Chapter XVII: Part II: I (2)

"Sunday, Sept. 17. Chamouny.--... As we passed one of the little clustering villages in the Vale of Chamouny, standing at the foot of one of the five glaciers (the Argentière I believe), its pretty white Church at that moment was encircled by a most interesting procession--bare-headed men first carried the symbols or banners, who were followed by a train of females: two and two winding round the building; white garments thrown over their heads and covering their shoulders, like so many nuns; but in that romantic place, the situation of the Church, and the costume so peculiar, it was quite impossible not to connect the moving belt of white pyramids with the snowy ones immediately above them. We were afterwards told by a young priest, as we passed along the green meadows of Orsina, whither he was going to do duty, and with whom D. fell into conversation, that it was sacrament day, and that the ceremony we had seen occurs once a month in all the valleys, and that those pure vestments do not belong to the Church, but to the Individuals who wear them. Our genial companion told D. that he lived upon the Trient, in a village high above its banks, and where, had he been at home, he would have been glad to have received us as his guests...." (Mrs. Wordsworth's Journal.)

* * * * *

"Sunday, 16th September. Chamouny.--There is no carriage-road further than to Argentière. When, having parted with our car and Guide, we were slowly pursuing our way to the footpath, between the mountains, which was to lead us to the VALORSINE, and thence, by the Tête-Noire, to Trientz, we heard from the churchyard of Argentière, on the opposite side of the river, a sound of voices chanting a hymn, or prayer, and turning round, saw in the green enclosure a lengthening Procession,--the priest in his robes, the host, and banners uplifted, and men following two and two--and, last of all, a great number of females, in like order; the head and body of each covered with a white garment. The stream continued to flow on for a long time, till all had paced slowly round the church, the men gathering close together, to leave unencumbered space for the women, the chanting continuing, while the voice of the Arve joined in accordant solemnity. The procession was grave and simple, agreeing with the simple decorations of a village church:--the banners made no glittering show; the Females composed a moving girdle round the Church; their figures, from head to foot, covered with one piece of white cloth, resembled the small pyramids of the Glacier, which were before our eyes, and it was impossible to look at one and the other without fancifully connecting them together. Imagine the _moving_ figures, like a stream of pyramids, the white Church, the half-concealed Village, and the Glacier close behind among pine-trees, a pure sun shining over all! and remember that these objects were seen at the base of those enormous mountains, and you may have some faint notion of the effect produced on us by that beautiful spectacle. It was a farewell to the Vale of Chamouny that can scarcely be less vividly remembered twenty years hence than when (that wondrous Vale[JD] being just out of sight) after ascending a little way between the mountains, through a grassy hollow, we came to a small hamlet under shade of trees in summer foliage. A very narrow clear rivulet, beside the cottages, was hastening with its tribute to the Arve. This simple scene transported us instantly to our valleys of Westmoreland. A few quiet children were near the doors, and we discovered a young woman in the darkest coolest nook of shade between two of the houses, seated on the ground, intent upon her prayer-book. The rest of the inhabitants were gone to join in the devotions at Argentière. The top of the ascent (not a long one) being gained, we had a second cheering companion in our downward way, another Westmoreland brook of larger size, as clear as crystal, open to the sun, and (bustling but not angry) it coursed by our side through a tract of craggy pastoral ground. I do not speak of the needles of Montanvert, behind; nor of other pikes up-rising before us. Such sights belong not to Westmoreland, and I could fancy that I then paid them little regard, it being for the sake of Westmoreland alone that I like to dwell on this short passage of our journey, which brought us in view of one of the most interesting of the valleys of the Alps. We descended with our little stream, and saw its brief life in a moment cut off, when it reached the _Berard_, the river of Black Water, which is seen falling, not in _black_ but _grey_ cataracts within the cove of a mountain that well deserves the former epithet, though a bed of _snow_ and glacier ice is seen among its piky and jagged ridges. Below those bare summits, pine forests and crags are piled together, with lawns and cottages between.

"We enter at the side of the valley, crossing a wooden bridge; then, turning our backs on the scene just described, we bend our course downward with the River, that is hurrying away, fresh from its glacier fountains; how different a fellow-traveller from that little rivulet we had just parted from, which we had seen, still bright as silver, drop into the grey stream! The descending Vale before us beautiful, the high enclosing hills interspersed with woods, green pasturage, and cottages. The delight we had in journeying through the Valorsine is not to be imagined, sunshine and shade were alike cheering; while the very numerousness of the brown wood cottages (descried among trees, or outspread on the steep lawns), and the people enjoying their Sabbath leisure out of doors, seemed to make a quiet spot more quiet." (From Dorothy Wordsworth's Journal, vol. ii.)

