THE PENGUIN BOOK OF

Victorian Verse

Edited with an introduction and notes by

DANIEL KARLIN

ALLEN LANETHE PENGUIN PRESS

Contents

Preface xxixAcknowledgements xxxiIntroduction xxxiii

PRELUDE: TO VICTORIA(i) Anonymous

Queen Victoria (1837) 1(ii) Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-61)

from Crowned and Wedded (1840) 3(iii) Thomas Cooper (1805-92)

from The Purgatory of Suicides (1845) 4(iv) Alfred Tennyson (1809-92)

To the Queen (1851) 5(v) A. E. Housman (1859-1936)

1887 6(vi) Mary Montgomerie Lamb (1843-1905)

Victoria, 21 st June 1887 8(vii) Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)

V. R. 1819-1901 8

WILLIAM WORDSWORTH (1770-1850)1. 'Hark!'tis the Thrush, undaunted, undeprest' 112. Upon the Sight of the Portrait of a Female Friend 113. 'Near Anio's stream, I spied a gentle Dove' 114. 'So fair, so sweet, withal so sensitive' 125. On the Projected Kendal and Windermere Railway 136. 'The unremitting voice of nightly streams' 137. Sonnet (To an Octogenarian) 14

Vlll CONTENTS

WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR (1775-1864)8. 'Along this coast I led the vacant Hours' 159. 'Where alders rise up dark and dense' 15

10. 'The leaves are falling; so am I' 1511. To a Cyclamen 1612. Plays 1613. Cottage Left for London 1714. Malvolio 1715. The Duke of York's Statue 1816. 'I strove with none, for none was worth my strife' 18

WILLIAM STEWART ROSE (1775-1843)17. Sonnet ('On a December's morn, nor dim nor

dark') 19

EBENEZER ELLIOTT (1781-1849)18. British Rural Cottages in 1842 2019. Will It Rain? 2020. 'Not die? Who saith that Nature cannot die?' 21

LEIGH HUNT (1784-1859)21. The Fish, the Man, and the Spirit 2222. Rondeau ('Jenny kiss'd me when we met') 23

BRYAN WALLER PROCTER(1787-1874)

23. The Sexes 24

J O H N CLARE (1793-1864)24. The Gipsy Camp 2525. 'The red bagged bee on never weary wing' 2526. 'The thunder mutters louder and more loud' 2627. 'Look through the naked bramble and black

thorn' 2628. 'I am - yet what I am, none cares or knows' 2629. An Invite to Eternity 2730. The Shepherd Boy 28

CONTENTS ix

HENRY FRANCIS LYTE (1793-1847)31. Abide with Me 30

HARTLEY C O L E R I D G E (1796-1849)32. 'Think upon Death, 'tis good to think of Death' 323 3. The Larch Grove 3 2

JAMES HENRY (1798-1876)34. 'Breathe not a murmur thou of querulous' 3435. Man's Universal Hymn 3536. 'The human skull is of deceit' 4037. 'The son's a poor, wretched, unfortunate creature' 40

WILLIAM T H O M ( ? I 7 9 8 - I 8 4 8 )

38. Whisperings for the Unwashed 41

THOMAS H O O D (1799-1845)39. The Song of the Shirt 44

MARY HOWITT (1799-1888)40. The Dor-Hawk 47

SIR HENRY TAYLOR (1800-1886)41. To the Author's Wife 49

WILLIAM BARNES (1801-86)42. Evenen in the Village 5043. To Me 50

RICHARD HILL SANDYS (1801-92)44. The Schoolboy at Home 52

LETITIA ELIZABETH LANDON(1802-38)

45. Gossipping 5346. The Marriage Vow 5347. The Power of Words 54

X CONTENTS

THOMAS LOVELL B E D D O E S (1803-49)48. Dream-Pedlary 5549. A Night-Scene 5650. The Phantom-Wooer 5751. Song on the Water 5 852. The Slight and Degenerate Nature of Man 58

