Yet hark, how through the peopled air To Contemplation's3 sober eye, But flutter through life's little day, Methinks I hear in accents low, Poor moralist! and what art thou? Thy joys no glittering female meets, 1 Glows-A daring, not to say audacious, word;-a murmur glows! Honeyed-Dr. Johnson has censured the use of adjectives of this class, that look like participles, but are really derived from nouns. Such forms are however congenial to the spirit of our language; thus we find "slippered pantaloon," "tapestried hall," "spiced cup," "daisied bank," &c. 3 To Contemplation's, &c.-" This stanza furnishes the most curious specimen of a continued metaphor-the happiest intermixture of the simile and the subject--that the whole compass of poetry, ancient and modern, can produce:" Gilbert Wakefield. 4 Sportive kind-i.e. the sportive insects; an awkward expression. 5 Glittering female-In allusion, perhaps, to the glow-worm, the female of which is a wingless insect, and emits its light, it is thought, to attract the winged male. 6 Painted-Phædrus has "pictæ plume"-painted feathers. Thy sun is set, thy spring is gone- Gray. TO THE BUTTERFLY.2 CHILD of the sun! pursue thy rapturous flight, Yet wert thou once a worm-a thing that crept Rogers. THE CRUSADE.1 BOUND for holy Palestine, Nimbly we brushed the level brine, O'er the waves5 our banners played 1 Thy sun is set, thy spring, &c.—It is a very common metaphor to represent life as a day or a year. Thus we speak of the dawn, morning, noon, sunset, (as here,) evening, and night, of life; as well as of its spring, (as here,) summer, autumn, and winter. This ode must, notwithstanding its many beauties, be regarded as unfinished, inasmuch as it omits all consideration of those "glorious hopes," which raise man beyond the reach of any comparison with the brutes that perish. How different the close of the next piece! The thought and diction of these lines are equally rich and beautiful. They are alive with a light that warms while it illumines. 3 Rich as an evening sky-happily descriptive-an expression far transcending the "painted plumage" of Gray. See preceding page. 4 "The Crusade,'" says Campbell, "has a genuine air of martial and minstrel enthusiasm." 5 Waves, billows-A wave, from the Anglo-Saxon wag, which is connected with weag-an, to weigh or balance, "may be defined." says Taylor, "a ridge of water in a state of oscillation." A billow, from the Anglo-Saxon bilig, the belly, is a wave that swells or bulges out more than others. And made the dancing billows glow; "Syrian virgins, wail and weep, From distant towers, with anxious eye, Ye ken2 the march of Europe's war!3 From Albion's isle revenge we bring Though to the gale thy banners swell, On to victory we go, A vaunting infidel the foe." Blondel led the tuneful band, And swept the wire with glowing hand. And Crete, with piny verdure crowned, Echoed the prophetic strain. Trophied-adorned with trophies or memorials of victory. 2 Ken-from the Anglo-Saxon cean-an, to know by the senses, especially, sight; to know generally. 3 War-put here for "forces," as in Milton's "Paradise Lost," xii, 213:"On their embattled ranks the waves return, And overwhelm their war." ↑ Paynim-from the French payen, pagan. An epithet not strictly applicable to Saladin. 5 Acco-the ancient Ptolemais and the modern Acre. 6 Silver moon-the Turkish crescent. 7 Brazen drums-To increase the din, Saladin had brass kettle-drums beaten during one of the battles. 8 Smiling-i. e. sparkling in the sun. Eschylus, in the "Prometheus Vinetus," beautifully refers to "the ocean-waves' unnumbered smiles." Soon we kissed the sacred earth That gave the suffering Saviour birth: "Lo, the toilsome voyage past, We tread the Syrian valleys now. And quenched thy lamps that beamed so bright; Lo, Richard leads his faithful host! Aloft in his heroic hand, Blazing like the beacon's brand, Holy-a very much abused word when employed with reference to the Crusades generally. 2 Engaddi-an ancient city which stood on the western coast of the Dead Sea. We learn from Josephus that it was once famous for palm-trees and balsams, or balm-shrubs, but "at present," says Dr. Robinson, who recently visited the spot, "not a palm-tree exists there." 3 Date-empurpled-adorned with dates. A very artificial epithet. See note 2,p.71. Immortal umbrage-in allusion to the remarkable longevity of the cedars of Lebanon. The natives-and some travellers- believe the most ancient of these trees to be the survivors of those cut down by Solomon, for the building of the Temple. 5 Mountain-It is difficult to understand how Calvary got the name of "mountain." The word means "a skull," and seems to have been given to a small hillock of that shape. Nothing that deserves the name of mountain can now be found, and there is no Scriptural authority for the term. 6 Sepulchre of God-the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, originally built by Constantine. That referred to in the text was built by the first Crusaders. O'er the far-affrighted fields, On giant-wheels harsh thunders grate.3 "Salem, in ancient majesty Our cross with crimson wove and gold." Thomas Warton. 1 TO A MOUNTAIN DAISY. ON TURNING ONE DOWN WITH THE PLOUGH." 7 WEE, modest, crimson-tipped flower, Thou's met me in an evil hour; For I maun crush amang the stoures Thy slender stem; To spare thee now is past my power, Thou bonnie9 gem. Kaliburn-The sword of King Arthur, which, according to the monkish historians, came into the possession of Richard. 2 Battering-engines-battering-rams. 3 Giant-wheels-The word "giant" is used in some compounds in the sense of 'very large." See "giant-bounds," p. 22. "Horse" seems to bear the same interpretation in horse-chesnut, horse-leech, horse-laugh. Salem-the ancient name of Jerusalem. It signifies "peace." Badge of Constantine-This refers to the "labarum," as the magnificent banner was called, which Constantine, after his conversion, adopted as the imperial standard. It bore a cross woven in gold upon purple cloth; not crimson, as implied in the text. 6 The verses to the Mouse' and Mountain Daisy' were composed," says the poet's brother, "on the occasions mentioned, and while the author was holding the plough." 7 Wee-little. 8 Stoure-dust. 9 Bonnie-beautiful. |