Tithonus by Alfred, Lord Tennyson: Summary & Analysis

In Short

• Tithonus, granted immortality without youth, lives eternally old beside the ever‑young dawn goddess Aurora.
• He watches nature die peacefully and envies mortal men who can rest in death.
• Trapped in endless decay, he begs Aurora to take back her gift, praising mortality as kinder than immortal suffering.

Tithonus – Line by Line Analysis

Lines 1–4

“The woods decay, the woods decay and fall, / The vapours weep their burthen to the ground, / Man comes and tills the field and lies beneath, / And after many a summer dies the swan.”​

Tithonus begins by describing how everything in nature changes and dies. Trees rot and fall, vapour (mist) falls as rain like tears, men farm the land and later are buried in the same earth. Even the beautiful swan dies after many summers. These lines show that death is natural and universal, preparing us for the contrast with Tithonus, who alone cannot die.​

Lines 5–8

“Me only cruel immortality / Consumes: I wither slowly in thine arms, / Here at the quiet limit of the world, / A white-hair’d shadow, roaming like a dream”​

Tithonus says he is the only one whom “cruel immortality” destroys. He slowly dries up with age while resting in the goddess Aurora’s arms. He lives at the far edge of the world, in a strange, silent borderland between night and day. He calls himself a “white‑hair’d shadow,” meaning he is only a faint, old, powerless version of his former self.​

Lines 9–12

“The ever‑silent spaces of the East / Far‑folded mists, and gleaming halls of morn, / And all the mystic glory of the East, / I watch’d thee, when the rosy shadows pass’d”​

He describes the eastern sky where dawn appears: silent empty spaces, layers of mist, and shining halls of morning. This is Aurora’s bright palace. From here he has often watched her when soft pink (rosy) shadows of dawn move across the sky. The scene is beautiful but also distant from ordinary human life.​

Lines 13–16

“Thy rosy shadows, then they deepen’d, and / Thy sweet eyes brighten’d slowly close to mine, / Ere yet they blind the stars, and the wild team / Which shakes the darkness from their loosen’d manes”​

The pink light of dawn grows stronger. Aurora’s eyes shine more brightly as she comes close to Tithonus. Her growing light is so strong that it will soon outshine the stars. Her chariot, drawn by spirited horses (“wild team”), throws off the darkness from their flowing manes as they prepare to carry her across the sky to bring day. This shows the daily journey of dawn.​​

Lines 17–20

“And beats the twilight into flakes of fire. / Lo! ever thus thou growest beautiful / In silence, then before thine answering eyes / The herald of the morn;”​

Aurora’s coming breaks up the dim light of early morning (“twilight”) into bright pieces of fire, that is, rays of sunlight. Tithonus says that she always becomes more and more beautiful in a silent, slow way. Then, just before full morning, the “herald of the morn” (the morning star, or first bright sign of dawn) appears before her eyes as if greeting her arrival.​

Lines 21–24

“O, look upon me, / Thou seëst all things, thou wilt see my grave: / Thou wilt renew thy beauty morn by morn; / I earth in earth forget these empty courts,”​

Tithonus begs Aurora to look at him. He reminds her that she sees everything, so she will also see his grave one day if he is allowed to die. She will keep becoming beautiful every morning, but he wants to become “earth in earth” (a dead body in the soil) and forget these palace halls which feel empty to him now. He longs for simple human burial and peace.​

Lines 25–28

“And thee returning on thy silver wheels. / Alas! for this grey shadow, once a man— / So glorious in his beauty and thy choice, / Who madest him thy chosen, that he seem’d”​

He imagines Aurora still returning each day in her silver chariot, even after he is dead. Then he sadly thinks of himself as a “grey shadow” who was once a handsome man. He remembers his earlier honour: Aurora had chosen him as her special lover. Her choice made him feel extremely important and proud.​