ROBERT STEPHEN HAWKER (1803-75)53. The Cornish Emigrant's Song 59

JAMES CLARENCE MANGAN (1803-49)54. Siberia 60

SAMUEL LAMAN BLANCHARD(1804-45)

55. A Song of Contradictions 62

R. E. EGERTON-WARBURTON (1804-91)5 6. Past and Present 64

CHARLES W H I T E H E A D (1804-62)57. 'A type of human life this forest old' 65

GEORGE OUTRAM (1805-56)58. The Annuity 66

ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING(1806-61)

59. Sonnets from the Portuguese 7160. The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim's Point 9361. Mother and Poet 10262. My Heart and I 106

THOMAS MILLER (1807-74)63. The Ant-Lion 109

CHARLES TURNER (1808-79)64. A Brilliant Day 112

CONTENTS xi

65. A Photograph on the Red Gold 11266. Joy Came from Heaven 11367. Wind on the Corn 11368. Welsh Lucy 114

EDWARD FITZGERALD (1809-83)69. Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam 115

T H O M A S G O R D O N H A K E (1809-95)70. Unrest 131

J O H N H A N M E R (1809-81)71. To an Eagle 13272. Poetry by the Way-Side 133

A L F R E D T E N N Y S O N (1809-92)73. The Lady of Shalott 13474. 'Break, break, break' 13975. Ulysses 14076. Tithonus 14277. Audley Court 14478. Morte d'Arthur 14779. The Eagle 155

SONGS FROM THE PRINCESS80. 'Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean' 15581. 'Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white' 15682. from In Memoriam 1578 3. The Charge of the Light Brigade 18684. from Maud 18885. In the Valley of Cauteretz 19186. The Voyage of Maeldune 19187. Crossing the Bar 196

A L F R E D D O M E T T (1811-87)88. Invisible Sights 198

W I L L I A M B E L L S C O T T (1811-90)89. The Witch's Ballad 19990. Silence 204

xii CONTENTS

WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY(1811-63)

91. The Three Sailors 205

ROBERT BROWNING (1812-89)92. My Last Duchess 20793. Waring 20994. The Bishop Orders His Tomb at Saint Praxed's

Church 21695. Home-Thoughts, from Abroad 22096. The Lost Leader 22197. Fra Lippo Lippi 22298. A Toccata of Galuppi's 23299. 'Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came' 234

100. Andrea del Sarto 241101. A Grammarian's Funeral 248102. Two in the Campagna 253103. Youth and Art 255104. Caliban upon Setebos 258105. Never the Time and the Place 266106. Pan and Luna 267107. Spring Song 270108. Prologue (to Asolando) 271109. Dubiety 272no. Speculative 273

ELIZA COOK (1812-89)i n . On Seeing a Bird-Catcher 274

EDWARD LEAR (1812-88)112. 'There was an Old Man with a beard' 275113. 'There was an Old Man in a tree' 276114. 'There was a Young Lady of Tyre' 276115. 'There was an Old Man who said, "Hush!" ' 277116. 'There was an Old Man of Cape Horn' 277117. 'There was an Old Person of Cromer' 278118. 'There was an Old Person of Troy' 278119. 'There was an Old Person of Tring' 279

CONTENTS xiii

120. 'There was an Old Man on some rocks' 279121. The Owl and the Pussy-Cat 280122. The Courtship of the Yonghy-Bonghy-B6 281

W. E. AYTOUN (1813-65)123. La Mort D'Arthur 285

CHARLOTTE BRONTE (1816-55)124. Diving 286125. On the Death of Emily Jane Bronte 286

SHIRLEY BROOKS (1816-74)126. The Mud-Fish 288

EMILY BRONTE (1818-48)127. Remembrance 289128. 'High waving heather 'neath stormy blasts

bending' 290129. 'The night is darkening round me' 291130. 'I'm happiest when most away' 291131. 'How still, how happy! those are words' 291132. 'Upon her soothing breast' 292133. 'No coward soul is mine' 293

