Poetry · Chapter
Ode for Music explained
This chapter presents an ode performed at the installation of the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge in 1769.
What happens
This chapter presents an ode performed at the installation of the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge in 1769. It invokes a sacred space free from vice, celebrates the sainted sages and bards like Milton and Newton, and describes a procession of historical figures including Edward I, Margaret of Anjou, and others. The ode concludes with a grand chorus urging steadfast honor under the Brunswick star.
Themes in this chapter
Ambition and Fame
The ode contrasts worldly grandeur and power with the lasting reward of grateful memory, emphasizing the value of a good name over transient glory.
Melancholy and Reflection
The poet recalls walking with Freedom and soft-eyed Melancholy in cloisters dim, reflecting a contemplative mood.
Poetry and Artistic Legacy
The ode celebrates the enduring influence of poets like Milton and scientists like Newton, highlighting the power of artistic and intellectual achievement.
Characters to notice
- Milton
Struck the deep-toned shell, inspiring the choral warblings.
- Meek Newton
Bends from his state sublime, nods his hoary head, and listens to the rhyme.
- Edward I
Great Edward with the lilies on his brow from haughty Gallia torn.
- Margaret of Anjou
The venerable Margaret, leaning from her golden cloud, welcomes her noble son.
- Rushy Camus
Willowy Camus lingers with delight in the groves of Contemplation.
Key passages
“Hence, avaunt, (’tis holy ground) Comus, and his midnight crew, And Ignorance with looks profound, And dreaming Sloth of pallid hue, Mad Sedition’s cry profane, Servitude that hugs her chain, Nor in these consecrated bowers Let painted Flatt’ry hide her serpent train in flowers.”
Begone from this sacred place, Comus and his night-time followers, along with deep-looking Ignorance, pale Sloth, the profane cry of Mad Sedition, and Servitude that embraces its own chains. Do not let Flattery hide its deceitful nature in these holy grounds.
The opening chorus banishes vices and corrupting influences from the consecrated space.
“What is grandeur, what is power? Heavier toil, superior pain. What the bright reward we gain? The grateful memory of the good.”
What do grandeur and power truly amount to? They bring greater effort and more intense suffering. The only bright reward we receive is the thankful remembrance of the virtuous.
The quartet reflects on the emptiness of worldly status and the value of being remembered for goodness.