Lines 29–32

“To his great heart none other than a God! / I ask’d thee, ‘Give me immortality.’ / Then didst thou grant mine asking with a smile, / Like wealthy men, who care not how they give.”​

Because Aurora chose him, Tithonus once felt almost like a god in his heart. He then asked her to give him immortality. She granted his request gladly, smiling, like rich people who give gifts without thinking carefully. This simile suggests she was generous but careless—she did not think of the full result of her gift.​

Lines 33–36

“But thy strong Hours indignant work’d their wills, / And beat me down and marr’d and wasted me, / And tho’ they could not end me, left me maim’d / To dwell in presence of immortal youth,”​

The “strong Hours” (personified time, or the powers of time) became angry at this break in the natural order. They attacked him with age. Time damaged and spoiled him (“marr’d and wasted me”), making his body old and weak. They could not kill him because he was immortal, but they left him crippled and broken, forced to live beside Aurora, who never grows old.​

Lines 37–40

“Immortal age beside immortal youth, / And all I was, in ashes. Can thy love, / Thy beauty, make amends, tho’ even now, / Close over us, the silver star, thy guide,”​

He sums up his state as “immortal age beside immortal youth”: he is forever old while she is forever young. Everything he once was—his strength and beauty—is now like ashes. He wonders if her love and beauty can ever truly compensate for his horrible condition. As he speaks, the silver morning star appears above them, guiding Aurora to begin her journey again.​

Lines 41–44

“Shines in those tremulous eyes that fill with tears / To hear me? Let me go: take back thy gift: / Why should a man desire in any way / To vary from the kindly race of men,”​

He sees that the star shines in Aurora’s eyes, which shake with tears as she listens. He asks her to let him go and to take back the gift of immortality. He questions why any human should want to be different from the rest of mankind. The “kindly race of men” suggests that normal human life, with death at the end, is gentle and natural.​

Lines 45–48

“Or pass beyond the goal of ordinance / Where all should pause, as is most meet for all? / A soft air fans the cloud apart; there comes / A glimpse of that dark world where I was born.”​

He calls the normal human life‑span the “goal of ordinance,” the fixed limit set by nature or God, where all should stop. Going beyond this point, as he has, is wrong. As he speaks, a soft wind moves the clouds so that he can see a brief view of the dark earth below, the mortal world where he was born. This glimpse makes him long even more for human death and rest.​

Lines 49–52

“Once more the old mysterious glimmer steals / From thy pure brows, and from thy shoulders pure, / And bosom beating with a heart renewed. / Thy cheek begins to redden through the gloom,”​

Once again the special, mysterious glow appears around Aurora’s forehead, shoulders, and chest. Her heart seems renewed with new life every morning. Her cheeks slowly turn red (with the colour of dawn) in the darkness. These lines show her constant, daily renewal and her untouched youth, which contrast sharply with Tithonus’s permanent old age.​

Lines 53–56

“Thy sweet eyes brighten slowly close to mine, / Ere yet they blind the stars, and the wild team / Which shakes the darkness from their loosened manes, / And beat the twilight into flakes of fire.”​

Aurora’s eyes become brighter as she leans closer to him. Soon their brightness will be strong enough to hide the stars. Her wild horses shake darkness from their manes and break the dim light into glowing “flakes of fire,” meaning scattered rays of dawn. This repeats and strengthens the earlier description of daybreak, stressing how often he has watched the same painful scene.​

Lines 57–60

“Lo, ever thus thou growest beautiful / In silence, then before thine answering eyes / The herald of the morn; O, let not after / Weary day weep my life away,”​

He says that Aurora always becomes beautiful in the same silent manner, before the “herald of the morn” (morning star or first light) appears. Then he changes tone and begs her: do not let another long, tired day “weep” his life away. The image suggests that each day drains him further, like tears wasting life slowly.​

Lines 61–64

“Nor let / The misty curtains of the night be drawn / Round one who feels but ever the brimming cup / Of sorrow press’d and press’d on him by thee.”​

