About midnight we were
suddenly
roused by the
roar of a lion close to our tents.
roar of a lion close to our tents.
Tennyson
, xvii.
, 13.
]
[Footnote 7: The reference is to Dante, 'Inferno', v. 121-3:--
Nessun maggior dolore
Che ricordarsi del tempo felice
Nella miseria.
For the pedigree and history of this see the present editor's
'Illustrations of Tennyson', p. 63. ]
[Footnote 8: The epithet "dreary" shows that Tennyson preferred
realistic picturesqueness to dramatic propriety. ]
[Footnote 9: See the introductory note to 'The Golden Year'. ]
[Footnote 10: See the introductory note to 'The Golden Year'. ]
[Footnote 11: Tennyson said that this simile was suggested by a passage
in 'Pringle's Travels;' the incident only is described, and with
thrilling vividness, by Pringle; but its application in simile is
Tennyson's. See 'A Narrative of a Residence in South Africa', by Thomas
Pringle, p. 39:
"The night was extremely dark and the rain fell so heavily that in
spite of the abundant supply of dry firewood, which we had luckily
provided, it was not without difficulty that we could keep one
watchfire burning. . . .
About midnight we were suddenly roused by the
roar of a lion close to our tents. It was so loud and tremendous that
for the moment I actually thought that a thunderstorm had burst upon
us. . . . We roused up the half-extinguished fire to a roaring blaze . . .
this unwonted display probably daunted our grim visitor, for he gave
us no further trouble that night. "]
[Footnote 12: With this 'cf'. Leopardi, 'Aspasia', 53-60:--
Non cape in quelle
Anguste fronti ugual concetto. E male
Al vivo sfolgora di quegli sguardi
Spera l'uomo ingannato, e mal chiede
Sensi profondi, sconosciuti, e molto
Piu che virili, in chi dell' uomo al tutto
Da natura e minor. Che se piu molli
E piu tenui le membra, essa la mente
Men capace e men forte anco riceve. ]
[Footnote 13: One wonders Tennyson could have had the heart to excise the
beautiful couplet which in his MS. followed this stanza.
All about a summer ocean, leagues on leagues of golden calm,
And within melodious waters rolling round the knolls of palm.
[Footnote 7: The reference is to Dante, 'Inferno', v. 121-3:--
Nessun maggior dolore
Che ricordarsi del tempo felice
Nella miseria.
For the pedigree and history of this see the present editor's
'Illustrations of Tennyson', p. 63. ]
[Footnote 8: The epithet "dreary" shows that Tennyson preferred
realistic picturesqueness to dramatic propriety. ]
[Footnote 9: See the introductory note to 'The Golden Year'. ]
[Footnote 10: See the introductory note to 'The Golden Year'. ]
[Footnote 11: Tennyson said that this simile was suggested by a passage
in 'Pringle's Travels;' the incident only is described, and with
thrilling vividness, by Pringle; but its application in simile is
Tennyson's. See 'A Narrative of a Residence in South Africa', by Thomas
Pringle, p. 39:
"The night was extremely dark and the rain fell so heavily that in
spite of the abundant supply of dry firewood, which we had luckily
provided, it was not without difficulty that we could keep one
watchfire burning. . . .
About midnight we were suddenly roused by the
roar of a lion close to our tents. It was so loud and tremendous that
for the moment I actually thought that a thunderstorm had burst upon
us. . . . We roused up the half-extinguished fire to a roaring blaze . . .
this unwonted display probably daunted our grim visitor, for he gave
us no further trouble that night. "]
[Footnote 12: With this 'cf'. Leopardi, 'Aspasia', 53-60:--
Non cape in quelle
Anguste fronti ugual concetto. E male
Al vivo sfolgora di quegli sguardi
Spera l'uomo ingannato, e mal chiede
Sensi profondi, sconosciuti, e molto
Piu che virili, in chi dell' uomo al tutto
Da natura e minor. Che se piu molli
E piu tenui le membra, essa la mente
Men capace e men forte anco riceve. ]
[Footnote 13: One wonders Tennyson could have had the heart to excise the
beautiful couplet which in his MS. followed this stanza.
All about a summer ocean, leagues on leagues of golden calm,
And within melodious waters rolling round the knolls of palm.
