[353:1] First published in the Morning Post, November 24, 1800: reprinted in Letters from the Lake Poets, 1889, p. 16. It is probable that these lines, sent in a letter to Daniel Stuart (Editor of the Morning Post), dated October 7, 1800, were addressed to Mrs. Robinson, who was a frequent contributor of verses signed 'Sappho'. A sequence of Sonnets entitled 'Sappho to Phaon' is included in the collected edition of her Poems, 1806, iii. 63-107.

THE TWO ROUND SPACES ON THE TOMBSTONE[353:2]

The Devil believes that the Lord will come,
 Stealing a march without beat of drum,
 [354]About the same time that he came last,
 On an Old Christmas-day in a snowy blast:
 Till he bids the trump sound neither body nor soul stirs, 5
 For the dead men's heads have slipt under their bolsters.
Oh! ho! brother Bard, in our churchyard,
 Both beds and bolsters are soft and green;
 Save one alone, and that's of stone,
 And under it lies a Counsellor keen. 10
 'Twould be a square tomb, if it were not too long;
 And 'tis fenced round with irons sharp, spear-like, and strong.
This fellow from Aberdeen hither did skip
 With a waxy face and a blubber lip,
 [355]And a black tooth in front, to show in part 15
 What was the colour of his whole heart.
 This Counsellor sweet,
 This Scotchman complete,
 (The Devil scotch him for a snake!)
 I trust he lies in his grave awake. 20
 On the sixth of January,
 When all around is white with snow,
 As a Cheshire yeoman's dairy,
 Brother Bard, ho! ho! believe it, or no,
 On that stone tomb to you I'll show 25
 Two round spaces void of snow.
 I swear by our Knight, and his forefathers' souls,
 That in size and shape they are just like the holes
 In the house of privity
 Of that ancient family. 30
 On those two places void of snow,
 There have sat in the night for an hour or so,
 Before sunrise, and after cock-crow,
 He kicking his heels, she cursing her corns,
 All to the tune of the wind in their horns, 35
 The Devil and his Grannam,
 With a snow-blast to fan 'em;
 Expecting and hoping the trumpet to blow,
 For they are cock-sure of the fellow below!

1800.

FOOTNOTES:

[353:2] First published in the Morning Post, December 4, 1800: reprinted in Fraser's Magazine both in February and in May, 1833, and in Payne Collier's Old Man's Diary, i. 35. First collected in P. W., 1834, with the following Prefatory Note:—'See the apology for the "Fire, Famine, and Slaughter", in first volume. This is the first time the author ever published these lines. He would have been glad, had they perished; but they have now been printed repeatedly in magazines, and he is told that the verses will not perish. Here, therefore, they are owned, with a hope that they will be taken—as assuredly they were composed—in mere sport.' These lines, which were directed against Sir James Mackintosh, were included in a letter to [Sir] Humphry Davy, dated October 9, 1800. There is a MS. version in the British Museum in the handwriting of R. Heber, presented by him to J. Mitford. Mr. Campbell questions the accuracy of Coleridge's statement with regard to his never having published the poem on his own account. But it is possible that Davy may have sent the lines to the Press without Coleridge's authority. Daniel Stuart, the Editor of the Morning Post, in the Gentleman's Magazine for May, 1838, says that 'Coleridge sent one [poem] attacking Mackintosh, too obviously for me not to understand it, and of course it was not published. Mackintosh had had one of his front teeth broken and the stump was black'. Stuart remembered that the lines attacking his brother-in-law had been suppressed, but forgot that he had inserted the rest of the poem. The poem as printed in 1893, despite the heading, does not follow the text of the Morning Post.

LINENOTES:

Title] Skeltoniad (To be read in the Recitative Lilt) MS. Letter: The Two Round Spaces; A Skeltoniad M. P.

[1]

The Devil believes the Fraser (1).

[3]

time] hour MS. Letter, M. P., Fraser (1), Collier. At the same hour MS. H.

[4]

an Old] a cold Fraser (1): On Old MS. H.

[5]

neither] nor MS. Letter, M. P.: Till he bids the trump blow nor Fraser (2): Till the trump then shall sound no Collier: Until that time not a body or MS. H.

[6]

their] the Collier.

[7]

Oh! ho!] Ho! Ho! M. P., MS. H.: Oho Fraser (1). Brother Collier. our] our MS. Letter.

[8]

Both bed and bolster Fraser (2). The graves and bolsters MS. H.

[9]

Except one alone MS. H.

[10]

under] in Fraser (2).