He prays that night’s “misty curtains” (the dark cover of night) should not close again around someone like him. He feels as if Aurora constantly holds out to him a full cup of sorrow, pressing it on him again and again. The “brimming cup of sorrow” is a powerful image for the unending suffering he must drink because of the gift she once gave him.​

Lines 65–68

“Let me go: take back thy gift. / Why should a man desire in any way / To vary from the kindly race of men, / Or pass beyond the goal of ordinance”​

Here the poem repeats and sharpens his main request. He again asks Aurora to take back immortality. Once more he questions the wish to be different from normal human beings and to live beyond the natural limit fixed for life. The repetition shows how strongly he now rejects his earlier desire and how much he longs for simple mortality.​

Lines 69–72

“Where all should pause, as is most meet for all? / Yet hold me not for ever in thine East: / How can my nature longer mix with thine? / Coldly thy rosy shadows bathe me, cold”​

He repeats that everyone should stop at the natural end of life; that is the right thing for all. Then he begs her not to keep him forever in the eastern sky, her realm of dawn. His mortal nature, though immortal in length, no longer matches her divine, ever‑youthful nature. The rosy light of dawn, once warm and joyful, now feels cold to him, underlining his alienation.​

Lines 73–76

“Are all thy lights, and cold my wrinkled feet, / Upon thy glimmering thresholds, when the steam / Floats up from those dim fields about the homes / Of happy men that have the power to die.”​

All of Aurora’s lights, all the colours of dawn, now feel cold to him, and his wrinkled old feet feel cold as he stands on the shining entrance of her palace. From the dark earth below, he sees steam or mist rising from fields near the houses of ordinary people. He calls them “happy men that have the power to die” because, unlike him, they can end their suffering and rest in death. The poem closes with this strong contrast between cursed immortality and blessed mortality.

Tithonus - Vocabulary / Word Notes

These notes explain difficult words, phrases, and archaic terms from the ISC Rhapsody version, listed by line number with meanings and context.

Lines 1-10

• Burthen (l.2): Burden; heavy load (vapours carry moisture like a weight).
• Cruel immortality (l.5): Harsh, merciless eternal life (Tithonus's curse).
• Wither (l.6): Dry up, shrink (from age, like a plant).
• Quiet limit (l.7): Silent boundary/edge (eastern horizon between night and day).
• White-hair'd shadow (l.8): Old man reduced to a faint, ghostly figure.

Lines 11-20

• Far-folded mists (l.11): Layers of mist piled like folded cloth.
• Mystic glory (l.13): Magical, divine splendour (of dawn).
• Rosy shadows (l.14): Pink light of early sunrise.
• Wild team (l.17): Spirited horses (pulling Aurora's chariot).
• Loosen'd manes (l.17): Flowing horse hair set free.

Lines 21-30

• Seëst (l.22): Archaic "see" (Aurora sees all things).
• Grave (l.22): Tomb/death (what Tithonus desires).
• Empty courts (l.24): Vast, hollow palace halls (feel lifeless now).
• Silver wheels (l.25): Chariot wheels gleaming like silver.
• Grey shadow (l.26): Pale, faded remnant (of former self).

Lines 31-40

• Meet (l.30): Fitting/proper (Aurora chose him).
• Ordinance (l.32): Natural law/decree (human lifespan limit).
• Strong Hours (l.33): Personified time/forces of aging.
• Marr'd (l.34): Spoiled/damaged (by time).
• Maim'd (l.35): Crippled/injured (body broken but alive).

Lines 41-50

• Immortal age (l.37): Eternal old age (Tithonus's state).
• Tremulous (l.41): Shaking/quivering (Aurora's tearful eyes).
• Kindly race (l.42): Natural human family (mortals with normal death).
• Goal of ordinance (l.45): Natural end of life (appointed limit).
• Most meet (l.46): Most proper/fitting (for all humans).

