PREFACE TO THE FOURTH VOLUME.
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he poems included in this volume consist of thirteen longer or moreimportant works, written at various periods between June, 1816, andOctober, 1821; of eight occasional pieces (_Poems of July-September_,1816), written in 1816; and of another collection of occasional pieces(_Poems_ 1816-1823), written at intervals between November, 1816, andSeptember, 1823. Of this second group of minor poems five are nowprinted and published for the first time. The volume is not co-extensive with the work of the period. The thirdand fourth cantos of _Childe Harold_ (1816-1817), the first five cantosof _Don Juan_ (1818, 1819, 1820), _Sardanapalus_, _The Two Foscari_,_Cain_, and _Heaven and Earth_ (1821), form parts of other volumes, but,in spite of these notable exceptions, the fourth volume contains thework of the poet's maturity, which is and must ever remain famous. Byronwas not content to write on one kind of subject, or to confine himselfto one branch or species of poetry. He tracked the footsteps now of thismaster poet, now of another, far outstripping some of his models; soonspent in the pursuit of others. Even in his own lifetime, and in theheyday of his fame, his friendliest critics, who applauded him to theecho, perceived that the "manifold motions" of his versatile andunsleeping talent were not always sanctioned or blessed by his genius.Hence the unevenness of his work, the different values of this or thatpoem. But, even so, in width of compass, in variety of style, and inmeasure of success, his achievement was unparalleled. Take such poems as_Manfred_ or _Mazeppa_, which have left their mark on the literature ofEurope; as _Beppo_, the _avant courrier_ of _Don Juan_, or the"inimitable" _Vision of Judgment_, which the "hungry generations" havenot trodden down or despoiled of its freshness. Not one of these poemssuggests or resembles the other, but each has its crowd of associations,a history and almost a literature of its own. The whole of this volume was written on foreign soil, in Switzerland orItaly, and, putting aside _The Dream_, _The Monody on the Death ofSheridan_, _The Irish Avatar_, and _The Blues_, the places, the personsand events, the _matériel_ of the volume as a whole, to say nothing ofthe style and metre of the poems, are derived from the history and theliterature of Switzerland and Southern Europe. An unwilling, at times avindictive exile, he did more than any other poet or writer of his ageto familiarize his own countrymen with the scenery, the art and lettersof the Continent, and, conversely, to make the existence of Englishliterature, or, at least, the writings of one Englishman, known toFrenchmen and Italians; to the Teuton and the Slav. If he "taught uslittle" as prophet or moralist; as a guide to knowledge; as an educatorof the general reader--"your British blackguard," as he was pleased tocall him--his teaching and influence were "in widest commonalty spread." Questions with regard to his personality, his morals, his theologicalopinions, his qualifications as an artist, his grammar, his technique,and so forth, have, perhaps inevitably, absorbed the attention of friendand foe, and the one point on which all might agree has been overlooked,namely, the fact that he taught us a great deal which it is desirableand agreeable to know--which has passed into common knowledge throughthe medium of his poetry. It is true that he wrote his plays and poemsat lightning speed, and that if he was at pains to correct some obviousblunders, he expended but little labour on picking his phrases orpolishing his lines; but it is also true that he read widely and studieddiligently, in order to prepare himself for an outpouring of verse, andthat so far from being a superficial observer or inaccurate recorder,his authority is worth quoting in questions of fact and points ofdetail. The appreciation of poetry is a matter of taste, and still more oftemperament. Readers cannot be coerced into admiration, or scolded intodisapproval and contempt. But if they are willing or can be persuaded toread with some particularity and attention the writings of theillustrious dead, not entirely as partisans, or with the view todethroning other "Monarchs of Parnassus," they will divine the secret oftheir fame, and will understand, perhaps recover, the "first rapture" ofcontemporaries. Byron sneered and carped at Southey as a "scribbler of all works." Hewas himself a reader of all works, and without some measure ofbook-learning and not a little research the force and significance ofhis various numbers are weakened or obliterated. It is with the hope of supplying this modicum of book-learning that theIntroductions and notes in this and other volumes have been compiled. I desire to acknowledge, with thanks, the courteous response of Mons. J.Capré, Commandant of the Castle of Chillon, to a letter of inquiry withregard to the "Souterrains de Chillon." I have to express my gratitude to Sir Henry Irving, to Mr. JosephKnight, and to Mr. F. E. Taylor, for valuable information concerning thestage representation of _Manfred_ and _Marino Faliero_. I am deeply indebted to Dr. Richard Garnett, C.B., and to my friend, Mr.Thomas Hutchinson, for assistance in many important particulars duringthe construction of the volume. I must also record my thanks to Mr. Oscar Browning, Mr. JoscelineCourtenay, and other correspondents, for information and assistance inpoints of difficulty. I have consulted and derived valuable information from the followingworks: _The Prisoner of Chillon_, etc., by the late Professor Kölbing;_Mazeppa_, by Dr. Englaender; _Marino Faliero avanti il Dogado_ and _LaCongiura_ (published in the _Nuovo Archivio Veneto_), by Signor VittorioLazzarino; and _Selections from the Poetry of Lord Byron_, by Dr. F. I.Carpenter of Chicago, U.S.A. I take the opportunity of expressing my acknowledgments to Miss K.Schlesinger, Miss De Alberti, and to Signor F. Bianco, for their ableand zealous services in the preparation of portions of the volume. On behalf of the publisher I beg to acknowledge the kindness of Captainthe Hon. F. L. King Noel, in sanctioning the examination and collationof the MS. of _Beppo_, now in his possession; and of Mrs. Horace Pym ofFoxwold Chace, for permitting the portrait of Sheridan by Sir JoshuaReynolds to be reproduced for this volume.
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