to mean the dog-star Sirius. But it may mean, and I think it does, the day-star, the sun. See v. 168; diurnal star.'-P. L., x. 1069; swart: used causatively; sparely looks: i.e. by reason of the shades. 139. quaint enamelled eyes: flowers of curious structure and of variegated glossy colors (?); the words are more enjoyable than distinctly intelligible; in the ‘P. L.,' ix. 529, it is said of the serpent: 'oft he bowed His turret crest, and sleek enamelled neck, fawning.' Here 'enamelled' appears to mean variegated and glossy; so in Arcades: 'O'er the smooth enamelled green.' 141. purple: an imperative, to be construed with 'throw.' 142. rathe early, soon; the old positive form of 'rather,' sooner. Tennyson uses the word in his ' In Memoriam,' c. ix. 2, 'The men of rathe and riper years'; and in 'Lancelot and Elaine,' 339, 'Till rathe she rose,' etc.; that forsaken dies: forsaken by the sun. 153. with false surmise: i.e. that we have the body of Lycidas with us. 158. monstrous world: the world of sea-monsters. 159. moist: tearful. 160. the fable of Bellerus old: i.e. the scene of the fable. 161-163. Where the great Vision: see Introductory Remarks. 164. O ye dolphins: an allusion to the story of Arion. 166. your sorrow: used objectively, he who is the object of your sorrow. Our love, our hope, our sorrow, is not dead.' — Shelley's Adonais. 167. watery floor: what is called the level brine, v. 98; 'the shining levels of the lake.' — Tennyson's Morte d'Arthur, suggested, no doubt, by the classical æquora. 169–171. repairs his drooping head: Milton, in these lines, compares great things with small (parvis componit magna); if they are 'considered curiously,' the sun makes his toilet on rising from his ocean bed! 172. sunk . . . mounted: any one reading this verse for the first time would be likely to get the impression that these words are participles; this would not be the case if 'sunk' were 'sank,' originally the distinctive singular form of the preterite, 'sunk' being plural; AS. sanc, suncon. 173. Him that walked the waves: a beautiful designation of the Saviour, in accord with the occasion of the poem; and so St. Peter is designated as 'the Pilot of the Galilean Lake.' 174. along beside. 176. unexpressive: inexpressible. 184. thy large recompense: 'thy' is the personal, not the possessive adjective pronoun, being used objectively, — the large recompense thou hast received, in which is included thy becoming the genius of the shore; good: kind, propitious; 'sent by some spirit to mortals good.'- Il Pens., 154. 185. in that perilous flood: 'in' is more poetic than 'on' or 'o'er' would be; that perilous flood' is spoken of as a domain in which is included the atmosphere with its winds and storms; so, to wander in the desert. 186. uncouth: used, it is most likely, in its original sense of 'unknown,' Milton so regarding himself, as a poet; there may be involved the idea (supported by the opening lines of the Elegy) of wanting in poetic skill and grace. 188. tender stops: poetic transference of epithet, 'tender' being logically applicable to the music; various quills: used, by metonymy, for the varied moods, strains, metres, and other features of the Elegy; eager thought: perhaps meant to signify as much as sharp grief; Doric: equivalent to pastoral, the great Greek bucolic poets having written in the Doric dialect. 190, 191. had . . . was: note the distinctive use of these auxiliaries, the former being used with a participle of a transitive verb, and the latter, with that of an intransitive; all the hills: i.e. their shadows. 6 192. twitched: Keightley explains, 'pulled, drew tightly about him on account of the chilliness of the evening.' Jerram explains, snatched up from where it lay beside him.' Samson Agonistes P. 187. Aristotle: Greek philosopher, B.C. 384-322; the reference is to 'The Poetics,' (Iepì woiŋtikĤs), the greater part of which is devoted to the theory of tragedy. P. 187. a verse of Euripides: φθείρουσιν ἤθη χρήσθ ̓ ὁμιλίαι κακαί, ' evil communications corrupt good manners'; found in the fragments of both Euripides and Menander. P. 187. Pareus: David Pareus, a German Calvinist theologian and biblical commentator, 1548-1622. P. 187. Dionysius the elder: known as 'the tyrant of Syracuse,' B.C. 431-367; repeatedly contended for the prize of tragedy at Athens. U P. 187. Seneca (Lucius Annæus): Roman Stoic philosopher, B.C. 3?