Proserpine Midas T 00 Shel Rich
Proserpine Midas T 00 Shel Rich
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MIDAS
Two unpublished Mythological Dramas
by
MARY SHELLEY
by
A. KOSZUL
LONDON
HUMPHREY MILFORD
Uniform with volume, fcap 8vo, cloth, 3s. 6d. net.
this
Some of the volumes may be had on
Oxford India paper, 4s. 6d. net.
Exact Keprints except Shelley 1820, which is
necessarily corrected
Gray's Poems, 1768. Keats's Poems, 1820.
Burns's Poems, 1786. Poems, 1820.
Shelley's
Lyrical Ballads, 1798. Tennyson's Poems, 1842.
Wordsworth's Poems, 1807.
Browning's Men and Women, 1855.
Selections from the Poets
Collins's Poems. Edited by C. Stone.
The Lyrical Poems of Blake. Text by John
Sampson, introduction by Walter Raleigh.
Poems by John Clare. Edited by A. Symons.
Selected Poems of W. M. Praed. By A. D. Godley.
Select Poems of William Barnes. Chosen by
Thomas Hardy.
Poems of Clough. Edited by H. S. Milford.
Poems and Extracts chosen by Wordsworth. In-
trod. by H. LrrrLEDALE,and preface by J. R.Rees.
by
1
MARY SHELLEY
by
A. KOSZUL
LONDON
HUMPHREY MILFORD
1^22
PRINTED IN ENGLAND
AT THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
824.7
PREFATORY NOTE.
The editor came across the unpublished texts included
was long ago received from the late Dr. Garnett and
a 2
IV PREFATORY NOTE.
Strasbourg.
INTRODUCTION.
I.
1
Mrs. Marshall, The Life and Letters of Mary W. Shelley, i. 216.
2
Letter from Padua, 22 September 1818.
INTRODUCTION. IX
(July 1819) that she should try and give her paralysing
'
sorrow some literary expression, strike her pen into
some . genial subject
. . and bring up a fountain of
. . .
gentle tears for us '. But the poor childless mother could
only rehearse her complaint
'
to have won, and thus —
'
'
his wife testifies, read Latin till 2, when we dine ;
' '
She had thought of it at Marlow, as appears from her
2
Library in 1914.
3
Shelley's lyrics are also in his wife's writing Mr. Locock is —
surely mistaken in assuming two different hands to this manu-
script {The Poems of Percy Bysshe Shelley, Methuen, 1909, vol.
iii, p. xix).
XIV INTRODUCTION.
II.
Finally,
Fondness prevailed ;
mamma gave way ;
shining vengeance . . .
Even in Gray's
— '
Pindaric
Gray's treatment of
'
—
classicalthemes, there is a sort of pervading ennui, or
the forced appreciativeness of a gouty, disappointed man.
The daughter of Jove to whom he dedicates his hymns
'
too often Adversity \ And classical reminiscences
is
have, even with him, a dull musty tinge which recalls the
antiquarian in his Cambridge college-rooms rather than
the visitor to Florence and Rome. For one thing, his
allusions are toomany, and too transitory, to appear
anything but artistic tricks and verse-making tools.
' '
The Aegean deep', and Delphi's steep', and 'Mean-
'
der's amber waves ', and the rosy-crowned Loves ', are
INTRODUCTION. XV11
1
Modem Painters, iii. 317.
'
2
Sonnet The world is too much with '
us ; cf The Excursion,
.
3
iv. 851-87. The Piccolomini, n. iv.
b2
XX INTRODUCTION.
It is an
alluring subject to investigate. the How
* '
1
J.A. Symonds, Studies of the Greek Poets, ii, p. 258.
2
As pointed out by Brunetiere, Evolution de la Poesie lyrique,
ii, p. 147.
XX11 INTRODUCTION.
1
Edinb. Eev. t July 1808.
INTRODUCTION. XX111
1
Cf. our Shelley's Prose in the Bodleian MSS., 1910, p. 124.
