This evocative poem was first published in 1832 but republished in 1842 with extensive alterations.

The narrative is based on an incident in Book Nine of the Odyssey. Odysseus' weary crew lands on the shore of the land of the lotus-eaters, who are only too willing to share the delicious but enervating fruit which is the staple of their diet. In Homer's narrative, Odysseus quickly realizes the potentially destructive effect on the morale of his crew and hales them back on board. Tennyson's poem ends with the crew declaring its desire to abandon a life of adventure and remain immersed in the sweet stupor of Lotus land.

In the composition of the poem Tennyson also drew on the work of other poets, viz. the Idylls of the Greek poets Moschus and Bion, Spenser's Faerie Queen and the Castle of Indolence, by James Thompson.