Lines 51-60

• Glimmer (l.49): Soft shine/glow (Aurora's dawn light).
• Pure brows (l.50): Clear forehead (divine beauty).
• Herald of the morn (l.58): Morning star (signals dawn).
• Weary day (l.59): Tired, exhausting daytime (drains Tithonus).

Lines 61-70

• Brimming cup (l.63): Overflowing vessel (endless sorrow).
• Misty curtains (l.62): Night's foggy veil (darkness closing in).
• Vary from (l.66): Differ/separate (from normal humans).
• Rosy shadows (l.69): Pink dawn light (now feels alien).

Lines 71-76 (End)

• Glimmering thresholds (l.72): Shining doorsteps/palace entrance.
• Steam (l.73): Rising mist/vapour (from earthly fields).
• Dim fields (l.73): Faintly seen lands (mortal world below).
• Power to die (l.76): Ability to end life (blessing mortals have).

Publication

The poem "Tithonus" has a complex publication history worth understanding. Alfred, Lord Tennyson originally wrote the first version under the title "Tithon" in 1833, shortly after his close friend Arthur Henry Hallam's death. However, he did not publish this early version immediately. Instead, Tennyson kept the poem for many years, making it a private work of mourning and philosophical reflection.​

It was not until 1859 that Tennyson completed and revised the poem substantially for publication. The editor William Makepeace Thackeray asked Tennyson to contribute a poem to the Cornhill Magazine, which Thackeray was editing. Tennyson accepted this request and used the opportunity to revise his 1833 version with fresh perspectives and improved language. The completed poem finally appeared in the February 1860 issue of the Cornhill Magazine, making it public after nearly thirty years of private composition.​

The revisions Tennyson made between 1833 and 1859 show his growing mastery as a poet. The 1833 version began with "Ay me! ay me!" rather than the repeated "The woods decay," and contained different imagery and phrasing throughout. These changes reflect Tennyson's evolving understanding of his themes and his commitment to achieving perfect poetic expression. The publication in such a respected magazine established the poem as a major work of Victorian literature.

Context

Understanding the historical and personal context enriches appreciation of "Tithonus." Tennyson lived during the Victorian era, a period when scientific discoveries challenged traditional religious beliefs about immortality and the afterlife. The Industrial Revolution was transforming society, and many people feared that progress came at the cost of traditional human values and mortality itself.​

The poem's composition shortly after Arthur Hallam's death is crucial to understanding its emotional depth. Hallam was Tennyson's dearest friend, and his sudden death devastated the poet. The loss raised profound questions about mortality, grief, and whether immortality would be desirable—would Tennyson want eternal life if he could never truly be with his departed friend? This personal tragedy gave the mythological story of Tithonus particular poignancy. The poem explores whether living forever without those we love is actually a blessing or a terrible curse.​

Additionally, Victorian society was deeply interested in classical mythology as a means of exploring modern concerns. Poets used Greek and Roman myths to address contemporary issues in a way that felt both timeless and urgent. By choosing the myth of Tithonus, Tennyson could discuss the Victorian anxiety about aging, mortality, and whether humanity should desire endless life or accept death as natural and necessary.​

Setting

The setting of "Tithonus" operates on both physical and symbolic levels. The physical setting is the "gleaming halls of morn," the celestial palace where Eos, the goddess of dawn, resides in the eastern sky. These are divine spaces, far removed from the mortal world below. The palace contains "far-folded mists"—layers of morning mist stacked like silk—creating an ethereal, dreamlike landscape. This setting is not earthly but supernatural, a palace beyond human reach where a mortal has been taken to live eternally.​

Yet despite its beauty, the setting becomes a prison for Tithonus. Every morning, from the palace windows, he catches glimpses of "that dark world" where he was born—the mortal earth far below. This earthly realm represents freedom, death, and peace, everything he now craves but cannot reach. The palace, once a place of heavenly joy, becomes a place of torment because he is trapped there forever, unable to return home.​

