Byron's Dying Gladiator in Context

Abstract

Stephen Larrabee's English Bards and Grecian Marbles (1943) marvellously unravelled and traced genealogy of Byron's tale of love-sick French maiden in Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, Canto IV, Stanza 162 (hereafter CHP, and quoted by canto number followed by stanza number), who fell in love with marble Apollo Belvedere and died of love she for statue. He traced it back to Henry Hart Milman's 1812 Newdigate Prize poem Belvidere Apollo, and also down to Barry Cornwall's 1823 story of Eva, girl of Provence, in Girl of Provence (Larrabee 262, 267-68). He curiously refrains from making any statements as to Byron's source for stanzas statue of Dying (hereafter DG), although he enumerates Newdigate poems from 1810 to 1817 and 1826 including Chinnery's Statue of Dying Gladiator for 1810 (261). Larrabee further complicates matters by carelessly quoting (259) Samuel Chew's 1913 article in Modern Language Notes, thus allowing for free speculation that Byron had seen and been influenced by Croly's poem in his passage statue of DG. (1) Grant Scott's essay, Felicia Hemans and Romantic Ekphrasis. centred Hemans and not Byron, does not help trace genealogy of DG poem, beyond his general statement that the annual Cambridge and Oxford prize poem ... helped create a vogue for poems classical sculpture (38). The purpose of present paper is, first, to establish climate in which statue of DG figured as one of favourite themes of poems in first two decades of 19th century, then to trace, by comparison, a possible source of Byron's GD passage in CHP, IV, back to a passage in William Hayley's 1800 poem, which, I hope to argue, stands, thematically and stylistically, at fountainhead of Chinnery's, Hemans's (2) and Byron's DG poems, and finally to show what those factual findings mean in interpretation of DG stanzas within context of Coliseum stanzas in CHP, IV. Here is poem Larrabee mentions (261), but does not clearly relate to Byron, and poem which Scott claimed Hemans's DG poem is closely modeled on (38). It is 1810 Newdigate Prize poem, George Robert Chinnery's The Statue of Dying Gladiator.-- Will then no pitying sword its succour lend The Gladiator's mortal throes to end, To free unconquer'd mind, whose generous pow'r Triumphs o'er nature in her saddest hour? Bow'd low, and full of death, his head declines, Yet o'er his brow indignant Valour shines, Still glares his closing eye with angry light, Now glares, now darkens with approaching night. Think not with terror heaves that sinewy breast,-- 'Tis vengeance visible, and pain supprest; Calm in despair, in agony sedate, His proud soul wrestles with o'ermastering fate; That pang conflict ends--he falls not yet, Seems every nerve for one last effort set, At once by death, death's lingering pow'r to brave-- He will not sink, but plunge into grave, Exhaust his mighty heart in one last sigh, And rally life's whole energy--to die! Unfear'd is now that cord, which oft ensnar'd The baffled rival whom his falchion spar'd Those clarions mute, which murd'rous stage Rous'd him to deeds of more than martial rage; Once poised by peerless might, once dear to fame, The shield which could not guard, supports his frame; His fixed eye dwells upon faithless blade, As if in silent agony he prayed, Oh might I yet, by one avenging blow, Not shun my fate, but share it with my foe! Vain hope!--the streams of life-blood fast descend; That giant-arm's upbearing strength must bend; Yet shall he scorn, procumbent, to betray One dastard sign of anguish or dismay, With one weak plaint to shame his parting breath, In pangs sublime, magnificent in death! But his were deeds unchronicled; his tomb No patriot wreaths adorn; to cheer his doom, No soothing thoughts arise of duties done, Of trophied conquests for his country won; And he, whose sculptur'd form gave deathless fame To Ctesilas--he dies without a name! …