ABSTRACT
In “The Coming of Arthur,” (1869) Alfred Tennyson tells of young Arthur’s acquisition of the sword Excalibur. Given to him by the Lady of the Lake, Arthur, like others after him, stood in awe of its magnificence, “With jewels on the rim, elfin Urim, on the hilt, / Bewildering heart and eye—the blade so bright / That men are blinded by it” (II. 298–300). But the sword was more than a simple gift; in taking it Arthur agreed to a pact of use and return. The sword itself bore the contract. “On one side, Graven in the oldest tongue of all this world, / ‘Take me,’ but turn the blade and ye shall see, / And written in the speech ye speak yourself, / ‘Cast me away!’” (II. 300–04). With this inscription, Arthur acquired not just a weapon, but a pattern for his life, acting as an agent of ancient ideals in the modern world, bridging the past to the present with noble actions.