"
a
From '
the Boscombe MSS. Unpublished.
XXIV INTRODUCTION.
to a Christian
1 '
1
c. ed. H. Buxton Forinan, p. 253,
1.
2
Demeter and Persephone, 1889 ; The Garden of Proserpine,
1866 ; The Appeasement of Demeter, 1888.
INTRODUCTION. XXIX
1
There
is one by poor Christopher Smart.
824.7
PROSERPINE.
b 2
DKAMATIS PERSONAE
Ceres.
Proserpine.
Iris. - - -
Scene ;
the plain of Enna, in Sicily,
PROSERPINE.
ACT I.
Of dread Apollo ;
or of Daphne's change, —
That coyest Grecian maid, whose pointed leaves
Its *
blossoms fade, — its tall fresh grasses droop,
1
There is an apostrophe on the 8.
A.CT I. PROSERPINE. 7
sight[.]
Kemember my commands.
(Exit Ceres.)
With which she scaled the heavens, and took her seat
1
MS. ntyUes.
ACT I. PROSERPINE. 9
1
MS. fawns
10 PROSERPINE. ACT I.
In the rocks ;
—with the spasm
All Erymanthus shook.
It unsealed behind
Oh, save me !
oh, guide me !
As an eagle pursueing
In Enna's mountains,
1
The intended place of the apostrophe is not clear.
8
MS. Ocean* foam as if a genitive was meant ; but cf. Ocean
foam in the Song of Apollo (Midas),
ACT I. PROSERPINE. 15
Of giant Etna :
—Nymphs, let us arise,
stars ;
—
ACT I. PROSERPINE. 17
To gather them ;
fear not — I will not stray.
1
MS. the bright gold fields.
18 PROSERPINE. ACT I.
(Exit.)
But where is
Proserpine ? Ino has strayed
Enter Ino.
Oh !
you here, Wanderer ! Where is Proserpine ?
With both the sight and sense through the high fern ;
Of hyacinths ;
and purple polianthus,
13, &c.
ACT I. PROSERPINE. -
21
Whose close, dark sides may hide her from our view :
—
Oh, dearest, haste ! Is that her snow-white robe ?
Eun. No ;
— 'tis a faun *
beside its sleeping Mother,
1
MS. faum.
22 PROSERPINE. ACT I.
(Exit Eunoe.)
Re-enter Eunoe.
(Exit.)
Enter Ceres.
Cer. Alas !
My boding heart,
— I dread the worst.
*
Let every dryad, every gamesome faun
glades,
ACT II.
Scene.
Enter Arethusa.
Dear Arethuse,
Enter Geres.
Oh !
never, dearest Proserpine, until
And bring it me ;
— I faint with heat and thirst.
Cer .
Arethusa, where ?
Tell me !
my heart beats quick, & hope and fear
And cried,
"
My Mother !
" —When she saw me near
She would have sprung from his detested arms,
"
Oh, Arethuse !
"
I hastened at her call —
But Pluto when he saw that aid was nigh,
Cer. (starting up) Is this thy doom, great Jove ? & shall
Hell's king
Enter Iris.
And shall once more your nymphs attend your steps ? [22]
1
MS. this isle ? —That drooped when you were lost,
ACT II. PROSERPINE. 35
*
Look at the branches of those chesnut trees,
And the soft clouds that float 'twixt earth and sky.
1
MS. Look at— the branches.
D 2
36 PROSERPINE. ACT II.
upper air !
Would make his words seem true which are most false[.]
Oh !
Mother, dearer to your child than light,
Than all the forms of this sweet earth & sky, [25]
(embraces her)
x
Great Queen of Tartarus, 'mid shadows dire,
Offspring of Hell,
—or in the silent groves
1
MS. mid.
42 PROSERPINE. ACT H.
THE END
MIDAS.
MIDAS.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE.
Immortals.
Apollo.
Bacchus.
Pan.
SlLENUS.
Tmolus, God of a Hill.
Fauns, &c.