* * * * *

The following account of the festival of the Virgin, which occurred during the Wordsworths' visit to Engelberg, may further illustrate this poem:--"Knots of peasants going to and returning from church, all in holiday trim. We had learned the day to be a grand Festival--the Feast of the Virgin. After breakfast, the procession streamed out of church, a beautiful spectacle, as they begirt that and the monastery. Men, women, and children, Abbot, Monks, Priests, and Choristers, a thousand persons or upwards; the women as gay as glitter and colours could make them. Flat white hats, with ribbons and flowers, embroidered stomachers, red girdles, and their short black petticoats, embroidered with red ribbon, large shining pins in their hair, and lockets suspended from their necks. The men too, mostly, had some ornament upon their hats: the young generally a coloured ribbon, the elders black ones, tied with a bow: all well and _curiously_ dressed; it was a festive scene, and the most important fête in the year. Seventeen monks belong to the convent of Engelberg, and the whole valley contains about 1700 inhabitants," etc. (Mrs. Wordsworth's Journal.)--ED.

VARIANTS:

[Footnote 549: 1837.

They uttered loud hosannas,--let the trumpets blow! 1822.

These shout hosannas,--these the startling trumpets blow! 1827.

... those ... 1832.
]

[Footnote 551: 1837.

Striking with fury; and the ... 1822.

Smiting with fury; and the ... 1827.
]

[Footnote 552: 1827.

But O the fairest pageant of a dream
Did never equal that which met our eyes!
The glacier Pillars with the living Stream
Of white-robed Shapes, seemed linked in solemn guise, 1822.
]

[Footnote 553: 1827.

Of number, stood like spotless Votaries
Prepared to issue ... 1822.
]

[Footnote 554: 1827.

... sent ... 1822.
]

[Footnote 555: 1827.

... engirt ... 1822.
]

[Footnote 556: 1827.

... Mount did seem, 1822.
]

[Footnote 557: 1827.

... that on the turf did glide,
To that unmoving band--the ... 1822.
]

[Footnote 558: 1827.

... and unbind; 1822.
]

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote IS: Persepolis, the capital city of Persia, "the glory of the East," was destroyed by Alexander the Great (see Quintus Curtius, book v. chaps. 6, 7), and is now, for the most part, a mass of ruins. In the staircase leading up to the Great Hall of Xerxes, the mural decorations include "colossal warriors, combats with wild beasts, processions, and the like." Compare Fergusson's _Palaces of Nineveh and Persepolis restored_.--ED.]

[Footnote IT: Compare Leviticus xxiii. 34, 40-43; also Nehemiah viii. 14, 15.--ED.]

[Footnote IU: The Temple of Jupiter Ammon (or Hammon)--the ruins of which still exist--was, in the centre of an oasis of the Libyan Desert, twelve days' journey from Memphis, according to Pliny. In Diodorus Siculus (book xvii. c. 5), in Strabo (book xvii. cc. 37 and 43), and in Herodotus (book iv. 181), the Temple is described; but a fuller account--and the one which probably suggested to Wordsworth some part of his description in the text--will be found in Quintus Curtius, which records the visit of Alexander the Great to consult the oracle:--"Tandem ad sedem consecratam deo ventum est. Incredibile dictu, inter vastas solitudines sita, undique ambientibus ramis, vix in densam umbram cadente sole, contecta est, multique fontes, dulcibus aquis passim manantibus, alunt silvas. Coelique quoque mira temperies, verno tepori maxime similis, omnes anni partes pari salubritate percurrit....

"Est et aliud Hammonis nemus: in medio habet fontem (Solis aquam vocant): sub lucis ortum tepida manat, medio die, cujus vehementissimus est calor, frigida eadem fluit, inclinato in vesperam calescit, media nocte fervida exaestuat, quoque nox propius vergit ad lucem, multum ex nocturno calore decrescit, donec sub ipsum diei ortum assueto tepore languescat.... _Hunc, cum responsum petitur, navigio aurato gestant sacerdotes, multis argenteis pateris ab utroque navigii latere pendentibus: sequuntur matronae virginesque, patrio more inconditum quoddam carmen canentes, quo propitiari Jovem credunt, ut certum edat oraculum._"[550]--Q. Curtius Rufus, _De Gestis Alex._, iv. 31 (ed. Zumpt). The sentence italicised and translated makes it clear that Wordsworth was dealing in this instance with the text of Quintus Curtius, as he dealt with that of Herodotus, for example, in _The Excursion_, when he described the

Tower eight times planted on the top of tower,
That Belus, nightly to his splendid couch
Descending, there might rest.

(Book iv. ll. 685-687.)

For discussions on the oases and Temple of Jupiter Ammon, see _Travels in Africa, Egypt_, etc., by W. G. Browne (1792 to 1798), _The Journal of Frederick Horneman's Travels from Cairo to Mourzouk_ (1797-8), _Narrative of Operations and Discoveries in Egypt_, etc., by G. Balzoni, and note M in Pratt's _Quintus Curtius_, vol. i.--ED.]

[Footnote IV: "Old Cham, the solar Deity," was the same as "the Ammonian Jove." The statue of the god in the Temple was ram-headed and horned, hence the Egyptian veneration for the ram.--ED.]