EMILY BRONTE orCHARLOTTE BRONTE

134. 'Often rebuked, yet always back returning' 295

ARTHUR H U G H CLOUGH (1819-61)135. Amours de Voyage 296

GEORGE ELIOT (1819-80)136. Brother and Sister 338

ERNEST JONES (1819-68)137. The Factory Town 344

xiv CONTENTS

CHARLES KINGSLEY (1819-75)138. The Poetry of a Root Crop 348139. Airly Beacon 348140. A Lament 349141. The Last Buccaneer 349

ANNE BRONTE (1820-49)142. Song ('We know where deepest lies the snow') 351

ANNE EVANS (1820-70)143. Over! 352

JEAN INGELOW (1820-97)144. 'Wake, baillie, wake! the crafts are out' 353145. Loss and Waste 353

EBENEZER JONES (1820-60)146. High Summer 355147. The Poet's Death 355

MENELLA BUTE SMEDLEY (1820-77)148. A Bird's-Eye View 358

DORA GREENWELL (1821-82)149. A Scherzo 360150. A Valentine 361

FREDERICK LOCKER-LAMPSON(1821-95)

151. Beggars 362

MATTHEW ARNOLD (1822-88)152. The Sick King in Bokhara 3 64153. To Marguerite - Continued 372154. Resignation 373155. Dover Beach 380156. Lines Written in Kensington Gardens 381157. Revolutions 383

CONTENTS XV

158. Philomela 384159. Rugby Chapel 385160. Growing Old 391

ROBERT LEIGHTON (1822-69)161. The Bunch of Larks 393

ELIZA OGILVY (1822-1912)162. A Nightmare 395

WILLIAM J O H N S O N CORY (1823-92)163. Elite TI^, 'HpdKXeixe, xeov u.6pov [Heraclitus] 396

COVENTRY PATMORE (1823-96)164. The Wife's Tragedy 397165. Departure 398166. The Toys 399167. Magna Est Veritas 400168. A London Fete 400

WILLIAM BRIGHTY RANDS (1823-82)169. Lilliput Levee 402

WILLIAM CALDWELL ROSCOE(1823-59)

170. By the Seashore 407

WILLIAM ALLINGHAM (1824-89)171. 'By and by, we shall meet' 408172. Writing 408173. In Snow 408174. The Fairy King 409175. 'Everything passes and vanishes' 409

SYDNEY T H O M P S O N DOBELL(1824-74)

176. The Wounded 411177. The Botanist's Vision 411

XVI CONTENTS

WALTER C. SMITH (1824-1908)178. Found and Lost 413

ADELAIDE ANNE PROCTER (1825-64)179. Envy 422

HENRY SEPTIMUS SUTTON (1825-1901)180. Man 423181. Who Shall Deliver? 423182. A Love-Letter 423

M O R T I M E R COLLINS (1827-76)183. Hartley Coleridge 425

EMILY P F E I F F E R (1827-90)184. Triolet 428

ELIZABETH CHARLES (1828-96)FROM THE UNNAMED WOMEN

185. I ('The hand that might have drawn aside') 429

GEORGE M E R E D I T H (1828-1909)186. Modern Love 430

ARTHUR MUNBY (1828-1910)187. The Serving Maid 456

DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI (1828-82)188. The Blessed Damozel 458189. Nuptial Sleep 462190. A Superscription 463191. He and I 463

ALEXANDER SMITH (1829-67)192. Glasgow 465

T. E. BROWN (1830-97)193. A Sermon at Clevedon 470

CONTENTS XV11

SEBASTIAN EVANS (1830-1909)194. What the Trumpeter Said 472

CHRISTINA G. ROSSETTI (1830-94)195. Goblin Market 473196. Monna Innominata 489197. An Old-World Thicket 499198. Forget Me Not 505199. Spring Quiet 505200. Song ('When I am dead, my dearest') 506201. Song ('Oh roses for the flush of youth') 507202. Remember 507203. From the Antique 508

