Get out the microscope, because we’re going through this poem line-by-line.
Lines 2669-2688
And all is well, tho' faith and form
Be sunder'd in the night of fear;
Well roars the storm to those that hear
A deeper voice across the storm,
Proclaiming social truth shall spread,
And justice, ev'n tho' thrice again
The red fool-fury of the Seine
Should pile her barricades with dead.
But ill for him that wears a crown,
And him, the lazar, in his rags:
They tremble, the sustaining crags;
The spires of ice are toppled down,
And molten up, and roar in flood;
The fortress crashes from on high,
The brute earth lightens to the sky,
And the great Æon sinks in blood,
And compass'd by the fires of Hell;
While thou, dear spirit, happy star,
O'erlook'st the tumult from afar,
And smilest, knowing all is well.
- Everything is going well, even though his faith and body often part ways when he's afraid in the night.
- But an even louder voice than fear reassures him that truth and justice will prevail, no matter how many dead bodies pile up (this is probably a reference to the French Revolution).
- Justice will come to both the high and the low. This is symbolized by "him who wears a crown" and "the lazar, in his rags."
- Even though these horrible things happen (and a "lazar" is a leper—so, yeah, not good), Arthur looks down.
- He's the "dear spirit" in the final stanza here who smiles, knowing everything is going to be okay. This is because of the larger plan that Tennyson is regaining more and more faith in as time goes by.