[11]

This tomb would be square M. P.: 'Twould be a square stone if it were not so long Fraser (1). It would be square MS. H. tomb] grave Collier.

[12]

And 'tis railed round with iron tall M. P.: And 'tis edg'd round with iron Fraser (1): 'Tis fenc'd round with irons tall Fraser (2): And 'tis fenc'd round with iron tall Collier. 'tis] its MS. H.

[13-20]

om. M. P.

[13]

From Aberdeen hither this fellow MS. Letter. hither] here Fraser (2).

[14]

blubber] blabber MS. Letter, Fraser (1), (2), MS. H.

[15]

in front] before MS. H.

[17]

Counsellor] lawyer so MS. H.

[19]

The Devil] Apollyon MS. Letter. scotch] scotch Collier.

[20]

trust] hope Collier.] (A humane wish) Note in MS. Letter.

[21]

sixth] seventh M. P., Collier: fifth MS. H.

[22]

When all is white both high and low MS. Letter, M. P., Fraser (2), Collier, MS. H.: When the ground All around Is as white as snow Fraser (1).

[23]

As] Or Fraser (1): Like MS. H.

[24]

ho! ho!] oho! Fraser (1). it] me M. P.

[25]

stone] tall MS. Letter, M. P., Fraser (2), Collier. On the stone to you MS. H.

[25-6]

om. Fraser (1).

Between 25-6 After sunset and before cockcrow M. P. Before sunrise and after cockcrow Fraser (2).

[26]

void] clear M. P.

[27]

I swear by the might Of the darkness of night, I swear by the sleep of our forefathers' souls Fraser (1). souls] soul MS. H.

[26-8]

om. Fraser (2).

[28]

Both in shape and size MS. Letter: Both in shape and in size M. P.: That in shape and size they resembled Fraser (1), Collier: That in shape and size they are just like the Hole MS. H.

[29]

In the large house M. P.

[29-30]
In mansions not seen by the general eye
 Of that right ancient family.

Fraser (1).

[31]

two] round MS. Letter. places] spaces Collier, MS. H. void] clear M. P.

[32]

Have sat Fraser (1), (2): There have sat for an hour MS. H.

[33]

om. MS. Letter, M. P.

[36]

Devil] De'il M. P.

[37]

With the snow-drift M. P.: With a snow-blast to fan MS. Letter.

[38]

Expecting and wishing the trumpet would blow Collier.

THE SNOW-DROP[356:1]

1
Fear no more, thou timid Flower!
 Fear thou no more the winter's might,
 The whelming thaw, the ponderous shower,
 The silence of the freezing night!
 Since Laura murmur'd o'er thy leaves 5
 The potent sorceries of song,
 To thee, meek Flowret! gentler gales
 And cloudless skies belong.
2
Her eye with tearful meanings fraught,
 She gaz'd till all the body mov'd 10
 Interpreting the Spirit's thought—
 The Spirit's eager sympathy
 [357]Now trembled with thy trembling stem,
 And while thou droopedst o'er thy bed,
 With sweet unconscious sympathy 15
 Inclin'd the drooping head.[357:1]
3
She droop'd her head, she stretch'd her arm,
 She whisper'd low her witching rhymes,
 Fame unreluctant heard the charm,
 And bore thee to Pierian climes! 20
 Fear thou no more the Matin Frost
 That sparkled on thy bed of snow;
 For there, mid laurels ever green,
 Immortal thou shalt blow.
4
Thy petals boast a white more soft, 25
 The spell hath so perfuméd thee,
 That careless Love shall deem thee oft
 A blossom from his Myrtle tree.
 Then, laughing at the fair deceit,
 Shall race with some Etesian wind 30
 [358]To seek the woven arboret
 Where Laura lies reclin'd.
5
All them whom Love and Fancy grace,
 When grosser eyes are clos'd in sleep,
 The gentle spirits of the place 35
 Waft up the insuperable steep,
 On whose vast summit broad and smooth
 Her nest the Phœnix Bird conceals,
 And where by cypresses o'erhung
 The heavenly Lethe steals. 40
6
A sea-like sound the branches breathe,
 Stirr'd by the Breeze that loiters there;
 And all that stretch their limbs beneath,
 Forget the coil of mortal care.
 Strange mists along the margins rise, 45
 To heal the guests who thither come,
 And fit the soul to re-endure
 Its earthly martyrdom.
7*
The margin dear to moonlight elves
 Where Zephyr-trembling Lilies grow, 50
 And bend to kiss their softer selves
 That tremble in the stream below:—
 There nightly borne does Laura lie
 A magic Slumber heaves her breast:
 Her arm, white wanderer of the Harp, 55
 Beneath her cheek is prest.
8*
The Harp uphung by golden chains
 Of that low wind which whispers round,
 With coy reproachfulness complains,
 In snatches of reluctant sound: 60
 The music hovers half-perceiv'd,
 And only moulds the slumberer's dreams;
 Remember'd Loves relume her cheek
 With Youth's returning gleams.