^204. 'These All Wait Upon Thee' 508205. A Wish 509206. May 509207. In an Artist's Studio 510208. Fata Morgana 510209. Introspective 511210. In the Round Tower at Jhansi, June 8, 1857 511211. A Birthday 512212. Winter: My Secret 513213. 'The Heart Knoweth Its Own Bitterness' 514214. Up-Hill 516215. Song ('Two doves upon the selfsame branch') 516216. A Dirge 517217. An 'Immurata' Sister 517218. A Christmas Carol 518219. from Sing-Song 520220. My Mouse 525221. 'Summer Is Ended' 525222. Pastime 526223. A Frog's Fate 526

^ANONYMOUS224. Johnny Sands 528225. The Way to Live 529

xviii CONTENTS

C. S. CALVERLEY (1831-84)226. Peace 531

EDWARD ROBERT BULWER LYTTON(1831-91)

227. Seaward 532

LEWIS CARROLL (1832-98)228. Jabberwocky 533229. The Walrus and the Carpenter 534

J O S E P H SKIPSEY (1832-1903)230. 'Get Up!' 538231. The Stars Are Twinkling 538232. Mother Wept 539233. A Golden Lot 539

RICHARD WATSON DIXON (1833-1900)234. Dream 540235. The Mystery of the Body 542236. Song ('The feathers of the willow') 542

WILLIAM M O R R I S (1834-96)237. The Haystack in the Floods 543238. Echoes of Love's House 548239. Pomona 548

JAMES T H O M S O N (1834-82)240. The City of Dreadful Night 550

ALFRED AUSTIN (1835-1913)241. 'Give me October's meditative haze' 587

SIR ALFRED COMYNS LYALL(1835-1911)

242. Badminton 588

CONTENTS XIX

JOHN. LEICESTER WARREN,Lord de Tabley (18 3 5-9 5)

243. On a Portrait of Sir John Suckling 589244. The Study of a Spider 591245. The Knight in the Wood 592246. The Pilgrim Cranes 593247. Lines to a Lady-Bird 593

FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL(1836-79)

248. Under the Surface 596

ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE(1837-1909)

249. A Match 598250. A Cameo 599251. The Sundew 600252. The Garden of Proserpine 601253. Love and Sleep 604254. Ilicet 605255. A Rhyme 609

AUGUSTA WEBSTER (1837-94)256. Mother and Daughter 611

DAVID GRAY (1838-61)257. The Brooklet 625

JOHN TODHUNTER (1839-1916)258. Rain 626

THOMAS HARDY (1840-1928)259. Friends Beyond 627260. Neutral Tones 628261. Her Dilemma 629262. 'I look into my glass' 630263. The Dead Drummer [Drummer Hodge] 630264. In the Old Theatre, Fiesole 631

XX CONTENTS

265. Rome: At the Pyramid of Cestius near the Graves ofShelley and Keats 632

266. Lausanne: In Gibbon's Old Garden: 11-12 p.m. 633267. An August Midnight 633268. The Darkling Thrush 634269. The Ruined Maid 635270. The Respectable Burgher 636271. The Self-Unseeing 637272. De Profundis I [In Tenebris I] 638

HARRIET ELEANOR HAMILTON KING(1840-1920)

273. A Dream Maiden 639

COSMO M O N K H O U S E (1840-1901)274. A Ballad of a Shield 641

M A T H I L D E BLIND (1841-96)275. On Reading the 'Rubaiyat' of Omar Khayyam 643

GEORGE AUGUSTUS SIMCOX(1841-1905)

276. In the Jacquerie 644

EDWARD DOWDEN (1843-1913)277. The Pool 646

MARY M O N T G O M E R I E LAMB(1843-1905)

