Questions tagged [lord-byron]
Questions about the works of the poet George Noel Gordon, 6th Baron Byron, better known as Lord Byron (1788 – 1824), or his life as a writer.
52
questions
2
votes
0
answers
71
views
Who is “very fond of bearing false witness” in Byron’s “Don Juan”?
Here’s a stanza from canto I of Byron’s Don Juan, published in 1819. The narrator has been surveying the talents (or lack thereof) of his fellow-poets, and comments:
Thou shalt not covet Mr. Sotheby’...
- 59.4k
3
votes
1
answer
231
views
In Lord Byron's "Don Juan," what was the lead character "half-smother'd" by?
This would be the character's first adventure. Julia, a married woman, became his mistress. Her husband, Don Alfonso, was told that she was cheating on him and ran into the bedroom, accompanied by ...
- 181
8
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Are Don Juan and Haidée both Greek, as this line in the poem seems to suggest?
Canto II of Don Juan contains the following, which I found absolutely hilarious:
They look upon each other, and their eyes
Gleam in the moonlight; and her white arm clasps
Round Juan’s head, and his ...
- 3,318
4
votes
2
answers
317
views
Did Lord Byron fluff his Greek in his poem beginning 'Maid of Athens, ere we part'?
One of Lord Byron's most famous poems appears, in the earliest editions of his works, under the simple title of 'Song', but is now more widely know by its first line, 'Maid of Athens, ere we part'. ...
- 1,088
4
votes
1
answer
137
views
What deeds are emblematized by the cypress and myrtle in Byron’s “The Bride of Abydos”?
Byron’s poem The Bride of Abydos (1813) begins:
Know ye the land where the cypress and myrtle
Are emblems of deeds that are done in their clime?
What deeds are these trees emblems of? What myth ...
- 59.4k
2
votes
2
answers
109
views
Antecedent of a pronoun in Byron's "The Bride of Abydos"
What is the antecedent of the pronoun they in the context below, from Byron's The Bride of Abydos, Canto I, stanza 5?
He is an Arab to my sight, *
Or Christian crouching in the fight. – (145)
But ...
- 853
2
votes
1
answer
143
views
Meaning of dashes and "no more" in Byron's "The Bride of Abydos"
I came across this verse in Canto I, stanza 5, of Byron's The Bride of Abydos:
That blood – he hath not heard – no more –
Can someone explain the use of the dashes here and the meaning of no more?
...
- 853
3
votes
2
answers
73
views
Meaning of "work me more annoy" in Byron's "The Bride of Abydos"
I am reading Byron's The Bride of Abydos and I came across this sentence in Canto I, stanza 5:
'Much I misdoubt this wayward boy
Will one day work me more annoy – (133)
How are we to understand the ...
- 853
2
votes
2
answers
51
views
Meaning of "let the old and weary sleep" in Byron's "The Bride of Abydos"
I am unsure about the meaning of a passage from Lord Byron's The Bride of Abydos (Canto I, stanza 3).
How are we to understand the sentence between dashes: let the old and weary sleep below?
What ...
- 853
3
votes
1
answer
44
views
Meaning of the word "award" in a stanza of Byron's "The Bride of Abydos"
I am reading a poem by Lord Byron: The Bride of Abydos and I am unsure about the meaning of the word award in Canto I, stanza 3, quoted below. Does it mean a sum of money such as a tip or does it have ...
- 853
5
votes
1
answer
556
views
Use of 'city' in Byron's poem "Darkness"
In his poem "Darkness", Lord Byron writes:
[...]
The crowd was famish'd by degrees; but two
Of an enormous city did survive,
And they were enemies: they met beside
[...]
Is Byron employing ...
- 1,217
3
votes
1
answer
185
views
Apostrophes at the beginning of stanzas in Byron's "The Giaour"
My question is about Byron's The Giaour and the opening apostrophe at the beginning of a stanza. For example:
'His floating robe around him folding,
Slow sweeps he through the columned aisle;
With ...
- 853
6
votes
1
answer
480
views
Why was John Keats called a poet “who was kill’d off by one critique”?
In Canto XI of Lord Byron’s magnificent work Don Juan, romantic poet Keats is mentioned as a poet
who was kill’d off by one critique.
Why he was referred to like that? And which critique was it?
- 1,621
7
votes
1
answer
896
views
The grammatical function of "Nor" without "Neither" or "Not" in poetry
I've seen a number of examples of poetry, where "nor" appears without a preceding negative. In these examples, I'm unsure of whether I'm meant to understand the sentence as:
"neither&...
- 125
1
vote
1
answer
331
views
What does this quote in Don Juan by Lord Byron mean? "Sweet is a legacy, and passing sweet The unexpected death of some old lady"
Sweet is a legacy, and passing sweet The unexpected death of some old lady
I saw this quote in C. S. Lewis's The Inner Ring and I'm having trouble figuring out what it means. What does this quote in ...
- 13