Transcriber's Note: The Table of Contents was added by the transcriber.

FUGITIVE PIECES

BY

GEORGE GORDON NOËL BYRON

Reproduced from the First Edition

WITH A BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

BY

MARCEL KESSEL

PUBLISHED FOR

THE FACSIMILE TEXT SOCIETY

BY

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS

NEW YORK: MCMXXXIII

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Bibliographical Note [i]

ON LEAVING N--ST--D. [1]

TO E----. [3]

ON THE DEATH OF A YOUNG LADY, COUSIN TO THE AUTHOR AND VERY DEAR TO HIM. [4]

TO D. ---- [5]

TO ---- [6]

TO CAROLINE. [7]

TO MARIA ---- [10]

FRAGMENTS OF SCHOOL EXERCISES, FROM THE PROMETHEUS VINCTUS OF ÆSCHYLUS. [11]

LINES in "LETTERS OF AN ITALIAN NUN AND AN ENGLISH GENTLEMAN," by J.J. ROUSSEAU, founded on facts. [12]

ON A CHANGE OF MASTERS, AT A GREAT PUBLIC SCHOOL. [14]

EPITAPH ON A BELOVED FRIEND. [15]

ADRIAN'S ADDRESS TO HIS SOUL, WHEN DYING. [16]

TO MARY. [17]

"When to their airy hall,..." [19]

TO ---- [20]

"When I hear you express an affection so warm,..." [21]

ON A DISTANT VIEW OF THE VILLAGE AND SCHOOL OF HARROW ON THE HILL. 1806. [23]

THOUGHTS SUGGESTED BY A COLLEGE EXAMINATION. [25]

TO MARY, ON RECEIVING HER PICTURE. [28]

ON THE DEATH OF Mr. FOX, THE FOLLOWING ILLIBERAL IMPROMPTU APPEARED IN THE MORNING POST. [30]

TO A LADY, WHO PRESENTED THE AUTHOR A LOCK OF HAIR, BRAIDED WITH HIS OWN, AND APPOINTED A NIGHT IN DECEMBER, TO MEET HIM IN THE GARDEN. [31]

TO A BEAUTIFUL QUAKER. [33]

TO JULIA! [36]

TO WOMAN. [38]

AN OCCASIONAL PROLOGUE DELIVERED BY THE AUTHOR, PREVIOUS TO THE PERFORMANCE OF THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE, AT A PRIVATE THEATRE. [39]

TO MISS E.P. [41]

The TEAR. [43]

REPLY TO SOME VERSES OF J.M.B. PIGOT, Esq. ON THE CRUELTY OF HIS MISTRESS. [46]

GRANTA, A MEDLEY. [49]

TO THE SIGHING STREPHON. [54]

THE CORNELIAN. [57]

TO A. ---- [59]

AS THE AUTHOR WAS DISCHARGING HIS PISTOLS IN A GARDEN,... [61]

TRANSLATION FROM CATULLUS. AD LESBIAM. [63]

TRANSLATION OF THE EPITAPH ON VIRGIL AND TIBULLUS, by DOMITIUS MARSUS. [64]

IMITATION OF TIBULLUS "SULPICIA AD CERINTUM." LIB. QUART. [64]

TRANSLATION FROM CATULLUS. LUCTUS DE NORTE PASSERIS. [65]

IMITATED FROM CATULLUS. TO ANNA. [66]

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Fugitive Pieces, Byron's first volume of verse, was privately printed in the autumn of 1806, when Byron was eighteen years of age. Passages in Byron's correspondence indicate that as early as August of that year some of the poems were in the printers' hands and that during the latter part of August and during September the printing was suspended in order that Byron might give his poems an "entire new form." The new form consisted, in part, in an enlargement; for he wrote to Elizabeth Pigot about September that he had nearly doubled his poems "partly by the discovery of some I conceived to be lost, and partly by some new productions." According to Moore, Fugitive Pieces was ready for distribution in November. The last poem in the volume bears the date of November 16, 1806.

