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Herman Melville's 1856-57 Mediterranean Journal and
Italianate Poems by William Gibson

Table of Select Parallels
Quotations from the 1856-57 Journal are from Melville's Journals, ed. Howard C. Horsford with Lynn Horth (Evanston and Chicago: Northwestern University Press and the Newberry Library, 1989).

Poems by William Gibson Melville's 1856-57 Journal

1. Naples: “Sibylla Cumana” (1874; 1881) Harper’s 49 (November 1874): 773-775. MOON-CURVES of shore	Naples: February 18^th - 24^th 1857 NN Journals 101-105. Windings broad sweeps & curves [104]
Wrecks of antiquity and yet elder myth	monuments of the variety of old religions (Sybils cave) and yet the Romish superstition. [105]
A rubbish, half on land and half in sea, Of Rome’s once sumptuous sea-side luxury.	no palaces so sumptuous. &c &c. ― P.S. Wonderful old ruinous palace at Pausolippo. Sea-palace. ― The road. Villas, grots, summer-houses ― ravines ― towers &c &c &c. Such a profusion & intricacy of grotto, grove, gorge villa hill, that it takes some time & patience to disentangle such snarls of beauty. [105] Barrenness of Judea * * * mere refuse and rubbish of creation * * * all Judea seems to have been accumulations of this rubbish. [83]
A narrow chamber of Cimmerian gloom And Phlegethonic steam (the Sibyl’s grot) [parentheses deleted!!! in 1881 printing, Poems of Many Years and Many Places, 15.]	Cave of Sybil. Gate. (Narrow one to hell, here) Torches. Long grotto, many hundred feet, fast walk. Came to sudden dive down―very narrow―Descent to Infernal regions, guide said― [104] (Sibyls cave) [105; Note parentheses!!!]
A green hill, crowned with venerable walls	New Mountain cultivated towards summit. Buildings on it. [104]
A round and vaulted ruin, temple or bath In times imperial	Temple of Venus. Round. Summit wavy with verdure ― [104]
where two women danced The tantarella to a tambourine	corpses dressed for a ball [104]
That echo made orchestral.	Temple of Mercury. Low dome. Part fallen & below. Vines drooping down. Echo. Where art thou, Mercury ― Where? ― [104]
2. Naples: “Castellamare” (1881) Poems of Many Years and Many Places, 55-97 ...even the snows Of the starred daisy show pink under-tips, As faintly red as young Aurora’s lips. [1.4]	Bosporus / Athens / Naples NN Journals 65; and 98-101 The daisies are tipped with a crimson dawn [65]
The mountain fades; but on its side aloof Rolls the red lava in infernal glory. As break in a spring-freshet blocks of ice, Hills crumble down its fiery precipice. [1.9]	― Acropolis ― blocks of marble like blocks of Wenham ice * * * ―Break like cakes of snow― * * * Pavement of Parthenon ― square― blocks of ice. (frozen together.) * * * Ruins of Parthenon like North River breaking up. &c. ― [99]
And poor Pompeii―pious men maintain― Deserved her fearful overwhelming Hour; Her prototypes the Cities of the Plain― The sin―the wrath provoked―the fiery shower.	Pompeii comfortable sermon. * * * Silent as Dead Sea. [101] [cf. “poor old Pompeii” in “At the Hostelry,” 1.104]
3. Rome: “Festa dello Statuto” (1877; 1881) Harper’s 55 (June 1877): 64-65. Like a halo of snow, In tinge the mid-ribbon of a rainbow, Above yon dome metropolitan A cloud-ring floats...	Rome: Feb. 25^th- March 21^st 1857 NN Journals 105-113 Middle tint. [111] Claude ― Not to Paradise, but Tivoli. ―shading ― middle tint ― [113] Aurora ― Floats overhead like sun-dyed clouds [114]
Ere evening glides into the gloam.	The Gloaming (to apply a Scotch word) of a scene between dusk & dark of Claude. [109] The “Gloaming” is the best. [111]
4. Venice: “Doves of Saint Mark” (1873; 1881) First printed in The Galaxy 16 (August 1873): 237-238; Rpt. Poems of Many Years (1881), 35-37. Lo! in a breadth of liberal sun, Laughs the piazza of Saint Mark, Gay with a triple Gonfalon; Flies the flag of United Italy Where the Winged Lion once pawed the air...	Venice: April 1^st – 6^th 1857 NN Journals 117-120 Breakfast on St. Marks. Austrain flags flying from three masts. Glorious aspect of the basilica in the sunshine. * * * Sat in a chair by the arcade at Mindel’s some time in the sun looking at the flags, the sun, & the church. [118-119]
There, where that glory of marble and gold And grand mosaic our faith exalts, Moslemesque pinnacles manifold... [from stanza added in revision for the 1881 book version; does not appear in the Galaxy (August 1873) printing.]	St: Mark’s at sunset, gilt mosaics, pinacles, looks like holyday affair. As if the Grand Turk had pitched his pavilion here for a summers day. 800 years! Inside the precious marbles, from extreme age, look like a mosaic of rare old soaps. * * * [120]
From the long arcades of the palace-fronts	The Ducal palace’s colonade like hedge of architecture. [119] Cf. "long arcade" in Melville's poem "Venice," printed in Timoleon ("Fruit of Travel Long Ago").
Fearless as harmless, those ring-doves tame Have been feed for centuries by bequest Of a tender-hearted Venetian dame; And as gentle a lady from over the sea Calls them now to her lily hand...	Pigeons. * * * Numbers of beautiful women. * * * On these still summer days the fair Venetians float about in full bloom like pond lillies. [119]
5. Venice: “Allegoria Maritima” Catholic World 34 (February 1882): 711-715 And like unfading clouds of sunset seem The rose-sheen of the ducal walls and gleam Of painted fisher-sails on Adria’s stream— ....that phantom craft, Slow-melting in the moonlight far abaft, Far over glistening sheet and shallow bars....	Venice: April 1^st – 6^th 1857 NN Journals 117-120 ― Back to the city. Mirage-like effect of fine day—floating in air of ships in the Malamocco Passage, & the islands. * * * [119] The city in the distance * * * superb light streaming in from shining lagoon through windows draped with rosy silks * * * [119]
Row to San Giorgio, to the Lido row! Till the far city floats a fairy show...	Took gondola. * * * To the Lido, from whence fine view of Venice, particularly the Ducal palace &c. [119]

	introducing "the gallant commander"
	William-olated: Signs to Fairyland in Melville's "Immolated"
	bibliography

William Gibson, U. S. N.

Herman Melville's 1856-57 Mediterranean Journal and Italianate Poems by William Gibson

introducing "the gallant commander"

bibliography

Send mail to scott@eastworth.com with questions or comments about this web site. Copyright © 2008 by Scott Norsworthy Last modified: 07/09/2008

Herman Melville's 1856-57 Mediterranean Journal and
Italianate Poems by William Gibson

Send mail to scott@eastworth.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2008 by Scott Norsworthy
Last modified: 07/09/2008