The setting also includes the cyclical passage of time marked by dawn. Each morning, the "silver star" rises as Eos's guide, signaling that she must leave to bring daylight to the world. This daily cycle emphasizes the passage of time that Tithonus cannot escape. While nature renews itself endlessly, Tithonus remains trapped in the same palace, aging continuously, unable to participate in nature's regeneration. The celestial setting thus reflects both the beauty and the cruelty of his situation.​

Title

The title "Tithonus" names the mythological character at the poem's center. In Greek mythology, Tithonus was a mortal Trojan prince, son of King Laomedon of Troy. The goddess of the dawn, Eos (known as Aurora in Roman mythology), fell in love with his beauty and abducted him. His name has become synonymous with the tragedy of immortality without eternal youth—a cautionary tale about the dangers of incomplete or thoughtless wishes.​

By choosing this title, Tennyson invites readers familiar with classical mythology to anticipate a tragic story about desires that go wrong. The simple naming of the character emphasizes that this is his story, his suffering, his voice. Unlike more complicated titles, "Tithonus" points directly to the speaker and his plight, focusing our attention on his internal experience.​

The title also suggests that this is a dramatic monologue where one character reveals his own state of mind and anguish. We are not hearing about Tithonus from a narrator—we are hearing directly from Tithonus himself. This direct address creates intimacy between the speaker and the reader, making his pain feel immediate and personal rather than distant mythological history. The title promises us access to his innermost thoughts and desperate desires.

Form and Language

"Tithonus" is written as a dramatic monologue, a poetic form where a single character speaks alone, revealing his thoughts, emotions, and situation through his own words. In this form, there is no narrator external to the story. Tithonus addresses Eos directly, as if she is present and listening to him, though we only hear his side of the conversation. This creates an intimate, confessional tone where readers feel like they are overhearing private anguish.​

The language Tennyson employs is deliberately elevated and lyrical, befitting both the classical subject matter and the emotional intensity of the speaker's suffering. He uses archaic words and elaborate imagery that transport readers to a mythological realm. Words like "marred," "wasted," "cruel," and "shadow" carry heavy emotional weight, expressing Tithonus's despair through carefully chosen vocabulary.​

Tennyson employs rich sensory imagery throughout the poem. He describes visual beauty through phrases like "gleaming halls of morn" and "dim curls kindle into sunny rings." He includes tactile imagery in descriptions of love—"mouth, forehead, eyelids, growing dewy-warm with kisses." Sound imagery appears in references to nature's cycles and Eos's chariot. This multi-sensory language helps readers emotionally experience Tithonus's suffering.​

The form also includes several paragraph-like sections of varying length, each forming a thematic unit. Some sections are brief, containing urgent pleas; others are longer, containing extended reflections or descriptions. This variation in section length mirrors the emotional ebb and flow of Tithonus's monologue, moving from despair to memory to longing.​

Meter and Rhyme

"Tithonus" is written in blank verse, which means it uses unrhymed iambic pentameter. Iambic pentameter contains five stressed and unstressed syllables in each line, creating a rhythmic pattern: da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM. This meter, famous from Shakespeare's plays, creates a sense of natural speech. When readers hear blank verse, they feel they are listening to a character speak directly, as if from a stage.​

The lack of rhyme scheme is significant. Without end rhymes, the poem avoids the sing-song quality that rhyming verse can create. Instead, the language feels closer to genuine human speech and thought. This choice suits the poem's serious, sorrowful tone. Tithonus is not reciting pretty verses but expressing genuine anguish, and blank verse allows his emotional truth to come through without the artificiality of rhyme.​

