The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas

UNIFORM EDITION OF ROBERT BRIDGES' POETICAL WORKS In Seven Volumes, Small Post 8vo, 6s. each. CONTENTS
Volume VII in preparation This Volume completes the Uniform Edition of Mr. Robert Bridges' Works. ———— LONDON: SMITH, ELDER & CO., 15 WATERLOO PLACE, S.W.
HENRY FROWDE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON, NEW YORK, TORONTO AND MELBOURNE 1912
OXFORD: HORACE HART PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY
THIS book consists of the Poems and Masks (as apart from the Dramas) contained in the collected editions of the Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, together with two groups of Later Poems and Poems in Classical Prosody now published for the first time or now first collected.
A record of the previous publication of the poems will be found in the bibliographical notes prefixed to the various sections of the present book.
The spelling of certain words is not uniform throughout the poems. This is due to observance of the text of the earlier editions of different dates, in the notes to which the author's justification of these peculiarities was given.
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ARGUMENT
Prometheus coming on earth to give fire to men appears before the palace of Inachus in Argos on a festival of Zeus. He interrupts the ceremony by announcing fire and persuades Inachus to dare the anger of Zeus and accept the gift. Inachus fetching Argeia his wife from the palace has in turn to quiet her fears. He asks a prophecy of Prometheus who foretells the fate of Io their daughter. Prometheus then setting flame to the altar and writing his own name thereon in the place of Zeus disappears.
The Chorus sing (1) a Hymn to Zeus with the stories of the birth of Zeus and the marriage of Hera with the dances of the Curetes and the Hesperides, (2) their anticipation of fire with an Ode on Wonder, (3) a Tragic Hymn on the lot of man, (4) a Fire-chorus, (5) a final Chorus in praise of Prometheus.