Why no complete works of Byron on site?
I came to this site looking for Lord Byron's complete works, and I was pleased with the aesthetics of the webpage layout.
I was very dismayed, however, to see Lord Byron's complete works were not online.
Where is "Dark Lochnagar"? (I think I'm spelling that right.) I did a search on a few key words, including "Albion's," a word in the body of the poem.
This amazing poem, for any lover of 'brave Caledonia' (Scotland,) was put to music by at least one group, the Corries (Roy Williamson and Ronnie Brown.) It's my favorite song on their "Compact Collection."
It was very serendipitous one day when I randomly opened my book of Byron's complete works, and what do I find, but the poem this song came from!
I guess I'll just keep looking.
Also, why has nobody else posted to this Byron forum? He is, IMO, one of the greatest poets of all time!
The Poetical Works of Lord Byron
I just came across a copy of "The Poetical Works of Lord Byron", I believe published prior to 1891. There is no edition number, but it was published in Philadelphia by Porter & Coates at 822 Chestnut St., the firm moved to 900 Chestnut St. after 1891.
It also says "Illustrated with Elegant Steel Engravings" each covered with transparent paper of sorts.
Now, the kicker (for me anyway), I believe it is a signed copy by Lord Byron with a 3 word message to My Dear Murray. It is signed "Byron", but also "Biron".
Is this book of interest to you or anyone else?
Thinking of The Life of Byron
I called this poem "untreated" because Byron died at 36, the same age I was when treated for manic-depression. The following prose-poem arose out of this contemplation. :brow:
___________________
UNTREATED
My poetry is a blending of autobiographical elements, echoes of the literature of the social sciences and humanities and a steady stream of references to and influences from Baha’i writings, history and teachings. This evening I was reading about the English poet George Byron(1788-1824). I was particularly struck by the fact that all of Byron's poetry is a blending of autobiographical elements and echoes of the literature he had absorbed over the years. And so I felt a certain affinity to Byron for this reason.
His poem Don Juan is considered the most autobiographical of Byron’s works. Almost all of Don Juan is real life either Byron’s or the lives of those whom he knew. Byron started writing Don Juan on July 3rd 1818, eight months after the birth of Baha’u’llah. He continued working on the poem in Italy and on his death in 1824 the poem remained unfinished. Don Juan was a, perhaps the, poem that the working class took to heart in the mid-19th century, so Friedrich Engles informed us in 1844. This poem reached the urban and rural poor and, for many, it was all they read besides the Bible. It is very likely that most of these readers did not read any of Byron's other works. As early as 1819 the work was regarded by the bourgeoisie as filthy and impious, although it was not fully published until 1901. He was regarded by Eliot as having contributed nothing and by Goethe as the greatest genius of his century. -Ron Price with thanks to Galit Avitan, “Publication Histories: Byron’s Don Juan,” Ashes, Sparks and Hypertext, 2000.
I suppose it’s your manic-depression
that first attracted me to your work..;
so often with poetry it’s the man and
not the work which brings one close.
Also, your popularity at the time
of the birth of the greatest soul
to ever draw breath on this planet1
and your autobiographical poetry….
At 36 my malady was finally treated
and yours untreated even as you drew
your last breath in 1824 at Missolonghi.
You made your work for everyone,
although now only a coterie read you.
I, too, try to make my work readable
by everyone but it, too, is read by few.
Perhaps I should call my work sketches,
autobiographical work perfecting my prose.
Your life overshadowed your poetry and
my life is my poetry. Few profoundly feel
your influence, your sincerity and strength
and fewer feel mine whatever I possess.
Your battles in life exaggerated weakness;
your strength was wasted in friction and
you knew your poetry and Keats’ was poor
that neither of you really had the poetic gift.
Emerson said you had a sense of the infinite;
to Shaw you were an energetic genius with
a resultant unscrupulous freedom of thought;
to Eliot you added and discovered nothing---
an assessment made at the start teaching Plan2
and an assessment prophetic in its way for most.
1 Baha’u’llah 1817.
2 1937 in “Contemporary and Critical Opinion,” Byron: Internet Site, 2004.
Ron Price
April 12th 2006