[Footnote IW: Compare _Paradise Lost_, book xi. ll. 745-747.--ED.]

[Footnote IX: "This refers to the triumphal processions along the Via Sacra, in which the fortunate general was decorated with all the insignia of Jupiter. (See Livy, book x. c. 7.) The captive princes, who were conducted in the procession, were put to death in the prison at the ascent of the Capitoline, before the triumphal offerings were made to the gods." (W. A. Heard.)]

[Footnote IY: "This refers to the Ludi Circenses (Livy, book i. 9), when the gods were conducted to the circus in a magnificent procession, their images carried on a kind of frame, or placed in sacred chariots called 'tensae,' which are alluded to in the next line." (W. A. Heard.)]

[Footnote IZ: "Ludi Cerealia (Livy, book xxx. 39; Ovid, _Fasti_, iv. 391)--

Circus erit pompa celeber numeroque deorum,
Primaque ventosis palma petetur equis.
Hinc Cereris ludi."

(W. A. Heard.)
]

[Footnote JA: "The salii, or priests of Mars, on his festival, marched through the streets, stamping in a kind of dance and striking the sacred shields (ancilia.)

A saltu nomina dicta.

Ovid, _Fasti_, iii. 387." (W. A. Heard.)
]

[Footnote JB: "This is an allusion to 'Megalesia,' a festival of Cybele the Great Mother. In this festival there was a solemn commemoration, with processions and games, of the first entry of the goddess into Rome. The Corybantes were her Phrygian priests. See, for the whole worship, Ovid, _Fasti_, iv. 181." (W. A. Heard.)]

[Footnote JC: "Compare Virgil, _Æneid_ vi. 785--

Qualis Berecyntia mater
Invehitur curru Phrygias turrita per urbes.

The Great Mother is represented in works of art as wearing a crown of towers. An explanation is given in Ovid's _Fasti_ (iv. 219), a work which Wordsworth seems to have had in his thoughts throughout this stanza.

At cur turrifera caput est onerata corona?
An primis turres urbibus illa dedit?"

(W. A. Heard.)
]

[Footnote JD: Compare _The Prelude_, book vi. 1. 528--

The wondrous Vale
Of Chamouny stretched far below.

ED.
]

[Footnote 550: "When a response was sought, it was the custom for the priests to carry the image of the god in a golden ship with many silver paterae hanging from both its sides; while matrons and virgins followed, singing, according to the custom of their country, a certain uncouth hymn, by which they believed they could propitiate the god, and induce him to return an unambiguous answer."]

XXXII

ELEGIAC STANZAS

The lamented Youth whose untimely death gave occasion to these elegiac verses, was Frederick William Goddard, from Boston in North America. He was in his twentieth year, and had resided for some time with a clergyman in the neighbourhood of Geneva for the completion of his education. Accompanied by a fellow-pupil, a native of Scotland, he had just set out on a Swiss tour when it was his misfortune to fall in with a friend of mine who was hastening to join our party. The travellers, after spending a day together on the road from Berne and at Soleure, took leave of each other at night, the young men having intended to proceed directly to Zurich. But early in the morning my friend found his new acquaintances, who were informed of the object of his journey, and the friends he was in pursuit of, equipped to accompany him. We met at Lucerne the succeeding evening, and Mr. G. and his fellow-student became in consequence our travelling companions for a couple of days. We ascended the Righi together; and, after contemplating the sunrise from that noble mountain, we separated at an hour and on a spot well suited to the parting of those who were to meet no more. Our party descended through the valley of our Lady of the Snow, and our late companions, to Arth. We had hoped to meet in a few weeks at Geneva; but on the third succeeding day (on the 21st of August) Mr. Goddard perished, being overset in a boat while crossing the lake of Zurich. His companion saved himself by swimming, and was hospitably received in the mansion of a Swiss gentleman (M. Keller) situated on the eastern coast of the lake. The corpse of poor Goddard was cast ashore on the estate of the same gentleman, who generously performed all the rites of hospitality which could be rendered to the dead as well as to the living. He caused a handsome mural monument to be erected in the church of Küsnacht, which records the premature fate of the young American, and on the shores too of the lake the traveller may read an inscription pointing out the spot where the body was deposited by the waves.[559]

LULLED by the sound of pastoral bells,
Rude Nature's Pilgrims did we go,
From the dread summit of the Queen[JE]
Of mountains, through a deep ravine,
Where, in her holy chapel, dwells 5
"Our Lady of the Snow."

The sky was blue, the air was mild;
Free were the streams and green the bowers;
As if, to rough assaults unknown,
The genial spot had _ever_ shown 10
A countenance that as sweetly smiled--[560]
The face of summer-hours.

And we were gay, our hearts at ease;
With pleasure dancing through the frame
We journeyed; all we knew of care--[561] 15
Our path that straggled here and there;
Of trouble--but the fluttering breeze;
Of Winter--but a name.