278. 'For One Man's Pleasure' 647

ROBERT BRIDGES (1844-1930)279. On a Dead Child 648

GERARD MANLEY H O P K I N S (1844-89)280. Heaven-Haven 650281. Spring and Fall 650282. The Windhover 651283. Pied Beauty 651

CONTENTS XXI

284. Spelt from Sibyl's Leaves 652285. 'As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame' 653286. That Nature Is a Heraclitean Fire and of the Comfort

of the Resurrection 653287. 'No worst, there is none' 654288. 'Repeat that, repeat' 655289. 'It was a hard thing to undo this knot' 655

CAROLINE, LADY LINDSAY (1844-1912)290. Of a Bird-Cage 656

ALEXANDER ANDERSON (1845-1909)291. Railway Dreamings 657

L. S. BEVINGTON (1845-95)292. 'Egoisme a Deux' 659293. One More Bruised Heart! 660

WILLIAM CANTON (1845-1926)294. The Haunted Bridge 661295. The Crow 662

EUGENE LEE-HAMILTON (1845-1907)296. A Snails' Derby 663

'MICHAEL F I E L D ' (Katherine Harris Bradley,1846-1914, and Edith Emma Cooper, 1862-1913)

297. L'Indifferent 664298. 'A curling thread' 665299. Cyclamens 665300. Irises 666301. 'It was deep April, and the morn' 666

JAMES LOGIE ROBERTSON (1846-1922)302. The White Winter - Hughie Snawed Up 667303. A Back-Lying Farm 670

XX11 CONTENTS

ALICE MEYNELL (1847-1922)304. The Modern Mother 671305. A Dead Harvest 672306. Parentage 672307. Renouncement 673308. Cradle-Song at Twilight 673

DIGBY MACKWORTH DOLBEN(1848-67)

309. Sister Death 674

W. E. HENLEY (1849-1903)FROM IN HOSPITAL

310. Waiting 675311. Interior 675312. Music 676313. Discharged 677314. Back-View 678315. ToW. R. 678316. 'On the way to Kew' 679

WILLIAM LARMINIE (1849-1900)317. The Nameless Doon 681

P H I L I P BOURKE MARSTON (1850-87)318. Speechless 682319. Grief's Aspects 682320. After 683

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON (1850-94)321. The Light-Keeper 685322. 'Love — what is love? A great and aching heart' 687

FROM A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES323. Bed in Summer 687324. At the Seaside 688325. Whole Duty of Children 688326. Rain 688327. Singing 689328. The Land of Nod 689

CONTENTS XX111

* ' C A E R L E O N ' (ft. 1876-?)329. 'Aeschylus Homer and Shakespeare, souls' 690

F. B. MONEY-COUTTS (1852-1923)330. The Commonest Lot 691

EPITAPHS331. A Fair Woman 691332. An Infant 692

WILLIAM RENTON (1852-? [after 1905])333. The Foal 693334. Peat Cutting 693335. The Fork of the Road 694336. Spring Floods 694

*MAY PROBYN (/7. 1878-?)337. A Mesalliance 695

OSCAR WILDE (1854-1900)338. Les Ballons 696339. Symphony in Yellow 696340. The Harlot's House 697

*JAMES CHAPMAN W O O D S(fl. 1879-1931)

341. Fate 699

JANE BARLOW (1857-1917)342. Honey-Harvest 701

JOHN DAVIDSON (1857-1909)343. Thirty Bob a Week 702344. A Labourer's Wife 705345. New Year's Day 706

A. MARY F. R O B I N S O N (1857-1944)346. Neurasthenia 713347. Twilight 713

XXIV CONTENTS

CONSTANCE NADEN (1858-89)348. Christ, The Nazarene 715

E D I T H NESBIT (1858-1924)349. On Dit 716

D O L L I E R A D F O R D (1858-1920)350. From the Suburbs 717

SIR WILLIAM WATSON (1858-1935)351. The Play of 'King Lear' 719352. Byron the Voluptuary 719353. The Metropolitan Underground Railway 719

