What was Poems, Chiefly Lyrical?

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Lithograph portrait of Alfred, Lord Tennyson with wavy hair, a full beard, and a serious expression, shown in three-quarter view wearing a dark coat. — Alfred, Lord Tennyson Portrait of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, lithograph published in *The Modern Portrait Gallery*, 1890.

Poems, Chiefly Lyrical is a collection of poetry by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, published in 1830.12

The volume is noted for its experimental qualities, including the use of irregular meters and a focus on the musical or evocative power of words rather than their strict definitions. It features several of Tennyson’s well-known shorter poems, such as "Claribel: A Melody," "Mariana," "A Spirit Haunts the Year’s Last Hours," "The Owl," and "The Kraken".1

While the collection helped establish Tennyson's early reputation as a poet, it received a mixed critical reception; it was notably defended by his friend Arthur Hallam in The Englishman’s Magazine, but also faced a harsh critique from John Wilson (writing under the pseudonym Christopher North) in Blackwood’s Magazine.2