ENGL402 Milton Lycidas
ENGL402 Milton Lycidas
Notes
Voice. Milton's epigram labels Lycidas a "monody": a lyrical lament for one voice.
But the poem has several voices or personae, including the "uncouth swain" (the
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height. The headnote — "In this Monody ... height." — did not appear in 1638
(Justa Edouardo King). This addition might be due to the less strict laws
regarding published texts. The Trinity MS has the headnote but without the final
sentence: "And by occasion ... height." The clergy Milton refers to is the clergy of
the English Church as ruled by William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, a
champion of traditional liturgy and the bane of reformist Puritans. Bishops fell out
of power in 1642, between the two editions.
Lycidas? An echo of Virgil; "Who would not sing for Gallus?" (Eclogue 10.5).
bear. Bier, or funeral platform. 1638 has "biere".
Begin then, Sisters. Following the pastoral tradition of Theocritus, Moschus, and
Virgil, Milton invokes the muses to begin the lament. See Virgil's Eclogue 4.1.
The sisters are the nine muses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (memory).
Their sacred well is called Aganippe on Mount Helicon, just a bit lower than the
"seat" of Jove.
lucky. It would certainly be bad luck to refuse an invitation to sing for the dead.
Virgil's persona implies as much in Eclogue 10.5-6. See also OED2.
Batt'ning. Feeding.
Star. Venus as Hesperus, the evening star. 1638 has "ev'n-starre" in place of
"Star that rose, at Ev'ning,". The Trinity MS corrected the 1638 reading to "Oft till
the star that rose in evening bright".
th'Oaten Flute. A Panpipe, or the flute used by Pan, traditionally associated with
the songs of shepherds. See Virgil's Ecologues10.64-5. Spenser calls him "God
of shepheards all" in The Shepheardes Calendar, "December," 7. Drawing of Pan
playing a panpipe.
Satyrs. Mythical goat-men renowned for lust. Milton is probably referring to his
(and King's) classmates at Christ's. Picture.
to hear our song. The narrator imagines that he and King were shepherds (poets
and students) in the same pasture (Christ's College, Cambridge) and learned
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Taint-worm. Intestinal parasite that afflicts young calves, that is, weanlings.
blows. Blossoms.
Mona. Anglesey, an Island off the west coast of Britain, once the home of Celtic
druids.
Deva. The river Dee, where Chester, King's destination, stands. Spenser's Faerie
Queene 4.11.39 refers to the Dee as "divine."
Or with. 1638 has "Hid in the" in place of "Or with". "Or with" is a Trinity MS
correction.
Amaryllis. The names of the nymphs, Amaryllis and Neaera, are conventional,
borrowed from Virgil's Eclogues 1.4-5 and Eclogues 3.3.
Guerdon. Reward.
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Phoebus. Apollo. Virgil, in Eclogues 6.5-6, imagines the "Cynthian god" plucking
at his ear.
Arethuse. A fountain in Sicily associated with poetic inspiration (see Arcades 30-
31). Mincius is the river of Virgil's hometown, Mantua. Virgil associates the
Mincius with his own pastoral verse in Eclogues 7. 15-16 and Georgics 3. 20-21.
higher mood. Epic poetry was considered to be a more elevated form than
pastoral, thus in a higher mode.
Camus. Personification of the river Cam, which runs through Cambridge. This
personification draws comparisons to Virgil's personification of Mincius, the river
that runs through his home town.
sanquine flower. The Hyacinth. Apollo made this flower from the blood of his
beloved Hyacinthus, whom he accidentally killed. The story is in
Ovid's Metamorphoses10.214-16.
The Pilot. It is commonly accepted that this refers to St. Peter, to whom Christ
gave "the keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 16:19). Peter's first meeting
with Jesus is told in Luke 5:2-4.
Line 113. 1645 has a period at the end of this line, but that appears to be an
error, especially since the line is the last on the page in 1645.
Blind mouthes! John Ruskin suggests that "a bishop means a person who sees"
and a "pastor means one who feeds. The most unbishoply character...is
therefore to be blind. The most unpastoral is, instead of feeding, to want to be
fed,—to be a mouth" (quoted in Orgel and Goldberg).
privy. Secret. See 2 Peter 2:1. Perhaps also a pun on the Privy Council.
nothing. Critics dispute whether "little" should stand. In accordance with 1645,
most modern editions use "nothing."
smite once, and smite no more. See Matthew 26:31 and Mark 14: 27-9.
Alpheus. Personification of a river in Greece and also the god who fell in love
with Arethusa and pursued her until she was turned into a fountain. See
Ovid'sMetamorphoses 5.865-875.
swart Star. Sirius, the dog star, is ascendant during the hottest days of the year;
hence the term, "dog days."
"Freakt with jeat" (jet, black) means flecked with black streaks or spots.
wan. Pale.
Daffadillies. This flower list, a typical pastoral element, was first added to the
Trinity MS on a separate sheet of paper and marked for insertion
here. Sacks contrasts this section with the plucking at the beginning of the poem
(line 3). He asserts, "the anger has been purged, and the rewards (the undying
flowers of praise) have been established."
moist. Tear-dampened.
Bellerus. A giant for whom Land's End was called Bellerium in Roman times.
guarded Mount. Mount St. Michael's, near Land's End on the Cornish coast,
across the Channel from Mont St. Michel. Milton imagines the patron saint of
England looking out from here to guard England from overseas (Catholic)
religion. Namancos is in Spain and Bayona a fortress near Cape Finisterre.
Look homeward. The Angel could refer to either St. Michael, whose mount it is,
or Lycidas. In either case, the injunction is for him to turn his eye from the threat
of Spain (represented by Namancos and Bayona) and instead to look homeward,
where Lycidas has drowned (Orgel & Goldberg). Lawrence Lipking identifies the
angel with Michael.
him that walk'd the waves. Alluding to Jesus, who walked on water according
to Matthew 14:25-26.
weep no more. Recalls the opening line of the poem "Yet once more, O ye
Laurels, and once more." The invocation to begin the lament is repeated as the
invitation to end the lament.
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In the blest Kingdoms meek of joy and love. 1638 omits this line entirely.
wipe the tears. See Revelation 7:17.
Dorick. The sort of Greek spoken in Crete and Laconia. Also the dialect preferred
by Theocritus and Bion, the earliest practictioners of pastoral verse. A doric lay is
the sort of song sung by pastoral poets in doric.
Quills. The hollow reeds of the shepherd's pipes; the stops are the holes one
covers with fingers to make different notes sound.