1800.

FOOTNOTES:

[356:1] First published in P. W., 1893. The two last stanzas[*] were omitted as 'too imperfect to print'. The MS. bears the following heading: Lines written immediately after the perusal of Mrs. Robinson's Snow Drop.

To the Editor of the Morning Post.

Sir,

I am one of your many readers who have been highly gratified by some extracts from Mrs. Robinson's 'Walsingham': you will oblige me by inserting the following lines [sic] immediately on the perusal of her beautiful poem 'The Snow Drop'.—Zagri.

The 'Lines' were never sent or never appeared in the Morning Post.

To the Snow Drop.

1
Fear thou no more the wintry storm,
 Sweet Flowret, blest by Laura's song:
 She gaz'd upon thy slender form,
 The mild Enchantress gaz'd so long;
 That trembling as she saw thee droop,
 Poor Trembler! o'er thy snowy bed,
 With imitation's sympathy
 She too inclin'd her head.
2
She droop'd her head, she stretch'd her arm,
 She whisper'd low her witching rhymes:
 A gentle Sylphid heard the charm,
 And bore thee to Pierian climes!
 Fear thou no more the sparkling Frost,
 The Tempest's Howl, the Fog-damp's gloom:
 For thus mid laurels evergreen
 Immortal thou shalt bloom!
3 [Stanza 2]
With eager feelings unreprov'd
With steady eye and brooding thought
Her eye with tearful meanings fraught,
My Fancy saw her gaze at thee
She gaz'd till all the body mov'd
Till all the moving body caught,
Interpreting, the Spirit's sympathy—
The Spirit's eager sympathy
Now trembled with thy trembling stem,
And while thou drooped'st o'er thy bed,
With sweet unconscious sympathy
Inclin'd 
 
 
her portraiture
the drooping head.

First draft of Stanzas 1-3. MS. S. T. C.

[357:1] The second stanza of Mrs. Robinson's ('Perdita') 'Ode to the Snow-drop' runs thus:

All weak and wan, with head inclin'd,
 Its parent-breast the drifted snow,
 It trembles, while the ruthless wind
 Bends its slim form; the tempest lowers,
 Its em'rald eye drops crystal show'rs
 On its cold bed below.

The Poetical Works of the late Mrs. Mary Robinson, 1806, i. 123.

LINENOTES:

[36]

insuperable] unvoyageable MS. erased.

[53-4]
Along that marge does Laura lie
 Full oft where Slumber heaves her breast

MS. erased.

[64]
With Beauty's morning gleams

MS. erased.

ON REVISITING THE SEA-SHORE[359:1]

AFTER LONG ABSENCE, UNDER STRONG MEDICAL RECOMMENDATION
NOT TO BATHE

God be with thee, gladsome Ocean!
 How gladly greet I thee once more!
 Ships and waves, and ceaseless motion,
 And men rejoicing on thy shore.
Dissuading spake the mild Physician, 5
 'Those briny waves for thee are Death!'
 But my soul fulfilled her mission,
 And lo! I breathe untroubled breath!
Fashion's pining sons and daughters,
 That seek the crowd they seem to fly, 10
 Trembling they approach thy waters;
 And what cares Nature, if they die?
Me a thousand hopes and pleasures
 A thousand recollections bland,
 Thoughts sublime, and stately measures, 15
 Revisit on thy echoing strand:
Dreams (the Soul herself forsaking),
 Tearful raptures, boyish mirth;
 Silent adorations, making
 A blessed shadow of this Earth! 20
[360]O ye hopes, that stir within me,
 Health comes with you from above!
 God is with me, God is in me!
 I cannot die, if Life be Love.

August, 1801.

FOOTNOTES:

[359:1] First published in the Morning Post (signed Εστησε), September 15, 1801: included in the Sibylline Leaves, 1817, 1828, 1829, and 1834. The lines were sent in an unpublished letter to Southey dated August 15, 1801. An autograph MS. is in the possession of Miss Arnold of Foxhow.

