143. Fallings from us, vanishing, momentary doubts as to the reality of external objects. Wordsworth tells us, ' Many times while going to school have I grasped at a wall or tree to recall myself from this abyss of idealism to the reality,' so unsubstantial did the external world sometimes seem to him. 181-186. These lines give the reason for the triumphant tone of the stanza. 202-203. These lines state the result of the meditation of which the poem is the embodiment. Compare the thought with that of Tennyson's Flower in the crannied wall. Do children commonly feel this nearness to nature? Into what groups of stanzas may the poem be divided? An ode has been defined as any strain of enthusiastic and exalted lyrical verse, directed to a fixed purpose, and dealing progressively with one dignified theme.' Show that this ode corresponds with the definition. What is the prevailing meter, and what variations do What should you say of the rhyme in lines 42 and 45? you observe? What of the phrasing in lines 133-134? Point out other examples of good phrasing. Which do you regard as the finest stanza? Which stanza shows the keenest joy in nature? To the work of what earlier poet may this ode be compared in the dignity of its thought and in the sonorousness of its expression? Matthew Arnold, commenting upon this poem, says, 'The idea of the high instincts and affections coming out in childhood, testifying of a divine home, recently left, and fading away as our life proceeds, — this idea, of undeniable beauty as a play of fancy, has itself not the character of poetic truth of the best kind; it has no real solidity.' Is this criticism just? What justification is there for Emerson's statement that this poem is 'the high water mark of English thought in the nineteenth century'? London. 3. altar, sword, and pen. For what do these words stand? 6. inward happiness, due to the adjustment he prays for in the Ode to Duty, and to the sense of kinship with nature which he laments the lack of in the other sonnet beginning 'The world is too much with us.' 11. What do 'pure' and 'majestic' modify? In what sense could Milton's soul be said to be like a star? Cf. Shelley's Sonnet to Wordsworth, 1. 9, Thou wert as a lone star whose light did shine. Justify the characterization of Milton's style in line 10. Was there any foundation in the age of Wordsworth for the severe criticism expressed in this sonnet? The World is too much with Us. Wordsworth is the first really great sonnet writer after Milton. Discontented with the sordid materialism of modern life, which tends to destroy the sense of the mystic relation between the world without us and the world within, Wordsworth here turns with longing to the Greek lover of nature that led the Greeks to personify its forces. a love 13. Proteus. What is the meaning and derivation of 'Protean'? 14. Triton. See Lycidas, 11. 89-90 and note. 'Nine tenths of my verses,' said Wordsworth, 'have been murmured out in the open air.' Does this sonnet sound as if composed out of doors? Compare this poem with Shakespeare's Sonnet XXIX. Which is the expression of more thoughtful feeling? Is the emotion of Wordsworth's sonnet intellectualized emotion' as distinguished from pure feeling? What gives the poem dignity and permanence, even though it be but the expression of a transient mood? SIR WALTER SCOTT The Battle of Bannockburn. The student may be interested in seeing to what extent the account of the battle is historical. See Scott's Tales of a Grandfather, First Series, Vol. I, Chap. VIII. 9. battles. Meaning? 66. Who were the Plantagenets? 64. selle, saddle. 200-217. What suggestions may Scott have taken from Burns's Scots, wha hae? Are the Scottish troops represented as coming from one particular part of their kingdom? ENG. POEMS - - 25 How are we prepared for the outcome of the battle? What details are the most vivid and characteristic in the description of the Scottish army? How does the poet show that his sympathies are with the Scotch? Is he unfair in his treatment of the English? What customs of chivalry are introduced? appreciation of the poem? How do they affect our From what sources does Scott draw his comparisons? Does he use comparatively few, or many figures? Compare Scott's description of a battle with Drayton's; with Campbell's; with Macaulay's. Which is the most detailed? Which has the most action? Which has the most of the poet's own thought? Scott himself said of his poetry, 'I am sensible that if there is anything good about my poetry . it is a hurried frankness of composi tion which pleases soldiers, sailors, and young people of bold and active disposition.' What does Scott mean by this frankness, and how is it illustrated in this selection? What is meant by saying that Scott is the most Homeric of British poets? Jock of Hazeldean. The first stanza of this poem is taken from an old Scotch ballad called 'Jock of Hazel Green.' What other poet has borrowed freely from Scotch folk-songs? 