If foresight could have rent the veil
Of three short days--but hush--no more! 20
Calm is the grave, and calmer none
Than that to which thy cares are gone,
Thou Victim of the stormy gale;
Asleep on ZURICH'S shore!

Oh GODDARD! what art thou?--a name-- 25
A sunbeam followed by a shade!
Nor more, for aught that time supplies,
The great, the experienced, and the wise:
Too much from this frail earth we claim,
And therefore are betrayed. 30

We met, while festive mirth ran wild,
Where, from a deep lake's mighty urn,
Forth slips, like an enfranchised slave,
A sea-green river, proud to lave,
With current swift and undefiled, 35
The towers of old LUCERNE.

We parted upon solemn ground
Far-lifted towards the unfading sky;
But all our thoughts were _then_ of Earth,
That gives to common pleasures birth; 40
And nothing in our hearts we found
That prompted even a sigh.

Fetch, sympathising Powers of air,
Fetch, ye that post o'er seas and lands,
Herbs moistened by Virginian dew, 45
A most untimely grave to strew,
Whose turf may never know the care[562]
Of _kindred_ human hands!

Beloved by every gentle Muse
He left his Transatlantic home: 50
Europe, a realised romance,
Had opened on his eager glance;
What present bliss!--what golden views!
What stores for years to come!

Though lodged within no vigorous frame, 55
His soul her daily tasks renewed,
Blithe as the lark on sun-gilt wings
High poised--or as the wren that sings
In shady places, to proclaim
Her modest gratitude. 60

Not vain is sadly-uttered praise;
The words of truth's memorial vow
Are sweet as morning fragrance shed
From flowers 'mid GOLDAU'S ruins bred;
As evening's fondly-lingering rays,[563] 65
On RIGHI'S silent brow.

Lamented youth! to thy cold clay
Fit obsequies the Stranger paid;
And piety shall guard the Stone[564]
Which hath not left the spot unknown 70
Where the wild waves resigned their prey--
And _that_ which marks thy bed.[565]

And, when thy Mother weeps for Thee,
Lost Youth! a solitary Mother;
This tribute from a casual Friend 75
A not unwelcome aid may lend,
To feed the tender luxury,
The rising pang to smother.

The persuasion here expressed was not groundless. The first human consolation that the afflicted Mother felt, was derived from this tribute to her son's memory, a fact which the author learned, at his own residence, from her Daughter, who visited Europe some years afterwards.--Goldau is one of the villages desolated by the fall of part of the Mountain Rossberg.--W. W. 1837.

References to Young Goddard occur in Mrs. Wordsworth's Journal, as follows:--"Lucerne, Aug. 16.--... In bounded Henry Robinson, ... with two young men he has picked up on the road...." "Aug. 17.--The two young Gentlemen, Mr. R.'s companions, called upon us to walk at 7 o'clock; and very pleasing youths we found them, one an American, the other a Scotsman, by birth, students from Geneva, come out on foot for a month's excursion." "Top of Righi, Sat. 19th.--Our pleasant ingenuous companions gone. We parted immediately after breakfast." "Lausanne, Sept. 20.--Our joy was damped by hearing from Mr. Mulloch, of the melancholy fate of that very interesting youth, Mr. Goddard, with whom we parted on the top of the Righi. He, with Mr. Trotter, descended to pursue their way to Zurich, in which lake he was unfortunately drowned two days afterwards; we towards Lauritz, but all in the hope of meeting again at Altorf.... Mr. G.'s mother is in America.... Seldom have I seen so promising a youth." "Sat. 23rd. Geneva.--Met Mr. Trotter. The loss of poor Goddard was occasioned by a sudden squall, which upset one of the worthless boats, made of thin planks, flat bottomed. Mr. T. being a good swimmer, and on the side nearest the shore, reached land, when looking for his companion, he had disappeared, had been sucked under the boat, and was never seen from the first moment. Great humanity was shown by the people in the neighbourhood on this melancholy occasion. The body was found, and afterwards buried in the churchyard at Küsnacht, a village on the east shore of the lake of Zurich. A discourse in German was delivered by an old Priest, after the interment, a copy of which Mr. T. showed us; and which Mr. R. and W. were much pleased with, for the pathetic simplicity of the expression. It was intended to be sent to the poor mother of the deceased."

The reference towards the close of the poem to the

Flowers 'mid Goldau's ruins bred;

and the concluding passage of the prefatory note to the edition of 1822, suggest another passage in Mrs. Wordsworth's Journal. "Aug. 19.--Dined at Goldau. This cottage-inn is built, as several other houses are, on the side of the road surrounded by masses of fallen rock: chapel close by: all walked to the ruins: sate for a long time upon an immense mass of the fallen mountain. It is an awful and an affecting place. We were surprised at the extent of the desolation, especially when we looked up to the mountain whence it had proceeded. The rent, high above us, appeared so trifling that we could not but wonder how all those mighty blocks had ever been piled upon so narrow a space. Huge masses of rock on every side of us. It is aptly called "the valley of Stones." A river had thridded this once lovely and still interesting valley; but this, with the green meadows which it fertilized, is buried; and the lake of Lawerz below driven into narrower compass.... Three villages, with their inhabitants, had been completely destroyed."

