. cation; and so far is a clearness of imagery from being absolutely necessary to an influence upon the passions, that they may be considerably operated upon without presenting any image at all, by certain sounds adapted to that purpose." If by image is meant only what the eye can see, Burke is undoubtedly right. But this is obviously not our restricted meaning of the word when we speak of poetic imagery; and Burke's error becomes apparent when he proceeds to show that there "are reasons in nature why an obscure idea, when properly conveyed, should be more affecting than the clear." He does not seem to have considered that the idea of an indefinite object can only be properly conveyed by indefinite images; any image of Eternity or Death that pretended to visual distinctness would be false. Having overlooked this, he says, "We do not anywhere meet a more sublime description than this justly celebrated one of Milton, wherein he gives the portrait of Satan with a dignity so suitable to the subject. . . . Here is a very noble picture," adds Burke," and in what does this poetical picture consist? In images of a tower, an archangel, the sun rising through mists, or an eclipse, the ruin of monarchs, and the revolution of kingdoms." Instead of recognising the imagery here as the source of the power, he says, "The mind is hurried out of itself [rather a strange result!] by a crowd of great and confused images; which affect because they are crowded and confused. For, separate them, and you lose much of the greatness; and join them, and you infallibly lose the clearness." This is altogether a mistake. The images are vivid enough to make us feel the hovering presence of an awe-inspiring figure having the height and firmness of a tower, and the dusky splendour of a ruined archangel. The poet indicates only that amount of concreteness which is necessary for the clearness of the picture, - only the height and firmness of the tower and the brightness of the sun in eclipse. More concreteness would disturb the clearness by calling attention to irrelevant details. To suppose that these images produce the effect because they are crowded and confused (they are crowded and not confused) is to imply that any other images would do equally well, if they were equally crowded. Separate them, and you lose much of the greatness." Quite true; the image of the tower would want the splendor of the sun. But this much may be said of all descriptions which proceed upon details. And so far from the impressive clearness of the picture vanishing in the crowd of images, it is by 66 these images that the clearness is produced; the details make it impressive, and affect our imagination.' 589-602. He faded cheek. Memorize. 589-620. 'Where, in poetry or painting, shall we find anything that approaches the sublimity of that description?' - LANDOR. 590. Eminent. Etymological meaning? 591. Stood like a tower. Probably from Dante, Purg. 5 : 14, 'Sta come torre ferma,' who may have had in mind Statius or Seneca. Cf., however, 2 Sam. 22: 3; Ps. 18: 2; 144: 2; Jer. 6 : 27. 591-593. Matthew Arnold, On Translating Homer, says: 'I may discuss what, in the abstract, constitutes the grand style; but that sort of general discussion never much helps our judgment of particular instances. I may say that the presence or absence of the grand style can only be spiritually discerned; and this is true, but to plead this looks like evading the difficulty. My best way is to take eminent specimens of the grand style. . . . For example, when Homer says: ἀλλά, φίλος, θάνε καὶ σὺ τίη ὀλυφύρεαι οὕτως ; (Be content, good friend, die also thou! why lamentest thou thyself on this wise? Patroclus, too, died, who was a far better than thou.) — Iliad 21: 106-107. that is in the grand style. When Virgil says: Disce, puer, virtutem ex me verumque laborem, (From me, young man, learn nobleness of soul and true effort: learn success from others.)- Eneid 12: 435-436. that is in the grand style. When Dante says: Lascio lo fele, et vo pei dolci pomi Promessi a me per lo verace Duca; Ma fino al centro pria convien ch' io tomi, (I leave the gall of bitterness, and I go for the apples of sweetness promised unto me by my faithful Guide; but far as the centre it behoves me first to fall.)-Inferno 16: 61-63. that is in the grand style. When Milton says: His form had yet not lost All her original brightness, nor appeared Less than Archangel ruined, and the excess Of glory obscured, that, finally, is in the grand style.' -P. L. 1: 591-593. 592. Her. Cf. Ps. 137: 5. What is the gender of Lat. forma? 594. Sun. Cf. Rich. II. III. iii. 62-67. 597. Disastrous. There is a latent astrological sense in this word, as in disaster, Haml. I. i. 118. Explain. See Trench, Study of Words, Lect. IV. Were eclipses formerly regarded as portentous? 598-599 With fear, etc. 'It is said that this noble poem was in danger of being suppressed by the licenser on account of this simile.' - NEWTON. 599-602. See note on vv. 108-109. 601. Intrenched. So Shakespeare, A. W. II. i. 45. 