What hard mishap hath doomed this gentle swain ? They knew not of his story; And sage Hippotades 1 their answer brings, Built in the eclipse, and rigged with curses dark, Next Camus,3 reverend sire, went footing slow, Inwrought with figures dim, and on the edge Like to that sanguine flower inscribed with woe.4 95 100 105 "Ah! who hath reft,' quoth he, my dearest pledge?' child The pilot of the Galilean lake; 5 Two massy keys he bore of metals twain 110 (The golden opes, the iron shuts amain), He shook his mitred locks, and stern bespake: 'How well could I have spared for thee, young swain, Creep, and intrude, and climb into the fold! 115 Blind mouths! that scarce themselves know how to hold A sheep-hook, or have learned aught else the least 120 What recks it them? What need they? They are sped; And, when they list, their lean and flashy songs Grate on their scrannel 6 pipes of wretched straw; The hungry sheep look up, and are not fed, 125 But, swoln with wind and the rank mist they draw, Rot inwardly, and foul contagion spread : Beside what the grim wolf with privy paw Daily devours apace, and nothing said: 1 Æolus, son of Hippotes, and ru.er of the winds. 130 135 frequent 2 One of the daughters of the sea-god Nereus, who attended Neptune, riding on sea-horses. 3 The god of the sluggish river Cam, on which Cambridge stands. 4 The hyacinth, said to have sprung from the blood of Hyacinthus, a Spartan youth, who was killed by a blow from a quoit. Its petals were said to bear the Greek words ai, ai, exclamations of woe. 5 St Peter, who had a boat on the Sea of Galilee. 6 Producing a weak screeching sound. 7 Perhaps the two-edged sword of the Apocalypse is meant, or the metaphorical axe in the gospel, which was to be laid to the root of the tree. 8 A stream supposed to be connected with the fountain Arethusa mentioned above. Of shades, and wanton winds, and gushing brooks, The musk-rose, and the well-attired 2 woodbine, Let our frail thoughts dally with false surmise ; Weep no more, woeful shepherds, weep no more; And yet anon repairs his drooping head, rarely 140 early spotted 145 150 155 160 165 And tricks his beams, and with new-spangled ore renews 170 175 not to be expressed Through the dear might of Him that walked the waves, 1 The swarthy, black, or injurious star, the dog-star 2 Having a handsome attire or head-dress, its flower. 3 Anciently a monument to the memory of the dead. 4 The monstrous world,' the world of monsters. 5 Lines 160-162 were long a puzzle to commentators, and are still somewhat obscure. The place called the fable of Bellerus old' was St Michael's Mount, in Cornwall. It was anciently called Bellerium, from which Milton has formed the name Bellerus, as that of one of the ancient giants of Britain. He represents the archangel Michael appearing as a 'Vision' on this mount, called 'guarded' because it was formerly fortified. Namancos' and 'Bayona' are places on the west coast of Gallicia, in Spain. The sense of lines 161-164 seems to be, as given by Todd, 'O Angel (seated on the guarded mount), look no longer seaward to Namancos and Bayona's hold rather turn your eyes to another object. Look homeward or landward, look towards your own coast now, and view with pity the corpse of the shipwrecked Lycidas floating thither.' That sing and, singing, in their glory move, Thus sang the uncouth swain to the oaks and rills, At a Solemn Music. Blest pair of Sirens, pledges of Heaven's joy, With saintly shout, and solemn jubilee; Touch their immortal harps of golden wires, With those just Spirits that wear victorious palms, Singing everlastingly : Jarred against Nature's chime, and with harsh din To their great Lord, whose love their motion swayed In perfect diapason, whilst they stood, In first obedience and their state of good. O may we soon again renew that song, And keep in tune with Heaven, till God ere long To his celestial consort us unite, To live with Him, and sing in endless morn of light! 25 chorus, band 1'Doric,' i.e. pastoral. The name Lycidas was adopted from the Greek poet Theocritus, who wrote in the Doric dialect. Abraham Cowley: 1618-1667. Foolish prater! what dost thou With thy tuneless serenade? Well it had been had Tereus 1 made Thou dost all the winter rest, 1 A reference to the mythological story of Téreus, who deprived Philomela, the daughter of Pandion, of her tongue. She was afterwards changed into a nightingale. Samuel Butler: 1612-1680. His breeches were of rugged woollen, And had been at the siege of Bullen; Through they were lined with many a piece Of ammunition, bread, and cheese, And fat black puddings, proper food For warriors that delight in blood : For, as we said, he always chose To carry victual in his hose, That often tempted rats and mice The ammunition to surprise; And when he put a hand but in The one or t' other magazine, They stoutly on defence on't stood, And from the wounded foe drew blood, And till they were stormed, and beaten out, Ne'er left the fortified redoubt; And though knights-errant, as some think, Of old did neither eat nor drink, Because, when thorough deserts vast, And regions desolate, they past, Where belly-timber above ground, Or under, was not to be found, Unless they grazed, there's not one word Of their provision on record; Which made some confidently write, They had no stomachs but to fight. This sword a dagger had, his page, That was but little for his age, And therefore waited on him so, As dwarfs upon knights-errant do: It was a serviceable dudgeon, Either for fighting or for drudging: When it had stabbed, or broke a head, It would scrape trenchers, or chip bread; Toast cheese or bacon, though it were To bait a mouse-trap, 'twould not care; 'Twould make clean shoes, and in the earth Set leeks and onions, and so forth. In the holsters, at his saddle-bow, Two aged pistols he did stow, Among the surplus of such meat As in his hose he could not get : These would inveigle rats with the scent, To forage when the cocks were bent, And sometimes catch 'em with a snap, As cleverly as the ablest trap: They were upon hard duty still, And every night stood sentinel, To guard the magazine i' the hose From two-legg'd and from four-legg'd foes. Thus clad and fortified, Sir Knight, From peaceful home, set forth to fight. But first, with nimble active force, He got on the outside of his horse! For having but one stirrup tied To his saddle on the further side, It was so short he had much ado To reach it with his desperate toe; But after many strains and heaves, He got up to the saddle-eaves, From whence he vaulted into the seat With so much vigour, strength, and heat, That he had almost tumbled over With his own weight, but did recover, By laying hold on tail and mane, Which oft he used instead of rein. 2 Grudge. 3 Toledo in Spain, so famed for its swords, that a sword was called a Toledo. |