A difficulty in supposing the date of completion of the volume to be about November 16 is that two copies contain inscriptions in Byron's hand with earlier dates. On the copy of the late Mr. J.A. Spoor, of Chicago, the inscription reads: "October 21st Tuesday 1806—Haec poemata ex dono sunt—Georgii Gordon Byron, Vale." That on the copy in the Morgan library reads: "Nov. 8, 1806, H.P.E.D.S.G.G.B., Southwell.—Vale!—Byron," the initials evidently standing for the Latin words of the preceding inscription. The Latin "Vale" in each inscription, however, suggests that it commemorates a leave-taking, the date referring not to the presentation but to the farewell.

It has been suggested that copies of the volume were distributed earlier than November and that some of the poems, printed separately and distributed in fly-leaf form, were added later. This would explain such discrepancies as the early dates of the inscriptions, and the presence of Byron's name on pages 46 and 48 in a volume otherwise anonymous, but there is little evidence to support it.

Moore's account of Fugitive Pieces is that it was distributed in November, Byron presenting the first copy to the Reverend J.T. Becher, prebendary of Southwell minster, who objected to what he considered the too voluptuous coloring of the poem "To Mary." The objection led Byron to suppress the edition immediately, he himself burning nearly every copy. This account is corroborated in part by Miss Pigot and in part by Byron.

Immediately after the destruction, Byron began the preparation of a second volume, to replace Fugitive Pieces. This appeared in January, 1807, as Poems on Various Occasions, Byron describing it as "vastly correct and miraculously chaste." Of the 38 poems that constitute Fugitive Pieces, all except "To Mary," "To Caroline," and the last six stanzas of "To Miss E.P." were reprinted in Poems on Various Occasions. Nineteen of the original 38 poems occur in Byron's third work, Hours of Idleness, published in June or July, 1807. All three editions were printed by S. and J. Ridge, booksellers of Newark, England.

Byron himself never reprinted the poems "To Mary" or "To Caroline," or the last six stanzas of "To Miss E.P." Except in a limited facsimile of Fugitive Pieces, supervised by H. Buxton Forman in 1886, "To Mary" has never been reprinted—not even in supposedly complete editions of Byron's works.

Only four copies of Fugitive Pieces are known to-day, and one of these is incomplete. The copy from which the present facsimile is made was originally given by Byron to Becher and preserved by him in spite of his objections to the poem "To Mary." From Becher's family it passed into the possession of Mr. Faulkner, of Louth, solicitor for the Becher family. In 1885 it was in the possession of H.W. Ball, antiquary and bookseller of Barton-on-Humber, who sold it to H. Buxton Forman. Forman used it for his facsimile, but incorporated certain manuscript corrections of the original, so that his facsimile is not exact. The original is now owned by Mr. Thomas J. Wise, who has kindly permitted its use for the present facsimile.

Of the other three copies, the incomplete one, lacking pages 17-20 ("To Mary") and all after page 58, is in the possession of the family of the late Mr. H.C. Roe, of Nottingham. This was originally sent by Byron to Pigot, then studying medicine in Edinburgh. Byron later asked Pigot to destroy the copy and Pigot seems to have complied so far as to tear out the offending verses "To Mary." For many years it was thought that only the Pigot and Becher copies had escaped destruction at Byron's hands. But another complete copy came to light in 1907 and is now in the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York. This contains numerous manuscript corrections and alterations, and seems to have been used as a proof copy for Poems on Various Occasions (not, as has sometimes been stated, for Hours of Idleness). A fourth copy, also complete, was offered at public sale in 1912, and is now in the hands of the executors of the late Mr. J.A. Spoor, of Chicago.

The present facsimile is an exact photographic reproduction of the text with all typographical and other errors as in the original, except that certain manuscript corrections which appear in the original perforce appear in the photographic reproduction, as follows:

The text has been collated with that in the Morgan library, and except for later corrections made in ink in the Morgan copy, the only differences noted are as follows:

1.) On p. 5, in the first line of the footnote, the Morgan copy reads "piece" where the Wise copy reads "p˙ece," the "ı" lacking.

2.) The two pages of signature M are incorrectly numbered in the Wise copy as "41, 41," this copy having no page numbered 42; and are incorrectly numbered in the Morgan copy as "40, 42," the latter copy having no page numbered 41. The text of these pages is identical.

M.K.

FUGITIVE PIECES.

