“Ask Me No More” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson is a lyrical and deeply introspective poem that explores the ineffable nature of love, truth, and the limits of human understanding. Cast in a meditative tone, the speaker pleads for silence from a questioning lover, suggesting that there are feelings and truths so profound that they defy articulation. With phrases like “Ask me no more: the moon may draw the sea”, Tennyson evokes natural imagery to underscore the quiet inevitability and depth of emotional experience. The poem reflects Victorian sensibilities—grappling with romantic idealism, spiritual yearning, and emotional restraint. Its mellifluous language and rhythmic flow render it a poignant medley of love, mystery, and poetic resignation.
A Medley Ask me no more by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Ask me no more: the moon may draw the sea;
The cloud may stoop from heaven and take the shape,
With fold to fold, of mountain or of cape;
But O too fond, when have I answer’d thee?
Ask me no more.
Ask me no more: what answer should I give?
I love not hollow cheek or faded eye:
Yet, O my friend, I will not have thee die!
Ask me no more, lest I should bid thee live;
Ask me no more.
Ask me no more: thy fate and mine are seal’d:
I strove against the stream and all in vain:
Let the great river take me to the main:
No more, dear love, for at a touch I yield;
Ask me no more.