However, Tennyson does not maintain perfect, mechanical iambic pentameter throughout. He varies the meter occasionally, emphasizing important words or creating pauses that heighten emotional impact. These variations prevent the poem from feeling monotonous and allow the meter to serve the meaning. When Tithonus cries out "Ay me! ay me!"—the accents fall differently than in regular iambic pentameter, creating a jarring, emotional effect that matches the desperation of his plea.​

The rhythm of blank verse also creates a meditative quality. The regular pattern allows readers to fall into a trance-like state while following Tithonus's thoughts. This effect suits a poem of lament and philosophical reflection. Readers are drawn into the speaker's mind, experiencing his circular, repetitive patterns of thought—the way he returns again and again to his impossible situation and his plea for death.​

Themes

Immortality as Curse

Immortality, which seems like humanity's greatest wish, becomes a terrible curse in this poem. Tithonus received immortality but without eternal youth—a technically perfect gift that created an imperfect, terrible existence. This theme explores the irony that endless life, divorced from the ability to enjoy it, becomes a prison rather than a blessing. Tithonus is conscious enough to understand his suffering, aware enough to remember his past glory, yet powerless to escape his condition. The poem argues that mortality is actually a gift because death provides an end to suffering. Human existence gains meaning partly because it is finite. Immortality without growth, change, or the possibility of rest becomes meaningless torture.​

Mortality and Acceptance of Death

The poem celebrates mortality as natural and necessary. Tithonus envies the "happier dead" and wishes to "pause" like other mortals at the natural "goal of ordinance." This acceptance of death emerges as the poem's ultimate wisdom. Rather than fearing death, humans should recognize it as a kindly boundary that gives life shape and meaning. Those who die after living normal lifespans find "grassy barrows"—peaceful graves—and peace in the earth. This is presented as truly happy. The poem suggests that fighting against natural human limits leads to suffering, while accepting mortality brings peace.​

The Pain of Memory

Throughout the poem, memory tortures Tithonus as much as his physical decay. He remembers when he felt like a god, when Eos's beauty moved him deeply, when he was vital and alive. These memories contrast painfully with his present diminished state. He remembers his past so vividly that present suffering feels doubly unbearable. Memory prevents him from becoming accustomed to aging; each day reminds him of what he has lost. This theme explores how memory can be both a blessing (it preserves our past) and a curse (it makes present suffering more acute by comparison).​

Symbols

Aurora (Eos)

Aurora, the goddess of the dawn, symbolizes eternal youth and beauty. She renews herself every morning, remaining forever young, forever beautiful, forever vital. She represents what Tithonus has lost and can never regain. Yet she also symbolizes the inevitability and indifference of natural cycles. Though she loves Tithonus, she cannot stop the sun from rising and must leave him every morning to perform her cosmic duty. Aurora thus becomes both a symbol of beauty and a symbol of cruelty—beautiful because she is eternally renewed, cruel because her renewal emphasizes Tithonus's decay.​

Tithonus's Decaying Body

The physical deterioration of Tithonus's body symbolizes the weight of time and the curse of immortality. His "wrinkled feet," his "grey shadow" appearance, his transformation from a man who felt "none other than a God" to a withered husk—all represent how immortality without eternal youth destroys the human form. The body becomes a prison, a constant reminder of loss. This symbol emphasizes that immortality is not a spiritual or intellectual blessing but a physical curse that affects the body before affecting the spirit.​

Literary Devices

Repetition

Tennyson uses repetition to create emphasis and emotional force throughout the poem. The opening line "The woods decay, the woods decay and fall" repeats the verb phrase to stress the inevitability and endless nature of decay. This technique makes readers feel the relentlessness of nature's processes. Later, "Ay me! ay me!" repeats an exclamation of sorrow, deepening the emotional impact through insistent repetition. The repeated reference to Tithonus watching Eos each morning emphasizes the cyclical nature of his suffering—it happens again and again, never varying, never ending.