A. E. HOUSMAN (1859-1936)3 54. 'Loveliest of trees, the cherry now' 720355. 'When I was one-and-twenty' 720356. 'It nods and curtseys and recovers' 721357. 'Others, I am not the first' 721358. 'Into my heart an air that kills' 722359. 'Far in a western brookland' 722360. 'I hoed and trenched and weeded' 723

J. K. STEPHEN (1859-92)361. Poetic Lamentation on the Insufficiency of Steam

Locomotion in the Lake District 724362. England and America 725

FRANCIS T H O M P S O N (1859-1907)363. At Lord's 728364. The End of It 728365. Daphne 729

ROSAMUND MARRIOTT WATSON(1860-1911)

366. Aubade 730

CONTENTS XXV

MARY E. C O L E R I D G E (1861-1907)367. Winged Words 731368. L'OiseauBleu 731369. Marriage 731370. 'Night is fallen within, without' 732371. The White Women 732

MAY KENDALL (1861-C.1931)372. Lay of the Trilobite 734

AMY LEVY (1861-89)373. Epitaph (on a Commonplace Person Who Died

in Bed) 737

A. C. BENSON (1862-1925)374. Thomas Gray 738375. The Ant-Heap 738

SIR HENRY NEWBOLT (1862-1938)376. Gillespie 740

ROBERT FULLER MURRAY (1863-94)377. A Ballad of Refreshment 742378. BpeKEKEKe Koa^ Koa£ 743

VICTOR PLARR (1863-1929)379. The Solitaries 744380. The Imperial Prayers 745381. On Change of Opinions 746382. Twilight-Piece 746383. Epitaphium Citharistria; 747384. Shadows 748385. At Citoyenne Tussaud's 748

STEPHEN P H I L L I P S (1864-1915)386. 'O thou art put to many uses, sweet!' 749

XXVI CONTENTS

RUDYARD KIPLING (1865-1936)387. Danny Deever 750388. Tommy 751389. The Widow at Windsor 752390. Mandalay 754

W. B. YEATS (1865-1939)391. An Old Song Re-Sung [Down by the Salley Gardens]

756392. The Lake Isle of Innisfree 756393. The Sorrow of Love 757394. Breasal the Fisherman [The Fish] 757395. The Song of Wandering Aengus 757396. Aedh Laments the Loss of Love [The Lover Mourns

for the Loss of Love] 758397. The Valley of the Black Pig 759398. Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven [He Wishes for

the Cloths of Heaven] 759399. The Fiddler of Dooney 759

ARTHUR SYMONS (1865-1945)400. The Absinthe Drinker 761

J O H N GRAY (1866-1934)401. Song of the Seedling 762402. The Vines 762403. Spleen 763

ERNEST DOWSON (1867-1900)404. Vitae Summa Brevis Spem Nos Vetat Incohare .

Longam 765405. Non Sum Qualis Eram Bonae Sub Regno

Cynarae 765406. Spleen 766407. To William Theodore Peters on His Renaissance

Cloak 767

CONTENTS XXVU

LIONEL JOHNSON (1867-1902)408. By the Statue of King Charles at Charing Cross 768409. The Dark Angel 770410. Love's Ways 772

GEORGE WILLIAM RUSSELL(1867-1935)

411. The Mid-World 773

LAURENCE BINYON (1869-1943)412. As I Walked Through London 774

HILAIRE BELLOC (1870-1953)413. The Dodo 775414. The Marmozet 775415. The Camelopard 775416. The Llama 776

Biographical and Textual Notes 777Subject Index 812Index of Proper Names 821Index of Poets 827Index of Titles 829Index of First Lines 835Permissions 850