what is the poem "the lotos eaters" about?

Published in 1832, “The Lotos-Eaters” with its “Choric Song” is one of Tennyson’s most popular poems. It derives from a 15-line episode in Homer’s Odyssey that depicts Odysseus (Ulysses) and his men journeying to the land of the lotos-eaters on their way home from the Trojan War. Homer does not spend too much time describing the location, and he has Odysseus forcing his men back to the boat although they do so with bitter tears and lamentation. In Tennyson’s version, the men come to this land and fall under the spell of the languid and sensuous land due to its powerful flowers and fruits that they consume. Tennyson, in contrast to Homer, spends almost the entire poem dwelling on the languorous effects of the lotus flower and the magnificent, beguiling beauty of the isle. Whereas Homer’s Ulysses is aware of the disadvantages of such a life void of adventure, Tennyson creates a lush mood and sets up a harmonious and complementary relationship between the natural landscape and the inertia brought on by the flower. It would seem that this world of oblivion is preferable to the angst ridden real world. The poem juxtaposes the idleness of the men with the adventurous Odysseus, who thrives on such difficulties and pains as a key to making the most of his life.