'The definition of Scott's poetry,' says Hazlitt, 'is a pleasing superficiality. Is this an adequate definition of it? Should you call it poetry of action or poetry of thought? Why have so many such songs come from the border country? What characteristics of the old ballad has Scott succeeded in reproducing in this poem? Why has it so often been set to music? Lochinvar. This poem, Scott tells us, is founded 'in a very slight degree' on one called 'Katherine Janfarie,' which may be found in the Border Minstrelsy. 20. Solway. An interesting account of the spring tides in Solway Frith may be found in Scott's novel, Redgauntlet (Chapter IV). 32. galliard, a gay dance. 41. Scaur, steep river bank. Describe the meter and point out its appropriateness for this story, particularly in 11. 37-45. In what different ways is the impression of vigor attained? Of what mood is this lyric the expression? To what feelings does Scott appeal? Are these feelings simple and elemental? Point out how the song illustrates the peculiar skill with which Scott employs proper names -'a rarely misleading sign,' says one critic, ' of true poetical genius.' Compare the lyric with Burns's Scots, wha hae. Which appeals to nobler emotions? Which is the more stirring? Note the justness of a contemporary criticism upon Scott's verse that it is not to be sung or danced-it is to be jumped.' SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE France: An Ode. 3-4. With this compare Byron's apostrophe to the ocean in Childe Harold, IV, clxxix ff. Which poet shows a greater love for the sea? 27. slavish band, the English conservatives, whom Coleridge regarded as bondmen to established institutions. 43. Coleridge at this time felt that the excesses of the Revolution, with the accompanying atheism, were but the natural reaction after the oppression of state and church. 66 ff. These lines refer to the subjugation of the Swiss republic by the sister republic of France. This act, possibly more than any other, helped to change Coleridge's attitude toward the Revolution. 95. Priestcraft's harpy minions. Explain. Why, in the first stanza, does Coleridge appeal to the clouds, the waves, and the woods? Is such a theme, one of contemporary interest, likely to prolong or to limit the life of the poem? Study carefully the splendid movement and climax of stanza I. Point out in the succeeding stanzas instances of good management of the pauses. Are there any changes in the rapidity of movement through the ode? Do you note any lines that seem rhetorical? Which do you consider the finest stanza of the poem, and why? Hymn before Sunrise, in the Vale of Chamouni. 'Beside the rivers Arve and Arveiron, which have their source at the foot of Mont Blanc, five conspicuous torrents rush down its sides; and within a few paces of the glaciers the Gentiana Major grows in immense numbers, with "its flowers of loveliest blue."- Coleridge's note. 83. Hierarch. Meaning? Is the word well chosen? By what other designations does Coleridge refer to the mountain? What idea is emphasized at the close of each of the last three stanzas? Are the different portions of the poem skillfully connected? How does Coleridge secure in this poem a vigor of description? With this poem compare Byron's Mont Blanc. How does Coleridge's delight in the mountain differ from Byron's? Which poet is the more mystical? Which poem shows the finer phrasing? Compare the movement with that in France. Which movement seems the finer and why? Which is the more suited to the subjectmatter? Which do you consider the greater poem and why? Kubla Khan. When the poem was first published, in 1816, the title read Kubla Khan, or a Vision in a Dream. Before falling into the sleep during which the poem took shape, Coleridge had been reading the following lines from Purchas, His Pilgrimage: 'In Xamdu did Cublai Can build a stately Palace, encompassing sixteene miles of plaine ground with a wall, wherin are fertile Meddowes, pleasant Springs, delightful Streames, and all sorts of beasts of chase and game, and in the middest thereof a sumptuous house for pleasure.' - Campbell's note. What is the effect of the change of meter in the first section? How has Coleridge succeeded in accelerating and lightening the effect of the iambic lines? Study the combination of vowels and consonants, noting the fine use of alliteration and assonance. Are any lines made intentionally harsh? Note carefully how well the comparisons selected (e.g. 15–16) serve to give a certain tone to the poem. What is the effect of the recurrence of several phrases repeated, either exactly or with slight variation? CHARLES LAMB Sonnet XI. This sonnet gives graceful expression to the regret with which thoughtful men look back upon their lost youth. It affords an interesting comparison with Vaughan's Retreat, with Wordsworth's Ode: Intimations of Immortality, and with Hood's I remember, I remember. |