THE DAY WAS LINGERING
The day was lingering in the pale northwest, And night was hanging o'er my head,— Night where a myriad stars were spread; While down in the east, where the light was least, Seem'd the home of the quiet dead.5 And, as I gazed on the field sublime, To watch the bright, pulsating stars, Adown the deep where the angels sleep Came drawn the golden chime Of those great spheres that sound the years10 For the horologe of time. Millenniums numberless they told, Millenniums a million-fold From the ancient hour of prime.
—Charles Heavysege
Preparatory.—Compare other passages from literature which suggest the "music of the spheres," for example: Dryden's Song for Saint Cecilia's Day, The Moonlight Scene from The Merchant of Venice, Milton's The Hymn.
What is the atmosphere of ll. 1-4? Of ll. 5-14? In what two different Qualities of voice do the corresponding feelings find expression?
Read ll. 6-11, with a view to Perspective.
Note the Grouping in ll. 9-11.
ON FIRST LOOKING INTO CHAPMAN'S HOMER
Much have I travelled in the realms of gold, And many goodly states and kingdoms seen; Round many western islands have I been, Which bards in fealty to Apollo hold. Oft of one wide expanse had I been told5 That deep-browed Homer ruled as his demesne; Yet never did I breathe its pure serene Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold: Then felt I like some watcher of the skies When a new planet swims into his ken;10 Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes He stared at the Pacific—and all his men Looked at each other with a wild surmise— Silent, upon a peak in Darien.
—John Keats
Preparatory.—How is the fundamental idea of this sonnet illustrated in The Key to Human Happiness? (p. [266].)
What feeling pervades the last six lines? In which line is this feeling most marked? In what Quality of voice does it find expression? (Introduction, pp. [33]-35.)
Select the words which are emphatic through contrast, expressed or implied. (Introduction, p. [32].)
GREAT THINGS WERE NE'ER BEGOTTEN IN AN HOUR
Great things were ne'er begotten in an hour; Ephemerons in birth, are such in life; And he who dareth, in the noble strife Of intellects, to cope for real power,— Such as God giveth as His rarest dower5 Of mastery, to the few with greatness rife,— Must, ere the morning mists have ceased to lower Till the long shadows of the night arrive, Stand in the arena. Laurels that are won, Plucked from green boughs, soon wither; those that last10 Are gather'd patiently, when sultry noon And summer's fiery glare in vain are past. Life is the hour of labour; on Earth's breast Serene and undisturb'd shall be thy rest.
—Sir Daniel Wilson (By permission)
Preparatory.—What is the essential thought in this sonnet? Quote corresponding passages. Give illustrations from history and fiction.
What words are emphatic because of (a) contrast expressed, (b) contrast implied? (Introduction, pp. [30] and [32].)
Read ll. 3-9, with a view to Perspective. (Introduction, p. 33.)
A WOOD LYRIC
Into the stilly woods I go, Where the shades are deep and the wind-flowers blow, And the hours are dreamy and lone and long, And the power of silence is greater than song. Into the stilly woods I go,5 Where the leaves are cool and the wind-flowers blow.
When I go into the stilly woods, And know all the flowers in their sweet, shy hoods, The tender leaves in their shimmer and sheen Of darkling shadow, diaphanous green,10 In those haunted halls where my footstep falls, Like one who enters cathedral walls, A spirit of beauty floods over me, As over a swimmer the waves of the sea, That strengthens and glories, refreshens and fills,15 Till all mine inner heart wakens and thrills With a new and a glad and a sweet delight, And a sense of the infinite out of sight, Of the great unknown that we may not know, But only feel with an inward glow20 When into the great, glad woods we go.
O life-worn brothers, come with me Into the wood's hushed sanctity, Where the great, cool branches are heavy with June, And the voices of summer are strung in tune;25 Come with me, O heart out-worn, Or spirit whom life's brute-struggles have torn, Come, tired and broken and wounded feet, Where the walls are greening, the floors are sweet, The roofs are breathing and heaven's airs meet.30 Come, wash earth's grievings from out of the face, The tear and the sneer and the warfare's trace, Come, where the bells of the forest are ringing, Come, where the oriole's nest is swinging, Where the brooks are foaming in amber pools,35 The mornings are still and the noonday cools. Cast off earth's sorrows and know what I know, When into the glad, deep woods I go.
—William Wilfred Campbell (By permission)
Preparatory.—"An Afternoon alone in the Woods." Tell what one may see, and think, and feel. Illustrate by quotations from the poets.
Give numerous examples of momentary completeness throughout the poem. (Introduction, p. [16].)
How does the reader show that ll. 7-12 are merely anticipative? (Introduction, p. [17].)
What change is made in the Force in l. 13? (Introduction, p. [33].)
How is l. 15 connected with l. 13?
Observe the transition from description to appeal in l. 22. What is the change in vocal expression?