"Wednesday, 19th September. Lausanne.--We met with some pleasant Englishmen, from whom we heard particulars concerning the melancholy fate of our young Friend, the American, seen by us for the last time on the top of the Righi. The tidings of his death had been first communicated, but a few hours before, by Mr. Mulloch. We had the comfort of hearing that his friend had saved himself by swimming, and had paid the last duties to the stranger, so far from home and kindred, who lies quietly in the churchyard of Küsnacht on the shores of Zurich." (From Dorothy Wordsworth's Journal, vol. ii.)

On the 24th Nov. 1821, Dorothy Wordsworth wrote to Henry Crabb Robinson:--"... Amongst the Poems (the _Tour on the Continent_) is one to the memory of poor Goddard, which probably never would have been written but for your suggestion. How often do I think of that night when you first introduced that interesting youth to us! At this moment I see in my mind's eye the lighted Salon, you in your great-coat, and the two slender tall figures following you!"--ED.

VARIANTS:

[Footnote 559: 1827.

On arriving at Lausanne, we heard of the fate of the Young American, whose death is here lamented. He had been our companion for three days; and we separated upon Mount Righi with mutual hope of meeting again in the course of our Tour. GOLDAU, mentioned towards the conclusion of this Piece, is a Village at the foot of Mount Righi, one of those overwhelmed by a mass which fell from the side of the mountain ROSSBERG, a few years ago.--W.W. 1822.]

[Footnote 560: 1837

... that sweetly smiled, 1822. ]

[Footnote 561: 1827.

All that we knew of lively care, 1822.
]

[Footnote 562: 1832.

... sod to strew,
That lacks the ornamental care 1822.
]

[Footnote 563: 1827.

Sweet as Eve's fondly-lingering rays, 1822.
]

[Footnote 564: 1832.

... that stone 1827.
]

[Footnote 565: This stanza was first added in 1827.]

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote JE: Mount Righi--Regina Montium.--W. W.]

XXXIII

SKY-PROSPECT--FROM THE PLAIN OF FRANCE

Lo! in the burning west, the craggy nape
Of a proud Ararat! and, thereupon,
The Ark, her melancholy voyage done!
Yon rampant cloud mimics a lion's shape;
There, combats a huge crocodile--agape 5
A golden spear to swallow! and that brown
And massy grove, so near yon blazing town,
Stirs and recedes--destruction to escape!
Yet all is harmless--as the Elysian shades
Where Spirits dwell in undisturbed repose-- 10
Silently disappears, or quickly fades:
Meek Nature's evening comment on the shows
That for oblivion take their daily birth
From all the fuming vanities of Earth!

The only allusion in Mrs. Wordsworth's Journal to any noteworthy "sky-prospect from the plain of France," occurs when they rested at Fontainbleau. "Sept. 30.--... Seeing the forest rise at the end of a long vista of trees, our guide said that from that point we should have a fine view. Passed through the old-fashioned French flower garden, with its large sheet of water.... Surprised by the view from the hill, first towards the palace, and the expanse beyond, and immediately opposite this (what we so little expected to see) a rocky dell in that sandy region; most curious, the bank before us scattered thickly with rocks, by that dim light appearing like a large village. Glorious crimson light in the west, all the rest of the sky a clear cloudless blue. The evening star very large, and alone. An impressive silence in the air, so that we heard the sounds from the distant town distinctly."

"Saturday, 29th September. Fontainbleau.--In the very heart of the Alps, I never saw a more wild and lonely spot, yet _curious_ in the extreme, and even _beautiful_. Thousands of white bleached rocks, mostly in appearance not much larger than sheep, lay on the steep declivities of the dell among bushes and low trees, heather, bilberries, and other forest plants. The effect of loneliness and desert wildness was indescribably increased by the remembrance of the Palace we had left not an hour before. The spot on which we stood is said to have been frequented by Henry the IVth. when he wished to retire from his court and attendants. A few steps more brought us in view of fresh ranges of the forest, hills, plains, and distant lonely dells. The sunset was brilliant--light clouds in the west, and overhead a spotless blue dome. As we wind along the top of the Steep, the views are still changing--the plain expands eastward, and again appear the white buildings of Fontainbleau, with something of romantic brightness in the _fading_ light; for we had tarried till a star or two reminded us it was time to move away. In descending, we followed one of the long straight tracks that intersect the forest in all directions. Bewildered among those tracks, we were set right by a party of wood-cutters, going home from their labour." (From Dorothy Wordsworth's Journal, vol. ii.)--ED.

