CHILDE HAROLD'S PILGRIMAGE
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A ROMAUNT_. "L'univers est une espece de livre, dont on n'a lu que lapremiere page quand on n'a vu que son pays. J'en ai feuillete unassez grand nombre, que j'ai trouve egalement mauvaises. Cetexamen ne m'a point ete infructueux. Je haissais ma patrie. Toutesles impertinences des peuples divers, parmi lesquels j'ai vecu,m'ont reconcilie avec elle. Quand je n'aurais tire d'autrebenefice de mes voyages que celui-la, je n'en regretterais ni lesfrais ni les fatigues."--_Le Cosmopolite, ou, le Citoyen duMonde_, par Fougeret de Monbron. Londres, 1753. PREFACE [a] [TO THE FIRST AND SECOND CANTOS.] The following poem was written, for the most part, amidst the sceneswhich it attempts[b] to describe. It was begun in Albania; and the partsrelative to Spain and Portugal were composed from the author'sobservations in those countries. Thus much it may be necessary to statefor the correctness of the descriptions. The scenes attempted to besketched are in Spain, Portugal, Epirus, Acarnania and Greece. There,for the present, the poem stops: its reception will determine whetherthe author may venture to conduct his readers to the capital of theEast, through Ionia and Phrygia: these two cantos are merelyexperimental. A fictitious character is introduced for the sake of giving someconnection to the piece; which, however, makes no pretension toregularity. It has been suggested to me by friends, on whose opinions Iset a high value,[c]--that in this fictitious character, "ChildeHarold," I may incur the suspicion of having intended some realpersonage: this I beg leave, once for all, to disclaim--Harold is thechild of imagination, for the purpose I have stated. In some very trivial particulars, and those merely local, there mightbe grounds for such a notion;[d] but in the main points, I should hope,none whatever.[e] It is almost superfluous to mention that the appellation "Childe,"[2] as"Childe Waters," "Childe Childers," etc., is used as more consonant withthe old structure of versification which I have adopted. The "GoodNight" in the beginning of the first Canto, was suggested by LordMaxwell's "Good Night"[3] in the _Border Minstrelsy_, edited by Mr.Scott. With the different poems[4] which have been published on Spanishsubjects, there may be found some slight coincidence[f] in the firstpart, which treats of the Peninsula, but it can only be casual; as, withthe exception of a few concluding stanzas, the whole of the poem waswritten in the Levant. The stanza of Spenser, according to one of our most successful poets,admits of every variety. Dr. Beattie makes the following observation:-- "Not long ago I began a poem in the style and stanza of Spenser, inwhich I propose to give full scope to my inclination, and be eitherdroll or pathetic, descriptive or sentimental, tender or satirical, asthe humour strikes me; for, if I mistake not, the measure which I haveadopted admits equally of all these kinds of composition."[5]Strengthened in my opinion by such authority, and by the example of somein the highest order of Italian poets, I shall make no apology forattempts at similar variations in the following composition;[g]satisfied that, if they are unsuccessful, their failure must be in theexecution, rather than in the design sanctioned by the practice ofAriosto, Thomson, and Beattie. London, February, 1812.
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