Exactly how steamy is this poem?
PG
In this poem, the speaker is grieving over the loss of his close friend, which isn't really conducive to anything steamy. There are a few references to holding hands and hugging and some mentions of "breasts" (though never used in a sexual manner—we're talking the nineteenth-century flowery language for "heart"). A "procuress" (female pimp) also makes an appearance, but it's just a brief reference without further elaboration. There are also several extended metaphors involving the love husbands have for wives (and vice versa), but Tennyson keeps things sparkling clean.