-65 A.D. P. 187. Gregory Nazianzen: saint; a Greek father of the Church, Bishop of Constantinople, about 328-389. P. 188. Martial: M. Valerius Martialis, Latin epigrammatic poet, 43-104 A.D. or later. P. 188. apolelymenon: a Greek word, ảπoλeλvμévov, “loosed from," i.e. from the fetters of strophe, antistrophe, or epode; monostrophic (μovboтpopos) meaning literally "single stanzaed," i.e. a strophe without answering antistrophe. So alloeostrophic (ảλλobστpopos) signifies stanzas of irregular strophes, strophes not consisting of alternate strophe and antistrophe.' -John Churton Collins. P. 188. beyond the fifth act: Neve minor, neu sit quinto productior actu Fabula.' - Horace, Ars Poetica, 189. P. 191. Agonistes: one who contends as an athlete. The term is peculiarly appropriate to Samson, for he is the hero of the drama . . . and the catastrophe results from the exhibition of his strength in the public games of the Philistines.'-J. Churton Collins. 12. With this line Samson's soliloquy begins, the attendant having withdrawn. 13. Dagon: god of the Philistines; represented in the 'Paradise Lost' (i. 462, 463) as a 'sea-monster, upward man, and downward fish.' See I Sam. v. 1-9. 16. popular: of the people. 19-21. Restless thoughts, that rush thronging upon me found alone. 24. Twice by an Angel: see Judges xiii. 27. charioting, etc.: withdrawing as in a chariot his godlike presence. 28. and from: and (as) from. 31. separate: separated, set apart; 'the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.' - Acts xiii. 2. 35. under task: under a prescribed task. 41. Eyeless, in Gaza, etc.: Thomas De Quincey, in his paper entitled 'Milton vs. Southey and Landor,' remarks: Mr. Landor makes one correction by a simple improvement in the punctuation, which has a very fine effect... Samson says, ... Ask for this great deliverer now, and find him Thus it is usually printed, that is, without a comma in the latter line; but, says Landor, 'there ought to be commas after eyeless, after Gaza, after mill! And why? because thus, the grief of Samson is aggravated at every member of the sentence.' He (like Milton) was 1, blind; 2, in a city of triumphant enemies; 3, working for daily bread; 4, herding with slaves-Samson literally, and Milton with those whom politically he regarded as such.' 45. but through: except for, had it not been for. 55. Proudly secure: 'secure' is subjective, free from care or fear; 'Security is mortals' chiefest enemy.' — Macbeth, III. v. 32. 56. By weakest subtleties: by those most weak but crafty creatures (women), who are not made to rule, but to serve as subordinates to the rule of wisdom, the prerogative of man. This was, unfortunately, too much Milton's own opinion of women. 58. withal: at the same time. 62. above my reach: above the reach of my capacity to know. 63. Suffices it is sufficient (to know). 67. O loss of sight: Milton here speaks virtually in propria persona. 70. Light the prime work of God. - Gen. i. 3; offspring of Heaven 75, 76. exposed to daily fraud: Milton here, no doubt, drew from his own experiences as a father. 77. still: ever, always. 82. all any; 'without all doubt.'- Henry VIII., IV. i. 113; 'without all remedy.' - Macbeth, III. ii. 11. 87. silent: invisible; the epithet which pertains to one sense, that of hearing, is transferred to another, that of sight. Lat. luna silens. 89. Hid in her vacant interlunar cave: the moon is poetically represented as hid in a cave, and giving no light (vacant), between her disappearance and return, in the sky. 91, 92. if it be true that light is in the soul: the soul proceeding from God, and partaking of the Bright effluence of bright essence increate.' - P. L., iii. 6. 93. She (the soul) all in every part (of the body). 95. obvious: literally, in the way of (Lat. obvius), and so, exposed; 'Not obvious, not obtrusive, but retired.'. - P. L., viii. 504. 106. obnoxious: subject, liable. III. steering: directing their course; 'With radiant feet the tissued 118. at random: anyway or anyhow; carelessly diffused: passively 'His limbs did rest - Shelley's Alastor. Spenser uses two phrases of similar import; 'Pour'd out in loosnesse on 'Publica me requies curarum somnus habebat, Fusaque erant toto languida membra toro.' 122. weeds: garments, clothes. - - Ovid, Ex Ponto, III. iii. 7, 8. 128. Who tore the lion: see Judges xiv. 5, 6. 132. hammered cuirass: the cuirass was originally of leather; here 133. Chalybean-tempered steel: having the temper of steel wrought 134. Adamantean proof: having the strength of adamant. 136. insupportably: irresistibly. 139. his lion ramp: his leap or spring as of a lion. In the descrip- 'now half appeared The tawny lion, pawing to get free His hinder parts, then springs, as broke from bonds, And rampant shakes his brinded mane.' 144. foreskins: uncircumcised Philistines. 147. Azza: Gaza. Deut. ii. 23. See Judges xvi. 3. The form Azzah is used 148. Hebron, seat of giants old: for Hebron was the city of Arba, |