Chapter I: Front Matter

A CENTURY OF ROUNDELS

BY
ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE

[Picture: Decorative graphic]

_SECOND EDITION_

London
CHATTO & WINDUS, PICCADILLY
1883

[_All rights reserved_]

* * * * *

LONDON: PRINTED BY
SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE
AND PARLIAMENT STREET

* * * * *

DEDICATION TO CHRISTINA G. ROSSETTI

SONGS light as these may sound, though deep and strong
The heart spake through them, scarce should hope to please
Ears tuned to strains of loftier thoughts than throng
Songs light as these.

Yet grace may set their sometime doubt at ease,
Nor need their too rash reverence fear to wrong
The shrine it serves at and the hope it sees.

For childlike loves and laughters thence prolong
Notes that bid enter, fearless as the breeze,
Even to the shrine of holiest-hearted song,
Songs light as these.

CONTENTS.

PAGE
I. In Harbour 1
II. ,, 2
III. The Way of the Wind 3
IV. Had I Wist 4
V. Recollections 5
VI. ,, 6
VII. ,, 7
VIII. Time and Life 8
IX. ,, 9
X. A Dialogue 10
XI. ,, 11
XII. ,, 12
XIII. Plus Ultra 13
XIV. A Dead Friend 14
XV. ,, 15
XVI. ,, 16
XVII. ,, 17
XVIII. ,, 18
XIX. ,, 19
XX. ,, 20
XXI. Past Days 21
XXII. ,, 22
XXIII. ,, 23
XXIV. Autumn and Winter 24
XXV. ,, 25
XXVI. ,, 26
XXVII. ,, 27
XXVIII. The Death of Richard Wagner 28
XXIX. ,, 29
XXX. ,, 30
Two preludes:
XXXI. Lohengrin 31
XXXII. Tristan und Isolde 32
XXXIII. The Lute and the Lyre 33
XXXIV. Plus Intra 34
XXXV. Change 35
XXXVI. A Baby’s Death 36
XXXVII. ,, 37
XXXVIII. ,, 38
XXXIX. ,, 39
XL. ,, 40
XLI. ,, 41
XLII. ,, 42
XLIII. One of Twain 43
XLIV. ,, 44
XLV. Death and Birth 45
XLVI. Birth and Death 46
XLVII. Benediction 47
XLVIII. Étude Réaliste 48
XLIX. ,, 49
L. ,, 50
LI. Babyhood 51
LII. ,, 52
LIII. ,, 53
LIV. ,, 54
LV. First Footsteps 55
LVI. A Ninth Birthday 56
LVII. ,, 57
LVIII. ,, 58
LIX. Not a Child 59
LX. ,, 60
LXI. ,, 61
LXII. To Dora Dorian 62
LXIII. The Roundel 63
LXIV. At Sea 64
LXV. Wasted Love 65
LXVI. Before Sunset 66
LXVII. A Singing Lesson 67
Flower-pieces:
LXVIII. Love Lies Bleeding 68
LXIX. Love in a Mist 69
Three faces:
LXX. Ventimiglia 70
LXXI. Genoa 71
LXXII. Venice 72
LXXIII. Eros 73
LXXIV. ,, 74
LXXV. ,, 75
LXXVI. Sorrow 76
LXXVII. Sleep 77
LXXVIII. On an Old Roundel 78
LXXIX. 79
LXXX. A Landscape by Courbet 80
LXXXI. A Flower-piece by Fantin 81
LXXXII. A Night-piece by Millet 82
LXXXIII. Marzo Pazzo 83
LXXXIV. Dead Love 84
LXXXV. Discord 85
LXXXVI. Concord 86
LXXXVII. Mourning 87
LXXXVIII. Aperotos Eros 88
LXXXIX. To Catullus 89
CX. ‘Insularum Ocelle’ 90
CXI. In Sark 91
CXII. In Guernsey 92
CXIII. ,, 93
CXIV. ,, 94
CXV. ,, 95
CXVI. ,, 96
CXVII. ,, 97
CXVIII. ,, 98
CXIX. ,, 99
C. Envoi 100

IN HARBOUR.

I.

GOODNIGHT and goodbye to the life whose signs denote us
As mourners clothed with regret for the life gone by;
To the waters of gloom whence winds of the dayspring float us
Goodnight and goodbye.

A time is for mourning, a season for grief to sigh;
But were we not fools and blind, by day to devote us
As thralls to the darkness, unseen of the sundawn’s eye?

We have drunken of Lethe at length, we have eaten of lotus;
What hurts it us here that sorrows are born and die?
We have said to the dream that caressed and the dread that smote us
Goodnight and goodbye.