Mortals.
Scene, Phrygia.
MIDAS.
ACT I.
Zopyr. Best
Tmolus. God Pan with his blithe pipe which the Fauns
love
We come, we come ;
Apol. And who art thou who dar'st among the Gods
And then if
vengeful Phoebus should command
But, hark !
Zopyrion, not a word of this ;
With —hold ! What were the last words that Midas said ?
Enter Asphalion,
Zopyr. Ah !
then, no matter :
—(turns away agitated.)
1
Another halting line. Cf. again, p. [47], 1. 3 :
p. [55], 1. 11
p. [59],
1. 1 ; p. [61], 1. 1 ; p. [64], 1. 14.
62 MIDAS. ACT I.
Asyh My friend,
The whole to me ;
— I will be still as death.
Zopyr. As death !
you know not what you say ;
fare-
well]
watching.)
m
Enter Bacchus,
824.7
66 MIDAS. ACT I.
Stray not ;
or leave your poor old foster-father
Bac. (to Midas.) To you I owe great thanks & will reward
Off with your crown, & shew the world the lie !
Bac. Midas I
[50]
Whatever it
may be, shall be fulfilled.
Midas. What [ ] may I choose from out the deep, rich mine
!
(Exeunt.)
Enter Midas
Mid. Gold !
glorious gold ! I am made up of gold !
Invaluable gold !
my dress is gold !
[53]
Wait till
my gold collects them round my throne ;
Of my gold-making hand !
Mid. Relief !
Bring me your copper coin, your brass,
A broad leaf for your feet —ye shall not wear [55]
Not as I — I am a God !
Look, dunce !
No more of this !
my appetite would say
pure gold !
Alas !
my fate ! 'tis gold I this peach is gold !
I will to rest :
—oh, miserable king !
I cannot walk ;
the weight of my gold soles
Who waits ?
Enter Lacon.
But perhaps the God may give that you may eat,
A linen dress ;
the heavy, dull, hard metal
"
Let poor king Midas bathe in the clear stream
Asph. Now we shall tend our flocks and reap our corn
shore,
Enter Lacon,
1
MS. as he walked.
G2
84 MIDAS. ACT II.
In joy ;
then having cast aside his robes
"
He cried, I'm free, I have got rid of gold."
"
Thou art not gold," he said —
Zopyr. But all this time —
Did you behold ? —Did he take off his crown ? —
Lacon* No :
— It was strange to see hini as he plunged
ACT II. MIDAS. 85
Hold tight his crown with his left hand the while.
seen.
Of coarsest texture ;
—those that erst he wore
Perhaps he is right ;
—know you, Zopyrion,
.
If that strange voice this morning spoke the truth ?
judge.
To get a peep.
—No more, 'tis he that comes.
FINIS.
Peacock's Memoirs of Shelley. Ed. H. F. B. Brett-
Smith.
Mary Wollstonecraft's Original Stories. With
six illustrations by Blake. Ed. by E. V. Lucas.
Prose
Kinglake's Eothen. Ed. by D. G. Hogarth.
Gait's Annals of the Parish. Ed. by G. S. Gordon.
Reade's AGood Fight. Introd. by Andrew Lang.
Cobbett's English Grammar. With an intro-
duction by H. L. Stephen.
Cobbett's Advice to Young Men. (From the
edition of 18129.)
Barrett's Heroine. Edited by Walter Raleigh.
The Hambledon Men. *
Nyren's Young Cricketer's
Tutor', with other matter. Ed. by E. V. Lucas.
Mrs. Inch bald's Simple Story. Introduction by
G. L. Strachey.
Lowell's Fireside Travels. Ed. E. V. Lucas.
Jowett's Theological Essays. Introd. by Lewis
Campbell. 2 vols.
Wordsworth's Tract on the Convention of Cintra,
1809. With an introduction by A. V. Dicey.
Curzon's Monasteries of the Levant. With an
introduction by D. G. Hogarth, and numerous
illustrations.