Book VI.—Line 100, jacinth == hyacinth in mineralogy; a name given to several kinds of stone—topaz, etc.; lodestone: magnetic oxide of iron. l. 101, flinders: fragments (of shining metal). l. 142, Cydippe: an Athenian girl who met Acontius at a festival of Artemis. He wrote a promise of marriage from the girl to himself on an apple, and threw it at her feet. The girl read the words aloud, and the oracle told her father she would have to comply with the words she had read. l. 143, Agathon—evidently meant for Acontius in the above story. l. 184, Dularete: not historical. l. 323, “brakes at balm-shed”: brake ferns at seed time—i.e., autumn. l. 387, reate == a waterweed, as water crow-foot. l. 388, gold-sparkling grail: gravel gold-coloured. l. 417, citrine == crystals: a yellow pellucid variety of quartz; “fierce pyropus-stone” == a carbuncle of fiery redness. l. 590, King-bird: “The Phœnix travels (in an egg of myrrh) to Heliopolis to die.” [S.] l. 614, “an old fable,” etc. See Pindar’s, “Fourth Pythian Ode.” l. 630, Hermit-bee—a species of Apidæ; some of the best known of this species are solitary in their habits. The Carpenter-bee (Xylocopa) excavates nests and cells in wood; the Mason-bee (Osmia and Megachill) forms nests with particles of sand. l. 677-8, “Henry of Egna,” “Sofia,” “Lady of the Rock,” etc.: Sofia was the “youngest daughter of Eccelin the monk, widow of Henry of Egna, the ‘Lady of the Rock,’ or of the Trentine Pass” (W. M. Rossetti). l. 698, Campese: a town on the Brenta, near Bassano. l. 699, Solagna: a village in the province of Vicenza, in the Eastern Alps. l. 787, Valley Rù: in the valley of Enneberg or Gaderthal, on the Eastern Alps. l. 788, San Zeno: the basilica of St. Zeno, an early bishop of Verona. l. 792, raunce, or rance, a bar or rail. l. 799, cushat’s chirre—the ringdove’s coo. l. 802, barrow: a tomb. l. 803, Alberic: brother of Eccelin. He was tortured to death. l. 858, Hesperian fruit: of the Western land (Italy or Spain). The golden apples of the Hesperides probably were oranges. l. 894, “rifle a musk pod and ’twill ache like yours”: a freshly-opened musk pod has a most powerful and pungent ammoniacal odour. Musk requires to be smelt in minute quantity. Sordello’s story deals with political troubles and horrors of war, too powerful a dose for reading at one sitting.
“So, the head aches and the limbs are faint!” (Ferishtah’s Fancies.) The sixth lyric begins with these words.
Soul, The. It “existed ages past” (Cristina); “is resting here an age” (Cristina); “on its lone way” (Cristina and Rabbi ben Ezra); “its nature is to seek durability” (Red Cotton Night-cap Country); “is independent of bodily pain” (Red Cotton); “is here to mate another soul” (Cristina); “shall rise in its degree” (Toccata of Galuppi’s); “it craves all” (Cleon); and “can never taste death” (Paracelsus). La Saisiaz is the poem for proof of its existence and immortality.
