Though it grows in soil perverse,
Heaven hath been its jealous nurse,
And a flower of snowy mark
Springs from root and sheathing dark;
Kingly safeguard, only herb
That can brutish passion curb!
Some do think its name should be
Shield-heart, White Integrity.
Traveller, pluck a stem of moly,
If thou touch at Circe's isle,--
Hermes' moly, growing solely
To undo enchanter's wile!
NOTES
=Chapman's Homer=:--George Chapman (1559?-1634) was an English poet. He
translated Homer from the Greek into English verse.
=moly=:--An herb with a black root and a white flower, which Hermes gave
to Odysseus in order to help him withstand the spell of the witch Circe.
=Circe=:--A witch who charmed her victims with a drink that she prepared
for them, and then changed them into the animals they in character most
resembled.
=Hermes=:--The messenger of the other Greek gods; he was crafty and
eloquent.
=The wise God=:--Hermes, or Mercury.
SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDY
Before you try to study this poem carefully, find out something of the
story of Ulysses and Circe: when you have this information, the poem
will become clear. Notice how the author applies the old Greek tale to
the experiences of everyday life. This would be a good poem to memorize.
COLLATERAL READINGS
On First Looking into Chapman's Homer John Keats
The Strayed Reveller Matthew Arnold
The Wine of Circe Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Tanglewood Tales (Circe's Palace) Nathaniel Hawthorne
Greek Story and Song, pp.
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