TO

THOSE FRIENDS,

AT

WHOSE REQUEST THEY WERE PRINTED,

FOR WHOSE

AMUSEMENT OR APPROBATION

THEY ARE

SOLELY INTENDED;

These TRIFLES are respectfully dedicated,

BY THE

AUTHOR.

As these POEMS are never intended to meet the public eye, no apology is necessary for the form in which they now appear. They are printed merely for the perusal of a few friends to whom they are dedicated; who will look upon them with indulgence; and as most of them were, composed between the age of 15 and 17, their defects will be pardoned or forgotten, in the youth and inexperience of the WRITER.

FUGITIVE PIECES.

ON LEAVING N—ST—D.

Through the cracks in these battlements loud the winds whistle,

For the hall of my fathers is gone to decay;

And in yon once gay garden the hemlock and thistle

Have choak'd up the rose, which late bloom'd in the way.

Of the barons of old, who once proudly to battle

Led their vassals from Europe to Palestine's plain;

The escutcheon and shield, which with ev'ry blast rattle,

Are the only sad vestiges now that remain.

No more does old Robert, with harp-stringing numbers,

Raise a flame in the breast, for the war laurell'd wreath,

Near Askalon's Towers John of Horiston[¹] slumbers,

Unnerv'd is the hand of his minstrel by death.

Paul and Hubert too sleep in the valley of Cressy,

For the safety of Edward and ENGLAND they fell,

My fathers! the tears of your country redress ye,

How you fought! how you died! still her annals can tell.

On [²]Marston with Rupert[³] 'gainst traitors contending,

Four Brothers enrich'd with their blood the bleak field

For Charles the Martyr their country defending,

Till death their attachment to royalty scal'd.

Shades of heroes farewell! your descendant departing,

From the seat of his ancestors, bids ye adieu!

Abroad, or at home, your remembrance imparting

New courage, he'll think upon glory, and you.

Though a tear dims his eye at this sad separation,

'Tis nature, not fear, which commands his regret;

Far distant he goes with the same emulation,

In the grave, he alone can his fathers forget.

Your fame, and your memory, still will he cherish,

He vows that he ne'er will disgrace your renown;

Like you will he live, or like you will he perish,

When decay'd, may he mingle his dust with your own.

1803.

Footnote 1: [(return)]

Horiston Castle, in Derbyshire, an ancient seat of the B—r—n family.

Footnote 2: [(return)]

The battle of Marston Moor, where the adherents of CHARLES I. were defeated.

Footnote 3: [(return)]

Son of the Elector Palatine, and related to CHARLES I. He afterwards commanded the Fleet, in the Reign of CHARLES II.

TO E——.

Let Folly smile, to view the names

Of thee and me in friendship twin'd,

Yet virtue will have greater claims

To love, than rank with vice combin'd.

And though unequal is thy fate,

Since title deck'd my higher birth;

Yet envy not this gaudy state,

Thine is the pride of modest worth.

Our souls at least congenial meet,

Nor can thy lot my rank disgrace;

Our intercourse is not less sweet,

Since worth of rank supplies the place.

November, 1802.

ON THE DEATH OF A YOUNG LADY, COUSIN TO THE AUTHOR AND VERY DEAR TO HIM.

Hush'd are the winds, and still the evening gloom,

Not e'en a zephyr wanders through the grove,

Whilst I return to view my Margaret's tomb,

And scatter flowers on the dust I love.

2.

Within this narrow cell reclines her clay,

That clay where once such animation beam'd;

The king of terrors seiz'd her as his prey,

Not worth, nor beauty, have her life redeem'd.

3.

Oh! could that king of terrors pity feel,

Or Heaven reverse the dread decree of fate,

Not here the mourner would his grief reveal,

Not here the muse her virtues would relate.

4.

But wherefore weep! her matchless spirit soars,

Beyond where aplendid shines the orb of day.

And weeping angels lead her to those bowers,

Where endless pleasures virtuous deeds repay.

5.

And shall presumptuous mortals Heaven arraign!

And madly God-like Providence accuse!

Ah! no far fly from me attempts so vain,

I'll ne'er submission to my God refuse.

6.

Yet is remembrance of those virtues dear,

Yet fresh the memory of that beauteous face;

Still they call forth my warm affection's tear.

