The Complete Poetical Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge Volume I Part 130

[379:1] The _Gentiana major_ grows in large companies a stride's distance from the foot of several of the glaciers. Its _blue_ flower, the colour of Hope: is it not a pretty emblem of Hope creeping onward even to the edge of the grave, to the very verge of utter desolation?

_Note to MS. A._

[380:1] The fall of vast ma.s.ses of snow, so called. _Note MS. (C)._

LINENOTES:

t.i.tle] Chamouny The Hour before Sunrise A Hymn M. P., P. R.: Mount Blanc, The Summit of the Vale of Chamouny, An Hour before Sunrise: A Hymn MS. A.

[3] On thy bald awful head O Chamouny M. P., P. R.: On thy bald awful top O Chamouny MS. A: On thy bald awful top O Sovran Blanc Friend, 1809.

[4] Arve] Arve M. P., P. R., MS. (C).

[5] dread mountain form M. P., P. R., MS. A. most] dread Friend, 1809.

[6] forth] out MS. A.

[8] Deep is the sky, and black: transpicuous, deep M. P., P. R.: Deep is the sky, and black! transpicuous, black. MS. A.

[11] is thine] seems thy M. P., P. R.

[13] Mount] form M. P., P. R., MS. A.

[14] the bodily sense] my bodily eye M. P., P. R.: my bodily sense MS.

A.

[16] Invisible] INVISIBLE M. P., P. R., Friend, 1809, MS. A.

[17]

Yet thou meantime, wast working on my soul, E'en like some deep enchanting melody

M. P., P. R., MS. A.

[19 foll.]

But [Now MS. A] I awake, and with a busier mind, And active will self-conscious, offer now Not as before, involuntary pray'r And pa.s.sive adoration!

Hand and voice, Awake, awake! and thou, my heart, awake!

Awake ye rocks! Ye forest pines awake! (Not in MS. A.) Green fields

M. P., P. R., MS. A.

[29-30]

And thou, O silent Mountain, sole and bare O blacker than the darkness all the night

M. P., P. R.

[29] And thou, thou silent mountain, lone and bare MS. A. The first and chief, stern Monarch of the Vale _Errata to 'Hymn', &c._, The Friend, No. XIII, Nov. 16, 1809.

[38] parent] father M. P., P. R., MS. A.

[41] From darkness let you loose and icy dens M. P., P. R., MS. A.

[46] Eternal thunder and unceasing foam MS. A.

[48] 'Here shall the billows . . .' M. P., P. R.: Here shall your billows MS. A.

[49] the mountain's brow] yon dizzy heights M. P., P. R.

[50] Adown enormous ravines steeply slope M. P., P. R., MS. A. [A _bad_ line; but I hope to be able to alter it Note to MS. A].

[56]

with lovely flowers Of living blue

M. P., P. R., MS. A.

[Between 58-64]

G.o.d! G.o.d! the torrents like a shout of nations Utter! the ice-plain bursts and answers G.o.d!

G.o.d, sing the meadow-streams with gladsome voice, And pine-groves with their soft and soul-like sound, The silent snow-ma.s.s, loos'ning thunders G.o.d!

M. P., P. R.

These lines were omitted in MS. A.

[64] Ye dreadless flow'rs that fringe M. P., P. R. living] azure MS. A.

livery S. L. (corrected in _Errata_, p. [xi]).

[65] sporting round] bounding by M. P., P. R., MS. A.

[66] mountain-storm] mountain blast M. P., P. R.

[69] G.o.d] G.o.d. M. P., P. R.

[Between 70-80]

And thou, O silent Form, alone and bare Whom, as I lift again my head bow'd low In adoration, I again behold, And to thy summit upward from thy base Sweep slowly with dim eyes suffus'd by tears, Awake thou mountain form! rise, like a cloud

M. P., P. R.

And thou thou silent mountain, lone and bare Whom as I lift again my head bow'd low In adoration, I again behold!

And from thy summit upward to the base Sweep slowly, with dim eyes suffus'd with tears Rise, mighty form! even as thou _seem'st_ to rise.

MS. A.

[70] Thou too] And thou, Errata, Friend, No. XIII. Once more, h.o.a.r Mount MS. (C), S. L. (For _once more_, read _Thou too_ _Errata_, S. L., p.

[xi]).