XXXIV

ON BEING STRANDED NEAR THE HARBOUR OF BOULOGNE

Why cast ye back upon the Gallic shore,
Ye furious waves! a patriotic Son
Of England--who in hope her coast had won,
His project crowned, his pleasant travel o'er?
Well--let him pace this noted beach once more, 5
That gave the Roman his triumphal shells;[JF]
That saw the Corsican his cap and bells
Haughtily shake, a dreaming Conqueror!--
Enough: my Country's cliffs I can behold,
And proudly think, beside the chafing sea,[566] 10
Of checked ambition, tyranny controlled,
And folly cursed with endless memory:
These local recollections ne'er can cloy;
Such ground I from my very heart enjoy!

Near the Town of Boulogne, and overhanging the Beach, are the remains of a Tower which bears the name of Caligula, who here terminated his western Expedition, of which these sea-shells were the boasted spoils. And, at no great distance from these Ruins, Buonaparte, standing upon a mound of earth, harangued his "Army of England," reminding them of the exploits of Cæsar, and, pointing towards the white cliffs upon which their standards _were to float_. He recommended also a subscription to be raised among the Soldiery to erect on that Ground, in memory of the Foundation of the "Legion of Honour," a Column,--which was not completed at the time we were there.--W. W. 1822.

"Embarked in a small vessel; wind contrary. The vessel struck upon a sandbank. Then was driven with violence upon a rocky road in the harbour. Tide was ebbing very fast." (Mrs. Wordsworth's Journal.)

"Monday, 29th October. Boulogne.--We walked to Buonaparte's Pillar, which, on the day when he harangued his soldiers (pointing to the shores of England whither he should lead them to conquest), he decreed should be erected in commemoration of the Legion of Honour then established. The pillar is seen far and wide, _unfinished_, as the intricate casing of a _scaffolding loftier than itself, shows at whatever distance_ it is seen. It is said the Bourbons intend to complete the work, and give it a new name; but I think it more probable that the scaffolding may be left to fall away, and the Pile of marble remain strewn round, as it is, with unfinished blocks, an undisputed Monument of the Founder's vanity and arrogance; and _so_ it may stand as long as the brick towers of Caligula have done, a remnant of which yet appears on the cliffs. We walked on the ground which had been covered by the army that dreamt of conquering England, and were shown the very spot where their Leader made his boastful speech.

"On the day fixed for our departure from Boulogne, the weather being boisterous and wind contrary, the _Packet_ could not sail, and we trusted ourselves to a small vessel, with only one effective sailor on board. Even _Mary_ was daunted by the Breakers outside the Harbour, and _I_ descended into the vessel as unwillingly as a criminal might go to execution, and hid myself in bed. Presently our little ship moved; and before ten minutes were gone she struck upon the sands. I felt that something disastrous had happened; but knew not what till poor Mary appeared in the cabin, having been thrown down from the top of the steps. There was again a frightful beating and grating of the bottom of the vessel, water rushing in very fast. A young man, an Italian, who had risen from a bed beside mine, as pale as ashes, groaned in agony, kneeling at his prayers. My condition was not much better than his; but I was more quiet. Never shall I forget the kindness of a little Irish woman who, though she herself, as she afterwards said, was much frightened, assured me even chearfully that there was no danger. I cannot say that her words, as assurances of safety, had much effect upon me; but the example of her courage made me become more collected; and I felt her human kindness even at the moment when I believed that we might be all going to the bottom of the sea together; and the agonizing thoughts of the distress at home were rushing on my mind." (From Dorothy Wordsworth's Journal, vol. ii.)--ED.

VARIANTS:

[Footnote 566: 1837.

... murmuring sea, 1822.
]

XXXV

AFTER LANDING--THE VALLEY OF DOVER

NOV. 1820

Where be the noisy followers of the game
Which faction breeds; the turmoil where? that passed
Through Europe, echoing from the newsman's blast,
And filled our hearts with grief for England's shame.
Peace greets us;--rambling on without an aim 5
We mark majestic herds of cattle, free
To ruminate, couched on the grassy lea;
And hear far-off the mellow horn proclaim
The Season's harmless pastime. Ruder sound
Stirs not; enrapt I gaze with strange delight, 10
While consciousnesses, not to be disowned,
Here only serve a feeling to invite
That lifts the spirit to a calmer height,
And makes this[567] rural stillness more profound.

_We mark majestic herds of cattle free
To ruminate._

This is a most grateful sight for an Englishman returning to his native land. Every where one misses, in the cultivated scenery abroad, the animating and soothing accompaniment of animals ranging and selecting their own food at will.--W. W. 1822.

"Dover, Wed., 8th Nov.--At 11 o'clock we took coach and thoroughly enjoyed our journey between the green pastures of Kent, besprinkled with groups of trees, and bounded by hedgerows. The scattered cattle quietly selecting their own food was a cheering, and a home-feeling sight." (Mrs. Wordsworth's Journal.)

"It was, I think, 10 o'clock when we left Dover. The day was pleasant, and every English sight delightful, the fields sprinkled with cattle, the hedgerows, the snug small cottages, the pretty country-houses. Many a time we said to each other, 'What a pleasant country this must appear to the eyes of a Frenchman!'" (From Dorothy Wordsworth's Journal, vol. ii.)--ED.

