Tennyson's Three Queens

On one occasion Tennyson was asked by the present bishop of Ripon whether the three queens who accompanled King Arthur on his last voyage represented Faith, Hope and Charity. The poet's reply gives an indication of hls idea of the spirit in which poetry should be read. "They mean that and they do not. They are three of the noblest of women. They are also those three graces, but they are much more. I hate to be tied down to say 'This means that,' because the thought wlthin the image is much more than any one interpretation."