Milton, Lycidas

	In this Monody the Author bewails a learned Friend, unfortunatly drown’d in his Passage from Chester on the Irish Seas, 1637. And by occasion fortels the ruine of our corrupted Clergy then in their height.
	Yet once more, O ye Laurels, and once more
	Ye Myrtles brown, with Ivy never-sear,	withered
	I com to pluck your Berries harsh and crude,	bitter and unripe
	And with forc’d fingers rude,	rough
5	Shatter your leaves before the mellowing year.	scatter — maturing
	Bitter constraint, and sad occasion dear,
	Compels me to disturb your season due:
	For Lycidas is dead, dead ere his prime,	before
	Young Lycidas, and hath not left his peer:
10	Who would not sing for Lycidas? he knew
	Himself to sing, and build the lofty rhyme.
	He must not flote upon his watry bear	bier (support for a coffin)
	Unwept, and welter to the parching wind,	be tossed about
	Without the meed of som melodious tear.	tribute

15	Begin then, Sisters of the sacred well,
	That from beneath the seat of Jove doth spring,
	Begin, and somwhat loudly sweep the string.
	Hence with denial vain, and coy excuse,	begone
	So may som gentle Muse
20	With lucky words favour my destin’d Urn,
	And as he passes turn,
	And bid fair peace be to my sable shrowd.	black
	For we were nurst upon the self-same hill,
	Fed the same flock, by fountain, shade, and rill.	stream

25	Together both, ere the high Lawns appear’d
	Under the opening eye-lids of the morn,
	We drove a field, and both together heard	moved sheep
	What time the Gray-fly winds her sultry horn,	blows — hot
	Batt’ning our flocks with the fresh dews of night,	feeding
30	Oft till the Star that rose, at Ev’ning, bright
	Toward Heav’ns descent had slop’d his westering wheel.	setting in the west
	Mean while the Rural ditties were not mute,	songs
	Temper’d to th’ Oaten Flute,
	Rough Satyrs danc’d, and Fauns with clov’n heel,	shaggy
35	From the glad sound would not be absent long,
	And old Damœtas lov’d to hear our song.

	But O the heavy change, now thou art gon,
	Now thou art gon, and never must return!
	Thee Shepherd, thee the Woods, and desert Caves,
40	With wilde Thyme and the gadding Vine o’regrown,	wandering
	And all their echoes mourn.
	The Willows, and the Hazle Copses green,	thickets
	Shall now no more be seen,
	Fanning their joyous Leaves to thy soft layes.	songs
45	As killing as the Canker to the Rose,	a plant disease
	Or Taint-worm to the weanling Herds that graze,	a cattle disease — young
	Or Frost to Flowers, that their gay wardrop wear,
	When first the White thorn blows;	blossoms
	Such, Lycidas, thy loss to Shepherds ear.

50	Where were ye Nymphs when the remorseless deep
	Clos’d o’re the head of your lov’d Lycidas?
	For neither were ye playing on the steep,
	Where your old Bards, the famous Druids ly,
	Nor on the shaggy top of Mona high,
55	Nor yet where Deva spreads her wisard stream:	enchanted
	Ay me, I fondly dream!	foolishly
	Had ye bin there — for what could that have don?
	What could the Muse her self that Orpheus bore,
	The Muse her self, for her inchanting son
60	Whom Universal nature did lament,
	When by the rout that made the hideous roar,	rowdy crowd
	His goary visage down the stream was sent,	face
	Down the swift Hebrus to the Lesbian shore.

