Minor Poems by Milton Part 15

46. The transformation by Bacchus of the treacherous Tuscan sailors into dolphins belongs to the established myths of that G.o.d. But Milton exercises his right as a poet to add to the cla.s.sic story whatever suits his purposes.

48. After the Tuscan mariners transformed; a Latinism, meaning, after the transformation of the Tuscan mariners.

50. fell: chanced to land.

For the story of Circe, see the Odyssey X.

58. Understand that no such distinct character as Comus belongs to the received mythology. Milton is a myth-maker.

59. frolic is used as an adjective, as in L'Allegro 18.

60. the Celtic and Iberian fields. The G.o.d traversed Gaul and Spain, on his way to Britain.

61. ominous: abounding in mysterious signs of danger.

65. His orient liquor. See line 673 of this poem.

72. Note that only the countenance is changed.

87. Well knows to still the wild winds. The poem moves throughout in the realm of romance. The swain Thyrsis is in his own character a pract.i.tioner of magic.

88. nor of less faith. Thyrsis has just been described as a person of great skill.

90. Likeliest: most likely to be.

93. The transition from the stately mood of the Attendant Spirit's exordium to the noisy exhilaration of Comus is marked by appropriate changes in the verse. Comus speaks in a lyric strain, and his tone is exultant. When he comes to serious business, in line 145, he also employs blank-verse. The lyric lines, 93-144, rhyme in couplets, and vary in length, most of them having four accents, while some have five. The four-accent lines vary between seven and eight syllables, many of them dropping the initial light syllable, or anakrusis (Auftakt). These seven-syllable lines have a trochaic effect, but are to be scanned as iambic, the standard rhythm of the poem. The star that bids the shepherd fold. So Collins, in his ode To Evening,--"For when thy folding-star arising shows His paly circlet." See also Measure for Measure IV 2 218.

96. doth allay: doth cool.

97. The epithet steep is applied to the ocean, though really it is the course of the downward-moving sun that is steep.

99-101. Milton uses pole, as the poets were wont to do, to mean the sky; and the pa.s.sage means,--the sun, moving about the earth in his oblique course, now shines upon that part of the heavens which, when it is daylight to us, is in shadow.

105. with rosy twine; with twined, or wreathed, roses.

108-109. Advice ... Age ... Severity. For these abstract terms subst.i.tute their concretes.

110. their grave saws. So Hamlet I 5 100, "all saws of books."

116. in wavering morrice. See M. N. Dream II 1 98; All's Well II 2 25.

118. the dapper elves. _Dapper_ is akin to the German _tapfer_, but with a very different connotation.

124. Love: the Latin Amor, the Greek Eros, and our Cupid.

129. Dark-veiled Cotytto was a Thracian G.o.ddess, whose worship was connected with licentious frivolity.

133. makes one blot of all the air. Compare line 204 of this poem.

135. thou ridest with Hecat'. _Hecate_ was a G.o.ddess of the lower world, mistress of witchcraft and the black arts.

139. The nice Morn. _Nice_ is used in a disparaging sense, meaning over particular, minutely critical.

140. From her cabined loop-hole peep. As if morn dwelt in a cabin and clandestinely peeped from a small window.

141. descry must here mean reveal.

144. In a light fantastic round. Recall L'Allegro 34. Comus and his crew are now dancing.

147. shrouds: hiding-places. See the verb, line 316.

151. my wily trains. _Trains_ are tricks, as in Macbeth IV 3 118.

154. The air is spongy because it absorbs his magic dust.

155. blear, usually applied to eyes, here refers to the effect of seeing objects with blear eyes.

174. the loose unlettered hinds. The hinds are farm-servants, usually with an implication of rudeness and rusticity, and they are loose because unrestrained in speech and act by considerations of propriety.

177. amiss: in wrong or unseemly ways.

178. swilled is a very contemptuous word.

179. wa.s.sailers. See Macbeth I 7 64. The word has an interesting etymology.

188. the grey-hooded Even. Milton is fond of applying the epithet _gray_ to the evening and the dawn. See Par. Lost IV 598, Lycidas 187.

189. Like a sad votarist in palmer's weed. The votarist is one who has made a vow. In this case he goes on a pilgrimage, carrying a palm branch, and wearing the pilgrim garb.

203. the tumult of loud mirth was rife. As to the meaning of _rife_ compare Sam. Ag. 866 and Par. Lost I 650.

204. Yet nought but single darkness do I find. The darkness is unbroken by any ray of light.

210. may startle well, but not astound. _Astound_ is a strong word. See Par. Lost I 281.

212. a strong siding champion: a champion who sides with the virtuous mind.

222. her silver lining. Note Milton's avoidance of the possessive _its_.

In all his verse he uses _its_ but three times.

231. Within thy airy sh.e.l.l. The _airy sh.e.l.l_ in which Echo lives must be the "hollow round" of the atmosphere. Compare Hymn on the Nativity 100-103.

232. The Meander is the river of Asia Minor, famous for its windings.

233-237. The mention of the nightingale and Narcissus in this pa.s.sage suggests that it may be a reminiscence of the chorus in the Oedipus Coloneus,--"Of this land of goodly steeds, O stranger."

237. Echo's pa.s.sion for the beautiful Narcissus was not requited, and she pined away till she became a mere voice, which she could not utter till she was spoken to.

241. Daughter of the Sphere: daughter of the air, which forms a hollow sphere about the earth.