Soul’s Tragedy, A: Act I. being what was called the poetry of Chiappino’s life, and Act II. its prose (London, 1846). The incidents are not all historical; they are imagined to have occurred at Faenza, a city of Italy about twenty miles south-west of Ravenna, in the sixteenth century. Chiappino is a patriot—so far as words and fine sentiments go. He is a good type of the men who in all popular movements seek their own interest while pretending to be concerned only for the welfare of the people. Having fomented popular feeling against the Provost of Faenza he has been sentenced to exile. He has, however, an influential friend, Luitolfo, who has volunteered to exert his good offices with the Provost, with whom he is on good terms, with the view of obtaining a pardon. The first Act opens with a dialogue between Eulalia and Chiappino in Luitolfo’s house, concerning the cause of the latter’s prolonged absence on his errand of friendly intercession. Luitolfo and Eulalia are betrothed lovers. Chiappino, while his friend is absent endeavouring to save him, is bragging of his humanitarian courage and daring, and depreciating his friend while making love to his betrothed. Eulalia listens, but begs for “justice to him that’s now entreating, at his risk, perhaps, justice for you!” Chiappino hates Luitolfo for the favours he has done him, the fines he has paid for him, the intercession he has made; and so he endeavours to make himself important in the woman’s eyes, to pose as the martyr of humanity, while he belittles her betrothed lover, and tries to prove that his acts of kindness were unimportant. While they discuss, a knocking is heard without; the door is opened, and Luitolfo rushes in with blood upon him. He declares he has killed the Provost, and the crowd are in pursuit of him. Chiappino offers his protection, and talks bravely as usual; forces Luitolfo to fly in his disguise while he remains with Eulalia and meets the angry pursuers. The populace enter, and Chiappino, without hesitation, declares it was he who killed the Provost: he knows the people will bless him as their saviour, so he takes the credit of Luitolfo’s act of vengeance. Eulalia is anxious he should give the credit to Luitolfo, as the murder turns out to be popular; but Chiappino defers the explanation till the morrow. Act II. is in prose; the scene is laid a month after, in the market-place of Faenza: Luitolfo is mingling in disguise with the populace assembled outside the Provost’s palace. A bystander tells him that Chiappino will be the new Provost: it is he who was the brave friend of the people; Luitolfo the coward, who ran away from them and their cause. Ravenna, he says, governs Faenza, as Rome governs Ravenna; and the Papal legate, Ogniben, has entered the town, saying satirically: “I have known three-and-twenty leaders of revolts!” He wishes to know what the revolters want. The soldiers came into Ravenna, bearing their wounded Provost (he had not been killed, as Luitolfo supposed). The Legate had come to arrange matters amicably. He will have no punishments for the insurrection. What he desires to know is, Do they wish to live without any government at all? or if not, do they wish their ruler to be murdered by the first citizen who conceives he has a grievance? Chiappino puts himself forward as spokesman, and declares he is in favour of a republic. “And you the administrator thereof?” asks the Legate. After a little fencing, Chiappino agrees to this; and so the crowd is waiting to see him invested with the provostship. He is to marry Luitolfo’s love and succeed to his property. Luitolfo will not believe all this till he sees Eulalia and his quondam friend. Chiappino enters with Eulalia, making excuses for his volte-face both in politics and love, and shows that he falls completely into the trap the clever and satirical ecclesiastic has set for the pretended patriot. After much cutting sarcasm at Chiappino’s expense on the part of the brilliant legate, who evidently knows his man to the marrow, the waiting populace are informed that the provostship will be conferred on Chiappino as soon as the name of the person who attempted to kill the late Provost is given up. Luitolfo comes from his place in the crowd to own and justify his act, much to the confusion of the man who has claimed all the credit of the deed. The Legate orders Luitolfo to his house, and recommends the patriot to rusticate himself awhile. Then, demanding the keys of the Provost’s palace, and advising profitable meditation to the people, he leaves them chuckling that he has known four-and-twenty leaders of revolts. The character of the ecclesiastic Ogniben is one of the finest inventions of Mr. Browning.
Notes.—Act I. Scudi: dollars. Act II.: Brutus the Elder: who conspired with Cassius against Julius Cæsar. “Dico vobis!” I tell you! “St. Nepomucene of Prague” == St. John Nepomucen of Prague (1383), martyr. He was an anchorite and an apostle. The Emperor Wenceslaus had him put to death because he refused to betray what the Empress had told him under the seal of confession. Ravenna: a very celebrated and very ancient city of North-east Italy. Its great historical importance began early in the fifth century, when Honorius transferred his court thither. From 402 to 476 A.D. Ravenna was the chief residence of the Roman emperors. It was subject to papal rulers in the period of this story. “Cur fremuere gentes?” (Psalm ii. 1): “Why do the heathen so furiously rage together?” Pontificial Legate: an ambassador sent by the Pope to the court of a foreign prince or state. “Western Lands”: The allusion is to the discovery of America and the treasures and curiosities brought by Columbus to Spain.
Speculative. (Asolando, 1889.) Could the inspirations and pure delights of the past return, and remain with some great souls who have learned the divine alchemy of turning to gold the pains and pleasures of earth’s old life, it would be for them all that lower minds seek in a new life in what they call heaven; the real heaven being a state, and not a place. Love has inspired the poem.
Spiritualism. Browning’s opinions on this subject are to be found in his poem Mr. Sludge the Medium.
Spring Song. The poem commencing
“Dance, yellows and whites and reds!”
was published under the title of “Spring Song” in the New Amphion, 1886. In 1887 it was published at the end of Gerard de Lairesse in the “Parleyings” volume.