ABSTRACT
Published as dedication of Poems, 7th edn (1851). Dated ‘March 1851’, it was T.’s first publication as Poet Laureate. The revisions and the many drafts (see Appendix I, p. 986) show that the poem cost T. much difficulty. T.’s friendship and respect for Queen Victoria are traced in Mem. and in CT. It is apt that the poem uses the In Memoriam stanza since T. ‘was appointed Poet Laureate, owing chiefly to Prince Albert’s admiration for In Memoriam’ (Mem. i 334). Moreover T. had long used it for major patriotic poems, e.g. Hail Briton.
