[21.] Strange unloved uproar. At the time this poem was [p.178] written,—1849,—the French army was besieging Rome.
[23.] Helicon. A high mountain in Boeotia, the legendary home of the Muses.
[32.] Erst. See note, l. [42], The Scholar-Gipsy.
[48.] Destiny. That is, Fate, the goddess of human destiny.
In what mood is the author at the opening of the poem? How does he seek consolation? How does the calm of the Muses affect him? Can you see how he might find help in dwelling on the pictures of the blind beggar and happy lovers? What is the final thought of the poem? Can you think of any other poem that has this as its central thought? What do you think of the author's philosophy of life as set forth in this poem? Discuss the verse form used.
[LINES]
[WRITTEN IN KENSINGTON GARDENS]°
The Kensington Gardens form one of the many beautiful public parks of London. They are located in the Kensington parish, a western suburb of the city, lying north of the Thames and four miles west-southwest of St. Paul's. In his poem Arnold contrasts the serenity of nature with the restlessness of modern life. "Not Lucan, not Vergil, only Wordsworth, has more beautifully expressed the spirit of Pantheism."—HERBERT W. PAUL.
[4.] The pine trees here mentioned are since dead.
[14.] What endless active life! Compare with Arnold's sonnet of this volume, entitled Quiet Work, ll. 4-7 and 11-12.