St. Simeon Stylites (poem)

The poem describes the actions of St. Simeon Stylites, a Christian ascetic saint who recounts his various physical acts in hopes that he has earned his place in heaven.

He was deeply affected by this death and many of his poems written soon after contained feelings of self-loathing and regret, including "St. Simeon Stylites".

[1] The poem also contained a satirical response to religious asceticism in general, which is possibly related to his feelings about his aunt Mary Bourne and her Calvinistic views.

[3] The poem's combination of dark humour, imagery and sympathy for the hero was unique in relationship to the previous works Tennyson published before 1842.

While he believes that experiencing pain can be beneficial, he questions if there will be any benefit from his actions:[6] As the poem progresses, he reveals that he depends on the number of his actions to verify his deeds:[6] Near the poem's end, St. Simeon is filled with confidence that he will experience paradise, but this is followed by doubt that it is only a trick:[7] The poem concludes with St. Simeon returning to his counting, which is followed by him asking that the reader follows his pattern:[7] "St. Simeon Stylites" is related to other post-Hallam works like Ulysses as it captures Tennyson's feelings after his friend's death.

[10] In relationship of the style of "St. Simeon Stylites" with the rest of Tennyson's works, James Kincaid declare: "Critics often express astonishment that the same mind could produce both 'St.

[12] In response to the 1842 collection of poems, Tennyson's friend James Spedding wrote a review that focused on "The Palace of Art", "St. Simeon Stylites", The Two Voices and The Vision of Sin as good works.