	Alas! What boots it with uncessant care	what good does it do
65	To tend the homely slighted Shepherds trade,
	And strictly meditate the thankles Muse,
	Were it not better don as others use,
	To sport with Amaryllis in the shade,
	Or with the tangles of Neæra’s hair?
70	Fame is the spur that the clear spirit doth raise	unsophisticated
	(That last infirmity of Noble mind)
	To scorn delights, and live laborious dayes;
	But the fair Guerdon when we hope to find,	reward
	And think to burst out into sudden blaze,
75	Comes the blind Fury with th’ abhorred shears,
	And slits the thin spun life. But not the praise,	cuts
	Phœbus repli’d, and touch’d my trembling ears;	Apollo
	Fame is no plant that grows on mortal soil,
	Nor in the glistering foil
80	Set off to th’ world, nor in broad rumour lies,
	But lives and spreds aloft by those pure eyes,
	And perfet witnes of all judging Jove;
	As he pronounces lastly on each deed,	conclusively
	Of so much fame in Heav’n expect thy meed.	compensation

85	O Fountain Arethuse, and thou honour’d flood,
	Smooth-sliding Mincius, crown’d with vocall reeds,
	That strain I heard was of a higher mood:	melody
	But now my Oate proceeds,
	And listens to the Herald of the Sea
90	That came in Neptune’s plea,
	He ask’d the Waves, and ask’d the Fellon winds,	murderous
	What hard mishap hath doom’d this gentle swain?	shepherd
	And question’d every gust of rugged wings
	That blows from off each beaked Promontory,	pointed
95	They knew not of his story,
	And sage Hippotades their answer brings,
	That not a blast was from his dungeon stray’d,
	The Ayr was calm, and on the level brine,	ocean
	Sleek Panope with all her sisters play’d.	smooth-skinned
100	It was that fatall and perfidious Bark	treacherous boat
	Built in th’ eclipse, and rigg’d with curses dark,
	That sunk so low that sacred head of thine.

	Next Camus, reverend Sire, went footing slow,	father
	His Mantle hairy, and his Bonnet sedge,	grassy
105	Inwrought with figures dim, and on the edge	decorative patterns
	Like to that sanguine flower inscrib’d with woe.	blood-red
	Ah! Who hath reft (quoth he) my dearest pledge?	carried off
	Last came, and last did go,
	The Pilot of the Galilean lake,
110	Two massy Keyes he bore of metals twain,	two
	(The Golden opes, the Iron shuts amain)
	He shook his Miter’d locks, and stern bespake,
	How well could I have spar’d for thee young swain,	rural man
	Anow of such as for their bellies sake,	enough
115	Creep and intrude, and climb into the fold?
	Of other care they little reck’ning make,	take little into account
	Then how to scramble at the shearers feast,
	And shove away the worthy bidden guest.	invited
	Blind mouthes! that scarce themselves know how to hold
120	A Sheep-hook, or have learn’d ought els the least
	That to the faithfull Herdmans art belongs!	shepherd’s skill
	What recks it them? What need they? They are sped;	matters
	And when they list, their lean and flashy songs	trifling
	Grate on their scrannel Pipes of wretched straw,	thin
125	The hungry Sheep look up, and are not fed,
	But swoln with wind, and the rank mist they draw,	distended — breathe in
	Rot inwardly, and foul contagion spread:
	Besides what the grim Woolf with privy paw	fierce — unseen
	Daily devours apace, and nothing sed,
130	But that two-handed engine at the door,
	Stands ready to smite once, and smite no more.	strike