LINENOTES:

Title] A flowering weed on the sweet Hill of Poesy MS. Letter, 1801: Ode After Bathing in the Sea, Contrary to Medical Advice M. P. After bathing in the Sea at Scarborough in company with T. Hutchinson. Aug. 1801 MS. A.

[3]

ceaseless] endless MS. Letter, M. P., MS. A.

[4]

men] life MS. Letter, M. P., MS. A.

[5]
Gravely said the 
 
 
mild MS. A.
sage Physician MS. Letter:
 
Mildly said the mild Physician M. P.
[6]

To bathe me on thy shores were death MS. Letter, M. P., MS. A.

[10]

That love the city's gilded sty MS. Letter, M. P., MS. A.

[13]

hopes] loves MS. Letter, MS. A.

[16]

echoing] sounding MS. Letter, M. P., MS. A.

[18]

Grief-like transports MS. Letter, M. P., MS. A.

ODE TO TRANQUILLITY[360:1]

Tranquillity! thou better name
 Than all the family of Fame!
 Thou ne'er wilt leave my riper age
 To low intrigue, or factious rage;
 For oh! dear child of thoughtful Truth, 5
 To thee I gave my early youth,
 And left the bark, and blest the steadfast shore,
 Ere yet the tempest rose and scared me with its roar.
Who late and lingering seeks thy shrine,
 On him but seldom, Power divine, 10
 Thy spirit rests! Satiety
 And Sloth, poor counterfeits of thee,
 [361]Mock the tired worldling. Idle Hope
 And dire Remembrance interlope,
 To vex the feverish slumbers of the mind: 15
 The bubble floats before, the spectre stalks behind.
But me thy gentle hand will lead
 At morning through the accustomed mead;
 And in the sultry summer's heat
 Will build me up a mossy seat; 20
 And when the gust of Autumn crowds,
 And breaks the busy moonlight clouds,
 Thou best the thought canst raise, the heart attune,
 Light as the busy clouds, calm as the gliding moon.
The feeling heart, the searching soul, 25
 To thee I dedicate the whole!
 And while within myself I trace
 The greatness of some future race,
 Aloof with hermit-eye I scan
 The present works of present man— 30
 A wild and dream-like trade of blood and guile,
 Too foolish for a tear, too wicked for a smile!

1801.

FOOTNOTES:

[360:1] First published in the Morning Post (with two additional stanzas at the commencement of the poem), December 4, 1801: reprinted in The Friend (without heading or title), No. 1, Thursday, June 1, 1809: included in Sibylline Leaves, 1817, 1828, 1829, and 1834. The stanzas were not indented in the Morning Post or The Friend.

LINENOTES:

Title] Vix ea nostra voco M. P.

Before 1

What Statesmen scheme and Soldiers work,
 Whether the Pontiff or the Turk,
 Will e'er renew th' expiring lease
 Of Empire; whether War or Peace
 Will best play off the Consul's game;
 What fancy-figures, and what name
 Half-thinking, sensual France, a natural Slave,
 On those ne'er-broken Chains, her self-forg'd Chains, will grave;
Disturb not me! Some tears I shed
 When bow'd the Swiss his noble head;
 Since then, with quiet heart have view'd
 Both distant Fights and Treaties crude,
 Whose heap'd up terms, which Fear compels,
 (Live Discord's green Combustibles,
 And future Fuel of the funeral Pyre)
 Now hide, and soon, alas! will feed the low-burnt Fire.

M. P.

[8]

tempest] storm-wind M. P.

[15]

To] And The Friend, 1809. slumbers] slumber M. P., The Friend.

[17]

thy gentle hand] the power Divine M. P.

[21]

Autumn] Summer M. P.

[23]

The best the thoughts will lift M. P.

[26]

thee] her M. P.

[28]

some] a M. P.

[29]

hermit] hermit's M. P.

TO ASRA[361:1]

Are there two things, of all which men possess,
 That are so like each other and so near,
 As mutual Love seems like to Happiness?
 Dear Asra, woman beyond utterance dear!
 This Love which ever welling at my heart, 5
 Now in its living fount doth heave and fall,
 Now overflowing pours thro' every part
 Of all my frame, and fills and changes all,
 Like vernal waters springing up through snow,
 [362]This Love that seeming great beyond the power 10
 Of growth, yet seemeth ever more to grow,
 Could I transmute the whole to one rich Dower
 Of Happy Life, and give it all to Thee,
 Thy lot, methinks, were Heaven, thy age, Eternity!

1801.

FOOTNOTES: