GREEK SOURCES OF SHELLEY'S ADONAIS 307 



would, shut his eyes to the family likeness that proves them all akin. 

 To be more explicit, I mean Theocritus' Lament over the Death of 

 Daphnis, Bion's Dirge for the Death of Adonis, Moschus' Lament 

 for the Death of Bion, Yergil's Lament for Gallus in the Tenth 

 Eclogue, and, to take only the best known English representatives, 

 Spenser's Eleventh Eclogue and his Astropliel, Milton's Lycidas, 

 Pope's Fourth Pastoral, Ambrose Philips' Third Pastoral, Gay's 

 Friday or the Dirge, Matthew Arnold's Thyrsis, and Shelley's 

 Adonais. 



To point out the elements common to all these does not lie 

 within the purpose of this paper. I shall content myself with con- 

 sidering only one of these types, the Adonais of Shelley, and show- 

 ing the Greek elements in it, particularly the literary devices which 

 he borrows directly from Theocritus, Bion and Moschus. 



A mere juxtaposition of the English verses and the Greek will 

 show without discussion how much he takes from these sources. 



The particular poems in question are those mentioned in the 

 above list, the first Idyll of Theocritus — a song of lamentation for 

 the Sicilian shepherd-hero Daphnis ; Bion's Song of Lamentation 

 for t'le Death of Adonis; Moschus' Dirge over the Death of Bion. 

 I shall refer to these simply as Theocritus, Bion, Moschus. 



I follow as most convenient the order of Shelley's poem. 



Stanza I. 



I weep for Adonais — he is dead ! 



O, weep, for Adonais ! though our tears 



Thaw not the frost that binds so dear a head! 



And thou, sad Hour, selected from all years 



To mourn our loss, rouse thy obscure compears, 



And teach them thine own sorrow ; say : With me 



Died Adonais ; till the Future dares 



Forget the Past, his fate and fame shall be 



An echo and a light unto eternity. 



cf. Bion 1-5. 



