Tennyson was excellent at writing short lyrics like In the valley of Cauteretz , Break , break , break , The Charge of the Light Brigade , Tears , idle tears and Crossing the Bar . Tennyson excelled at penning short lyrics , `` In the valley of Cauteretz '' , `` Break , Break , Break '' , `` The Charge of the Light Brigade '' , `` Tears , Idle Tears '' and `` Crossing the Bar '' .