Alliteration

Alliteration—the repetition of beginning sounds—appears throughout the poem to create musical and emotional effects. "Far-folded mists" repeats the "f" sound, creating a soft, gentle quality that suits descriptions of ethereal morning mist. "Silent spaces" repeats the "s" sound, emphasizing quietness. "Silver star" creates a subtle musical effect while describing light. "Bosom beating," "most meet," and "strange song" all use alliteration to draw attention to important words and create lyrical beauty. These sound patterns make the language feel more polished and beautiful, even when describing suffering.

Metaphor

Metaphors compare unlike things directly without using "like" or "as." When Tennyson writes "me only cruel immortality consumes," he compares immortality to a fire or disease that slowly eats away at Tithonus. This metaphor conveys the painful, gradual nature of his deterioration. "Grey shadow" is a metaphor comparing Tithonus's weakened state to something insubstantial and dark. The "gleaming halls of morn" is a metaphor where the palace is compared to bright, sunlit chambers. "None other than a God!" metaphorically compares how Tithonus felt to actual divinity. These metaphors help readers understand abstract concepts like aging, love, and immortality through concrete physical images.

Personification

Personification gives human qualities to non-human things. The "vapours weep their burden to the ground" gives weeping—an emotional human act—to clouds. This makes the sky seem to mourn along with Tithonus, as if all of nature grieves his situation. The "woods decay" is personified through being described as if they are alive and subject to aging. This technique makes readers feel that nature itself suffers from the passage of time, creating sympathy for both nature and Tithonus. When Tithonus speaks of the "grassy barrows of the happier dead," he personifies the graves as places where the dead are happy, as if death brings contentment.

Simile

A simile compares two things using "like" or "as." Tennyson uses similes to clarify comparisons and create emotional resonance. When he compares Eos's gift of immortality to "wealthy men, who care not how they give," he creates a simile suggesting her carelessness matched that of wealthy people giving away gifts without thought. When Troy is described as rising "like a mist...into towers," this simile suggests that even great human achievements are temporary and fleeting. These similes help readers understand Tithonus's perspective by comparing mythological events to recognizable human situations.

Allusion

An allusion is a reference to a well-known person, place, or story. The entire poem alludes to the Greek myth of Tithonus and Aurora, grounding the narrative in classical tradition. References to Troy and "Ilion" allude to the Trojan War and classical history, suggesting that even great civilizations eventually fall. These allusions suggest that Tithonus's suffering is part of a larger pattern of human experience explored in classical literature. By alluding to famous myths, Tennyson suggests his themes are timeless and universal rather than personal or contemporary.

Imagery

Vivid imagery creates pictures in the reader's mind. Visual imagery includes "dim curls kindle into sunny rings" (describing dawn light on hair), "gleaming halls of morn" (bright celestial palaces), and "far-folded mists" (layered morning fog). Tactile imagery appears in "mouth, forehead, eyelids, growing dewy-warm with kisses," allowing readers to feel the warmth and moisture of love. Auditory imagery includes references to the chariot "beating the twilight into flakes of fire" and the "wild team" of horses pulling Eos's chariot. This rich sensory language immerses readers in Tithonus's experience of beauty and suffering.

Hyperbole

Hyperbole uses exaggeration for emotional effect. When Tithonus says he felt "none other than a God," he exaggerates the extent to which love elevated him, creating emphasis on how divine the love felt. "Ere yet they blind the stars" exaggerates Aurora's brightness, suggesting her beauty is so intense it could outshine stars. These exaggerations emphasize the intensity of past joy and present loss, making emotional truths feel more vivid and true.

Enjambment

Enjambment occurs when sentences or phrases continue from one line to the next without a pause at the line ending. This technique creates a flowing, stream-of-consciousness effect. Tithonus's thoughts seem to tumble out continuously, one idea running into the next. This creates a sense of his mind working through problems obsessively, returning again and again to his impossible situation. The flowing quality of enjambment mimics the endless nature of time itself and Tithonus's endless suffering.