	Return Alpheus, the dread voice is past,
	That shrunk thy streams; Return Sicilian Muse,
	And call the Vales, and bid them hither cast
135	Their Bels, and Flourets of a thousand hues.	bell-shaped flowers
	Ye valleys low where the milde whispers use,	are found
	Of shades and wanton winds, and gushing brooks,	uncontrollable
	On whose fresh lap the swart Star sparely looks,	frugally
	Throw hither all your quaint enameld eyes,	elegant
140	That on the green terf suck the honied showres,
	And purple all the ground with vernal° flowres.	springtime
	Bring the rathe Primrose that forsaken dies.	early-blooming
	The tufted Crow-toe, and pale Gessamine,	hyacinth — jasmine
	The white Pink, and the Pansie freakt with jeat,	flecked with black spots
145	The glowing Violet.
	The Musk-rose, and the well attir’d Woodbine,
	With Cowslips wan that hang the pensive hed,	pale — thoughtful
	And every flower that sad embroidery wears:
	Bid Amaranthus all his beauty shed,
150	And Daffadillies fill their cups with tears,
	To strew the Laureat Herse where Lycid lies.	covered with laurels
	For so to interpose a little ease,
	Let our frail thoughts dally with false surmise.	flirt — imagination
	Ay me! Whilst thee the shores and sounding Seas
155	Wash far away, where ere thy bones are hurld,
	Whether beyond the stormy Hebrides,
	Where thou perhaps under the whelming tide	overturning
	Visit’st the bottom of the monstrous world;
	Or whether thou to our moist vows deny’d,	wet with tears
160	Sleep’st by the fable of Bellerus old,
	Where the great vision of the guarded Mount
	Looks toward Namancos and Bayona’s hold;
	Look homeward Angel now, and melt with ruth.	sorrow
	And, O ye Dolphins, waft the haples youth.	carry — unfortunate

165	Weep no more, woful Shepherds weep no more,
	For Lycidas your sorrow is not dead,
	Sunk though he be beneath the watry floar,
	So sinks the day-star in the Ocean bed,
	And yet anon repairs his drooping head,
170	And tricks his beams, and with new-spangled Ore,
	Flames in the forehead of the morning sky:
	So Lycidas sunk low, but mounted high,
	Through the dear might of him that walk’d the waves;
	Where other groves, and other streams along,
175	With Nectar pure his oozy Lock’s he laves,	washes
	And hears the unexpressive nuptiall Song,	wedding
	In the blest Kingdoms meek of joy and love.
	There entertain him all the Saints above,
	In solemn troops, and sweet Societies
180	That sing, and singing in their glory move,
	And wipe the tears for ever from his eyes.
	Now Lycidas the Shepherds weep no more;
	Hence forth thou art the Genius of the shore,	protective spirit
	In thy large recompense, and shalt be good
185	To all that wander in that perilous flood.

	Thus sang the uncouth Swain to th’ Okes and rills,	uneducated young man
	While the still morn went out with Sandals gray,
	He touch’d the tender stops of various Quills,	shepherds’ pipes
	With eager thought warbling his Dorick lay:	rustic song
190	And now the Sun had stretch’d out all the hills,
	And now was dropt into the Western bay;
	At last he rose, and twitch’d his Mantle blew:
	To morrow to fresh Woods, and Pastures new.