603. Considerate. Cf. Rich. III. IV. ii. 30. 604. Revenge. Cf. v. 107. 605. Remorse and passion. Define. Is this perhaps an instance of hendiadys, as in Virgil, Georg. 2: 192? 609. Amerced. Deprived. The word carries with it the suggestion of a penalty or fine. Cf. Rom. and Jul. III. i. 195. 611. How. Follows behold, v. 605. 612. Heaven's fire. Old English has heofonfÿr for lightning; see my First Book in Old English, Selection VIII. 613. Scathed. Define. 614. Growth. Cf. Comus 270; P. L. 4: 629. 615. Blasted heath. From Macb. I. iii. 77. 616. Bend. So in P. L. 4: 978-980. 619. Thrice. Imitated from Ovid, Met. 11: 419-421: 'Three times attempting to speak, three times she moistens her face with tears, and sobs interrupting her affectionate complaints, she says.' Cf. Spenser, F. Q. I. ii. 41. 7-8. 620. What an admirable pause [after forth]!'- LANDOR. 624. Not inglorious. So Ovid, Met. 9: 5-6: 'Nor was it so disgraceful to be overcome, as it is glorious to have engaged.' Event. Issue, result. Cf. v. 134. 625. Does not the repetition of dire look like an inadvertence? 627. Foreseeing or presaging. How are these two verbs to be discriminated? 629. How. How is sometimes used at the beginning of object clauses, in the sense of that, with an added connotation of manner. Cf. vv. 217, 611, 695, 740. United force. Cf. v. 560. 632. Puissant. Define. 633. Emptied Heaven. Cf. Rev. 12: 4; P. L. 2: 692; 5: 710; 6156. Gregory the Great makes the number of fallen angels onehalf of the whole. In the Pseudo-Cadmon the number is not made specific. The phrase here is rhetorical exaggeration. 634. Self-raised. Cf. P. L. 2: 75-81. Do not neglect the explanation given by Dante, Par. 1: 82-142. 636. Host of Heaven. Cf. P. R. 1: 416; 1 Kings 22:19. For another sense see Deut. 4: 19; 2 Kings 17: 16. 642. 'But tempted our attempt. Such a play on words would be unbecoming in the poet's own person, and even on the lightest subject, but is most injudicious and intolerable in the mouth of Satan, about to assail the Almighty.' - LANDOR. Cicero has statuam statuerunt, cursus cucurrerunt, and similar phrases. Addison (p. 40 of my edition) allows that 'some of the greatest ancients have been guilty' of this kind of speech, but calls it 'poor and trifling.' 645. Provoked. When once it has been provoked. A use of the participle common in Greek and Latin. 650. Space. Why not God? 651. Fame. Rumor, report. So in Latin. 656. Eruption. See P. L. 8: 235. 660-662. Despaired. Like Latin desperatus. So think (cf. P. L. 9: 830). 662. Understood. Cf. P. L. 1: 121; 2: 187. How has Satan brought them to this resolve? What objections would they have made at first? 664. Millions of flaming swords. So Fairfax's Tasso, 5: 28: With that a thousand blades of burnished steel Glistered on heaps like flames of fire in sight. This may have been suggested by Silius Italicus 1 : 500. 664. Thighs. A Homeric expression; thus Il. 1 : 194. 666-668. Highly war. Onomatopoetic. Highly Highest. Another etymological paronomasia, as in v. 642. 668. Milton may have had in mind Ammianus Marcellinus (XXV. iii. 10), speaking, under date of A.D. 363, of Julian the Apostate: When he was brought back to his tent, the soldiers flew to avenge him, agitated with anger and sorrow; and, striking their spears against their shields, determined to die if Fate so ordered it.' According to the same author (XV. viii. 15), applause was indicated by the rattling of shields against the knees, while striking the shield with the spear was a token of anger and indignation. This was with reference to the applause following Constantius' speech to Julian, on giving him the title of Cæsar, A.D. 355. Bentley, therefore, would seem to have been in error, when, in his comment on the Miltonic line, he said: "The known custom of the Roman soldiers, when they applauded a speech of their general, was to smite their shields with their swords.' If he has in mind Scipio Africanus' address (B.C. 207) to the mutineers in Spain (Liv. 28: 29), at which the loyal troops clashed their swords upon their shields, this is expressly stated to have been for the purpose of inspiring terror in the others. Otherwise the custom of applauding by the rattling of weapons was Celtic (Cæsar, B. G. VII. xxi. 1.) or Germanic (Tacitus, Germ. 11; Hist. V. xvii. 4). 670. Grisly. Cf. P. L. 2: 704; 4: 821; P. R. 4: 430. Define. 671. Belched. Like Lat. eructare, as in En. 3: 576. 672-673. Landor remarks: 'It was hardly worth his while to display in this place his knowledge of mineralogy, or his recollection that Virgil, in the wooden horse before Troy, had said, Uterumque armato milite complent ; and that some modern poets had followed him.' But cf. Haml. I. i. 136-137: · Or if thou hast uphoarded in thy life 674. Cf. Jonson, Alchemist, Act 2, Sc. 1: It turns to sulphur, or to quicksilver, Who are the parents of all other metals. Special appropriateness of sulphur here? Winged with speed. For this and similar collocations of winged and speed, see P. L. 2: 700; 4: 788; 5:744. So 'winged haste,' Shakespeare, 1 Hen. IV. IV. iv. 2. |