Such sorrow brings me honour, not disgrace.[⁴]

1802.

Footnote 4: [(return)]

The Author claims the indulgence of the reader, more for this piece, than, perhaps, any other in the collection; but as it was written at an earlier period than the rest, (being composed at the age of 14) and his first Essay, be preferred submitting it to the indulgence of his friends in its present state, to making either addition or alteration.

TO D. ——

In thee, I fondly hop'd to clasp,

A friend whom death alone could sever,

But envy with malignant grasp,

Has torn thee from my breast for ever.

2.

True, she has forc'd thee from my breast,

But in my heart thou keep'st thy seat;

There, there, thine image still must rest,

Until that heart shall cease to beat.

3.

And when the grave restores her dead,

When life again to dust is given,

On thy dear breast I'll lay my head,

Without thee! where would be my Heaven?

February, 1803.

TO ——

Think'st thou I saw thy beauteous eyes,

Suffus'd in tears implore to stay;

And heard unmov'd, thy plenteous sighs,

Which said far more than words could say.

Though deep the grief, thy tears exprest,

When love, and hope, lay both o'erthrown,

Yet still, my girl, this bleeding breast,

Throbb'd with deep sorrow, as thine own.

But when our cheeks with anguish glow'd,

When thy sweet lips where join'd to mine;

The tears that from my eye-lids flow'd,

Were lost in those which fell from thine.

Thou could'st not feel my burning cheek,

Thy gushing tears had quench'd its flame,

And as thy tongue essay'd to speak,

In sighs alone it breath'd my name.

And yet, my girl, we weep in vain,

In vain our fate in sighs deplore;

Remembrance only can remain,

But that, will make us weep the more.

Again, thou best belov'd, adieu!

Ah! if thou canst o'ercome regret,

Nor let thy mind past joys review,

Our only hope is to forget.

1805.

TO CAROLINE.

You say you love, and yet your eye

No symptom of that love conveys,

You say you love, yet know not why,

Your cheek no sign of love betrays.

2.

Ah! did that breast with ardour glow,

With me alone it joy could know,

Or feel with me the listless woe,

Which racks my heart when far from thee.

3.

Whene'er we meet my blushes rise,

And mantle through my purpled cheek,

But yet no blush to mine replies,

Nor e'en your eyes your love bespeak.

4.

Your voice alone declares your flame,

And though so sweet it breaths my name;

Our passions still are not the same,

Alas! you cannot love like me.

5.

For e'en your lip seems steep'd in snow,

And though so oft it meets my kiss,

It burns with no responsive glow,

Nor melts like mine in dewy bliss.

6.

Ah! what are words to love like mine,

Though uttered by a voice like thine,

I still in murmurs must repine,

And think that love can ne'er be true.

7.

Which meets me with no joyous sign,

Without a sigh which bids adieu;

How different is my love from thine,

How keen my grief when leaving you.

8.

Your image fills my anxious breast,

Till day declines adown the West,

And when, at night, I sink to rest,

In dreams your fancied form I view.

9.

'Tis then your breast, no longer cold,

With equal ardour seems to burn,

While close your arms around me fold,

Your lips my kiss with warmth return.

10.

Ah! would these joyous moments last;

Vain HOPE! the gay delusions past,

That voice!—ah! no, 'tis but the blast,

Which echoes through the neighbouring grove.

11.

But when awake, your lips I seek,

And clasp enraptur'd all your charms,

So chill's the pressure of your cheek,

I fold a statue in my arms.

12.

If thus, when to my heart embrac'd,

No pleasure in your eyes is trac'd,

You may be prudent, fair, and chaste,

But ah! my girl, you do not love.

TO MARIA ——

Since now the hour is come at last,

When you must quit your anxious lover,

Since now, our dream of bliss is past,

One pang, my girl, and all is over.

Alas! that pang will be severe,

Which bids us part, to meet no more;

Which tears me far from one so dear,

Departing for a distant shore.

Well! we have pass'd some happy hours,

And joy will mingle with our tears;

When thinking on these ancient towers,

The shelter of our infant years.

Where from this gothic casement's height,

We view'd the lake, the park, the dell,