable but emotionally unproductive. The shepherd’s voice humanizes the poem, bridging the gap between ethereal beauty and grounded reality, urging her to participate in life rather than remain a passive object of admiration.

In conclusion, “Come Down, O Maid” is a rich interplay of imagery, tone, and moral reflection. Tennyson contrasts isolation with participation, cold grandeur with warm vitality, and lofty ideals with practical human experience. Through his lyrical voice and evocative pastoral scenes, he emphasizes that beauty and aspiration alone are incomplete without love, connection, and the shared joys of life. The poem thus serves both as a celebration of the natural and social world and as a gentle, persuasive reminder of the human need for companionship, intimacy, and grounded happiness.