VARIANTS:

[Footnote 567: 1837.

... the ... 1822.
]

XXXVI

AT DOVER[JG]

[For the impressions on which this sonnet turns, I am indebted to
the experience of my daughter, during her residence at Dover with
our dear friend, Miss Fenwick.--I. F.]

From the Pier's head, musing, and with increase
Of wonder, I have watched[568] this sea-side Town,
Under the white cliff's battlemented crown,
Hushed to a depth of more than Sabbath peace:
The streets and quays are thronged, but why disown 5
Their natural utterance:[569] whence this strange release
From social noise--silence elsewhere unknown?--
A Spirit whispered, "Let all wonder cease;
Ocean's o'erpowering murmurs have set free
Thy sense from pressure of life's common din; 10
As the[570] dread Voice that speaks from out the sea
Of God's eternal Word, the Voice of Time
Doth deaden, shocks of tumult,[571] shrieks of crime,
The shouts of folly, and the groans of sin."

VARIANTS:

[Footnote 568: 1850.

Of wonder, long I watched ... MS.
]

[Footnote 569: 1850.

... were thronged, but why disown
Their natural voices ... C.
]

[Footnote 570: 1850.

... peace;
How strange thought I this orderly release
From social noise. What law elsewhere unknown
That stillness guards? Then ocean cried, "I drown
In solemn sounds; let wonder cease!
So through his spiritual ear is man set free
From conscious pressure of life's heaviest din,
When the.... MS.

... release
From social noise, quiet elsewhere unknown:
{ A spirit whispered }
{ Then cried a spirit } "Doth not ocean drown
In solemn sounds; let wonder cease!
So through his overpowering murmurs.... MS.
]

[Footnote 571: 1850.

Deadens--the shocks of { tumult } MS.
{ passion }
]

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote JF: See Wordsworth's note appended to the poem.--ED.]

[Footnote JG: This sonnet was first published in the edition of 1850.--ED.]

XXXVII

DESULTORY STANZAS,

UPON RECEIVING THE PRECEDING SHEETS FROM THE PRESS

Is then the final page before me spread,
Nor further outlet left to mind or heart?
Presumptuous Book! too forward to be read,
How can I give thee licence to depart?
One tribute more: unbidden feelings start 5
Forth from their coverts; slighted objects rise;
My spirit is the scene of such wild art
As on Parnassus rules, when lightning flies,
Visibly leading on the thunder's harmonies.

All that I saw returns upon my view, 10
All that I heard comes back upon my ear,
All that I felt this moment doth renew;
And where the foot with no unmanly fear
Recoiled--and wings alone could travel--there
I move at ease; and meet contending themes 15
That press upon me, crossing the career
Of recollections vivid as the dreams
Of midnight,--cities, plains, forests, and mighty streams.

Where Mortal never breathed I dare to sit
Among the interior Alps, gigantic crew, 20
Who triumphed o'er diluvian power!--and yet
What are they but a wreck and residue,
Whose only business is to perish!--true
To which sad course, these wrinkled Sons of Time
Labour their proper greatness to subdue; 25
Speaking of death alone, beneath a clime
Where life and rapture flow in plenitude sublime.[JH]

Fancy hath flung for me an airy bridge
Across thy long deep Valley, furious Rhone!
Arch that _here_ rests upon the granite ridge 30
Of Monte Rosa--_there_ on frailer stone
Of secondary birth, the Jung-frau's cone;
And, from that arch, down-looking on the Vale
The aspect I behold of every zone;
A sea of foliage, tossing with the gale, 35
Blithe Autumn's purple crown, and Winter's icy mail!

Far as ST. MAURICE, from yon eastern FORKS,[JI]
Down the main avenue my sight can range:
And all its branchy vales, and all that lurks
Within them, church, and town, and hut, and grange, 40
For my enjoyment meet in vision strange;
Snows, torrents;--to the region's utmost bound,
Life, Death, in amicable interchange;--
But list! the avalanche--the hush profound
That follows--yet more awful than that awful sound![572] 45

Is not the chamois suited to his place?
The eagle worthy of her ancestry?
--Let Empires fall; but ne'er shall Ye disgrace
Your noble birthright, ye that occupy
Your council-seats beneath the open sky,[JJ] 50
On Sarnen's Mount,[JK] there judge of fit and right,
In simple democratic majesty;
Soft breezes fanning your rough brows--the might
And purity of nature spread before your sight!

From this appropriate Court, renowned LUCERNE 55
Calls[573] me to pace her honoured Bridge[JL]--that cheers
The Patriot's heart with pictures rude and stern,
An uncouth Chronicle of glorious years.
Like portraiture, from loftier source, endears
That work of kindred frame, which spans the lake 60
Just at the point of issue, where it fears
The form and motion of a stream to take;
Where it begins to stir, _yet_ voiceless as a snake.[JM]

Volumes of sound, from the Cathedral rolled,
This long-roofed Vista penetrate--but see, 65
One after one, its tablets, that unfold
The whole design of Scripture history;
From the first tasting of the fatal Tree,
Till the bright Star appeared in eastern skies,
Announcing, ONE was born mankind to free; 70
His acts, his wrongs, his final sacrifice;
Lessons for every heart, a Bible for all eyes.