Notes

monody: A poem lamenting someone’s death.
friend: Milton’s friend from his school days, Edward King, died in a shipwreck in 1637. Milton drafted this poem three months later.
Laurels: The plants listed in the first two lines — laurels, myrtle, ivy — are all associated with the arts. Laurel was an emblem of Apollo, god of the sun and of poetry, and used to form crowns for exceptional poets; myrtle was an emblem of Venus, goddess of love; ivy was associated with Bacchus, god of drink and revelry.
dear: Dear could be an intensifier, even for things regarded as bad — here, “sad occasion dear.”
Lycidas is dead, dead ere his prime: Milton uses a name from classical pastoral — Lycidas — to celebrate his late friend King, who died at the age of twenty-five.
Sisters of the sacred well: The “sisters” are the Muses, who inspire the poet. Classical pastoral poets also invoked the Muses. The “sacred well” is either Aganippe or Hippocrene on Mount Helicon, which were “beneath the seat of Jove.”
Jove: The Roman name associated with the Greek god Zeus.
sweep the string: That is, play the notes on the musical instrument, typically a lyre. Throughout the poem Milton uses musical language to describe his poetic project.
my destin’d urn: That is, the urn in which my ashes are destined to be placed after my death.
Star that rose, at Ev’vning: Hesperus, the “evening star,” is in fact the planet Venus, seen shortly after sunset on earth.
Oaten Flute: In pastoral poetry, the shepherds are supposed to play on pipes made from a reeds of an oat plant.
Satyrs: In ancient mythology, the satyrs were lustful half-goat, half-man creatures who behaved riotously. The fauns were similar.
Damœtas: A traditional name from classical pastoral.
Nymphs: Another reference to the Muses. In classical mythology, the nymphs were goddesses of the woods and mountains.
Bards, the famous Druids: The mysterious ancient peoples known as Druids were the subject of much speculation, and much romantic imagination, starting in the seventeenth century. They are associated with a “bardic” notion of poetry, created by an inspired figure rather than a careful poetic craftsman.
Mona: An ancient name for the Isle of Anglesey, an island off the coast of Wales, near where Edward King was drowned.
Deva: A traditional name for the River Dee, near Chester, from which King was traveling.
Muse her self, for her inchanting son: The Muse Calliope was the mother of Orpheus, famous for his power to create music so beautiful that he could charm people and animals.
Hebrus: A river running through modern Bulgaria, France, and Greece.
Lesbian shore: The Isle of Lesbos, in the Aegean Sea.
Amaryllis: Amaryllis and Neæra (in the next line) are traditional names for nymphs in classical pastoral.
Fury: The Furies in ancient Greek mythology were avenging spirits. In some traditions they were imagined as three sisters: one spins the thread of life, another measures it, and the third cuts it — thus the “abhorred shears.” Here she is blind because she kills indiscriminately.
glistering foil: Shiny gold or silver foil would be placed in the mounting of a gemstone to make it sparkle.
Arethuse: A handmaid to the goddess Artemis. She was pursued by the river god Alpheus (see line 132), who tried to rape her, and cried out for help. Artemis turned her into a spring, now associated with poetic inspiration.
Mincius: The ancient Roman pastoral and epic poet Virgil was born near the banks of the River Mincius.
Herald of the Sea: Triton, the son of Neptune (Poseidon), would announce his father’s arrival by blowing a shell like a trumpet.
Hippotades: A name for the wind god Aeolus, who lived in a mountain cave (his “dungeon”).
Panope: A daughter of Nereus; one of fifty sea-nymphs.
eclipse: Eclipses were often imagined as signs of approaching doom.
Camus: The personification of the River Cam, which runs through Cambridge, where Milton and King were students together.
sanguine flower: The hyacinth. Sanguine can mean both “blood-red” and “cheerful.” In ancient mythology Hyacinthus was an exceptionally beautiful prince and friend and lover of the god Apollo, who accidentally killed him. Apollo turned his blood into a flower, and inscribed his dying words — ai, or “alas” — on the petals of the flower. Some varietiees of hyacinth do have a pattern that looks a bit like the letters AI.
Pilot of the Galilean lake: St. Peter.
massy Keyes: Jesus gave Peter the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Miter’d Locks: A miter is the headdress of bishops. Peter became the first bishop and, as bishop of Rome, the first pope.
climb into the fold: See John 10:1: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.”
Woolf: A reference to the Roman Catholic Church, which Milton opposed.
two-handed engine: The meaning of this passage is hotly debated. Some suggest it refers to a sword or axe so big that it requires two hands to hold it. Others think it refers to Jesus, dividing people on his right hand from those on his left.
Alpheus: A river god. It was Alpheus who pursued Artemisa, prompting her metamorphosis into a fountain.
swart Star: Sirius, the “Dog Star,” is ascendant during the hot summer months, the “dog days.”
Amaranthus: A flower that is said never to fade, and was often used in funeral wreaths.
Hebrides: An archipelago of several large and hundreds of small islands off the western coast of Scotland.
Bellerus: A legendary giant in the far southwest of England; the Roman name for Land’s End is Bellerium.
guarded Mount: Mount St. Michael, close to Land’s End in Cornwall. At the top of the mountain is a formation known as “St. Michael’s Chair.”
him that walk’d the waves: Jesus walked on the water.
Dorick: A musical mode associated with pastoral poetry.

Lycidas

John Milton

Edited by Jack Lynch

Notes