Matthew Arnold's Sohrab and Rustum and Other Poems Part 30

=29. Goethe= (1749-1832). The greatest name in German literature.

His works include poetry, dramas, and criticisms. =Wordsworth= (1770-1850). See the poem, _Memorial Verses_, of this volume.

=35. Mozart= (1766-1791), =Beethoven= (1770-1827), =Mendelssohn= (1809-1847). Noted musicians and composers.

=42. south.= Warm.

=43-48.= Cyclops Polyphemus, famous in the story of Ulysses, was a persistent and jealous suitor of Galatea, the fairest of sea divinities. So ardent was he in his wooings, that he would leave his flocks to wander at will, while he sang his uncouth lays from the hilltops to Galatea in the bay below. Her only answers were words of scorn and mockery. See Andrew Lang's translation of Theocritus, Idyl VI, for further account.

=70-76. Abbey towers.= That is, Westminster Abbey, a mile's distance to the south and east of Hyde Park. The abbey is built in the form of a cross, the body or lower part of which is termed the nave (l. 73).

The upper portion is occupied by the choir, the anthems of which, with their organ accompaniments, are alluded to in ll. 74-77.

=89-106. Miserere Domine!= _Lord, have mercy!_ These words are from the service of the Church of England. The meaning in these lines is that Beethoven, in his masterpieces, has transferred the thoughts and feelings, above inadequately expressed in words, into another and more emotional tongue; that is, music.

=107. Ride.= A famous driveway in Hyde Park, commonly called Rotten Row.

=119. vacant.= Thoughtless; not occupied with study or reflection.

"For oft, when on my couch I lie In _vacant_ or in pensive mood."

--WORDSWORTH'S _Lines to the Daffodils_, ll. 19-20.

=124. hies.= Hastens (poetical).

[193]

=130. painter and musician too!= Arnold held poetry to be equal to painting and music combined.

=140. movement.= Activities. Explained in the following lines.

=163-210.= Note carefully the argument used to prove that poetry interprets life more accurately and effectively than any of the other arts. =Homer=, the most renowned of all Greek poets. The time in which he lived is not definitely known. =Shakespeare= (1504-1616).

Give the setting of the story. What was the topic of conversation?

What stand did the poet's friend take regarding poetry? Why turn to Greece in considering the arts? What limitations of the painter's art are pointed out by the poet? What is his att.i.tude toward music?

What finally is "the poet's sphere," l. 127? Wherein then is poetry superior to the other arts? Does the author prove his point by his poem? Discuss the poem as to movement, diction, etc.

QUIET WORK

No poet, not even Wordsworth, was more pa.s.sionately fond of nature than Arnold. Note his att.i.tude in the poem.

=1. One lesson.= What lesson?

=4.= Discuss the use of the adjective "loud"; also "noisier," l. 7.

Note the essential elements of sonnet structure in metre, rhyme formula, and number of lines. See the introduction to Sharp's _Sonnets of this Century_.

SHAKESPEARE

Despite this tribute, Arnold considered Homer Shakespeare's equal, if not his superior. What do Shakespeare's smile and silence imply on his part? Explain in full the figure used. Do you consider it apt? Why "Better so," l. 10? What is there in the poem that helps you to see wherein lay Shakespeare's power to interpret life? Select the lines which most impress you, and tell why. [194]

YOUTH'S AGITATIONS

This sonnet was written in 1852, when the poet was in his thirtieth year.

=5. joy.= Be glad. =heats.= Pa.s.sions.

=6. even clime.= That is, in the less emotional years of maturity.

=12. hurrying fever.= See note, l. 6.

AUSTERITY OF POETRY

=1. That son of Italy.= Giacopone di Todi.

=2. Dante= (1265-1321). Best known as the author of _The Divine Comedy_.

=3. In his light youth.= Explain.

=11. sackcloth.= Symbolic of mourning or mortification of the flesh.

Tell the story of the poem and make the application. Explain Arnold's idea of poetry as set forth in ll. 12-14.

WORLDLY PLACE

=3. Marcus Aurelius= (121-180 A.D.), commonly called "the philosopher."

A celebrated Roman emperor, prominent among the ethical teachers of his time. Arnold himself has been aptly styled by Sharp an "impa.s.sioned Marcus Aurelius, wrought by poetic vision and emotion to poetic music." [195]

=6. foolish.= In the sense of unreasonable. =ken.= The Scotch word meaning sight.

=7. rates.= Berates, reproves.

Give the poem's theme. What is implied by the word "even," l. 1? Does the author agree with the implication? Why so? Discuss l. 5 as to its meaning. Interpret the expressions "ill-school'd spirit," l. 11, and "Some n.o.bler, ampler stage of life," l. 12. Where finally are the aids to a n.o.bler life to be found? Do you agree with this philosophy of life?