_Our_ pride misleads, our timid likings kill.
--Long may these homely Works devised of old,
These simple efforts of Helvetian skill, 75
Aid, with congenial influence, to uphold
The State,--the Country's destiny to mould;
Turning, for them who pass, the common dust
Of servile opportunity to gold;
Filling the soul with sentiments august-- 80
The beautiful, the brave, the holy, and the just!

No more; Time halts not in his noiseless march--
Nor turns, nor winds, as doth the liquid flood;
Life slips from underneath us, like that arch
Of airy workmanship whereon we stood,[574] 85
Earth stretched below, heaven in our neighbourhood.
Go forth, my little Book! pursue thy way;
Go forth, and please the gentle and the good;
Nor be a whisper stifled, if it say
That treasures, yet untouched, may grace some future Lay. 90

Mrs. Wordsworth's Journal of this Continental Tour contains the modest entry, made at "Paris, Monday, Oct. 2nd.--... I shall here close these very imperfect notices, commenced at D.'s request; and with a notion, on my part, that they might be useful when she wrote her Journal: but soon finding that, with such a view, mine was a superfluous labour, I should not have had the resolution to go on, except at Wm.'s desire, and from the feeling that my Daughter, and perhaps her brothers, might one day find pleasure, should they ever have the good fortune to trace our steps, in recognising objects their Mother had seen."

See Dorothy Wordsworth's Itinerary of the Tour (Note A), in the Appendix to this volume.--ED.

VARIANTS:

[Footnote 572: 1827.

... heart-striking sound!
Tumult by prompt repose and awful silence crown'd! 1822.
]

[Footnote 573: 1827.

Leads ... 1822.
]

[Footnote 574: 1827.

And those surrounding Mountains--but no more;
Time creepeth softly as the liquid flood;
Life slips from underneath us, like the floor
Of that wide rainbow-arch whereon we stood, 1822.
]

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote JH: In the third of the Desultory Stanzas I am indebted to Mr. Raymond, who has written with genuine feeling on these subjects.--W. W. 1822.]

[Footnote JI: Les Fourches, the point at which the two chains of mountains part, that enclose the Valais, which terminates at St. Maurice.--W. W. 1822.

At the head of the Vallais.--W. W. 1827.]

[Footnote JJ: Compare the sonnet _Tynwald Hill_, in the "Poems composed or suggested during a Tour in the Summer of 1833."--ED.]

[Footnote JK: In the edition of 1822 there is the following note, the reference being to "Ye who convoked in Sarnen occupy," a reading which does not occur in that or in any other edition.--ED.

Sarnen, one of the two Capitals of the Canton of Underwalden; the spot here alluded to is close to the town, and is called the Landenberg, from the Tyrant of that name, whose chateau formerly stood there. On the 1st of Jan. 1308, the great day which the confederated Heroes had chosen for the deliverance of their Country, all the Castles of the Governors were taken by force or stratagem; and the Tyrants themselves conducted, with their Creatures, to the frontiers, after having witnessed the destruction of their Strong-holds. From that time the Landenberg has been the place where the Legislators of this division of the Canton assemble. The site, which is well described by Ebel, is one of the most beautiful in Switzerland.--W. W. 1822.

"Sarnen, Aug. 14.--... The buildings we have been to visit are Government Houses. There all business relating to the canton is transacted. The meetings are sometimes held in the open air: a green area is set apart, with steps around for this purpose. Marks to shoot at, bowls, etc., are here ready, for the days of festival," etc. (Mrs. Wordsworth's Journal.)]

[Footnote JL: The Bridges of Lucerne are roofed, and open at the sides, so that the Passenger has, at the same time, the benefit of shade, and a view of the magnificent Country. The Pictures are attached to the rafters; those from Scripture History on the Cathedral-bridge, amount, according to my notes, to 240. Subjects from the Old Testament face the Passenger as he goes towards the Cathedral, and those from the New as he returns. The pictures on these Bridges, as well as those in most other parts of Switzerland, are not to be spoken of as works of art; but they are instruments admirably answering the purpose for which they were designed.--W. W. 1822.

"Lucerne, 16th Aug.--... Crossed, at the outlet of the Lake, the _long covered Bridge_, along the roof of which are 240 Paintings from the Scriptures: Subjects from the Old Testament face you, as you walk one way, and from the New as you return. Two other bridges of the same kind, the Chapel-bridge, with paintings from Swiss history. Fine views from the Bridge of the Lake, and mountains," etc. (Mrs. Wordsworth's Journal.)]

[Footnote JM: Compare _The Idiot Boy_, ll. 405-6--

The little birds began to stir,
Though yet their tongues were still.

ED.
]