qHe SCHOLAR GIPSY THE scH 203 jatroduction JOLAR GIPSY he poem The Sel i entitle The poem The Scholar Gipsy first appeared in a volume entith a c enti poems in 1853. Mt contai a ‘conta a fe roe volumes. ained a Few poems included in the two ) Arnold's. original idea Mesmerist. ae ‘a was to entitle the 1 i and sinee thon he bees Vanity of Diorbaiig tls. ae Scholar nee seriously thinking of citing a 1945, etanvill:) The Cote materials of which were Eaaten orarnotd. And yet ipsy is certainly the most memorable cet of Arno, And yet ne did not rank it extravagantly igh naa ker to Clough he wrote: | Tam glad you like the Gipsy-Scholar— bot wit docs a for you 7 Homer ania Shakespeare animates Scholar at best awakens g melancholy, But this is not The complaining millions of men Darken in labour and pain. What they want is something to animate or ennoble thern- not merely to add zest to their mi or grace to their dreams. In a letter to his brother Tom, Arnold wrote : “You alone of my brothers are associated with that life at Oxford, the freest and most delightful past, perhaps of my life, when with you and Clough and Walrond | shook off all the bonds and formalities of the place, ‘and enjoyed the spring of life and that unforgotten ‘Oxfordshire and Berkshire country. Do you nrember a poem of mine called The Gipsy ee hiolar 2 It_was incant to fix the remembrance of those efight 2 derings of ours in the Cumner Hills ? Art Amold_is_weary_of the mats uN rialism and. scepticism of the Victorian age. His Feflections centre round @ character known. as the Scholar Gipsy. He has drawn all the relevant materials on Joseph Glanvill’s (1636-80) book Wntitled The Vanity of Dogmadnng (1661). Glanvill was a stern moralist of the seventeenth century A moralist himself, Arnold felt irresistibly drawn to the story of the Scholar Gipsy and made. a severe criticism of the Visto life. In & sense the Scholar Gipsy became Arnold's ‘objec! correjative Arnold attributed to ‘the scholar his personal it since he W Classical poet and therefore, Sought (o ‘avoid WEitiNg about himself. Joseph Glanvill, ot svek to inculeate a moral in his story. He simply want e consenteaton ral i ie, which is known OY seri old eas the story 2 STEEN Nery lately a fad in he Univer, sity of Oxford, who ‘being of very pregnitt and geal ated i rc a f preferment,. was forced 10 wanting the ore ere, and 10 & himself upon the world for # Teave his studies there, was, didn a moralist @ he Gunner seaoran o1rsy vier ie sy ro, ‘flac Cine Med for the, divine spark, But they [sched the Vision and the Mic Scholey Gipsy. That why the lion, and she fal ioe about the success oF thee quest oa gem Taga is gpd abana jpnointpent, They advanes one step today and go ho steps backend tomorrow. 1 181-190, The Victorians wat forthe diviae spark, but SAR ctr gasp. That is why they ser fateasely, iG 2 rat apvong the Victorats has sufered vine inchetal trove of Eoeland, "anyon, sud wobec agony abd Bat rene Pediog soul, He traced one of bis works the re a ote misery of his soul. He ali, mentioned grin and gro la soaattag him amidst the enceting gloom Lines 19120. 1¢ ana tet Holand the plight of he common Victorians ra ee the sypieatWictnan He Ye may te cs ain pg sremay are comple absent om bt even he, presuinabl s be the fate of the king of the Scanned with CamScanner20 arity anvoun thei life. Thee sensibilities ate dendened, and hey do not know the meaning and purpose of IMs. They cannot even face’ the bomning problems of lit-with tote forbeaeanee, Depression and espe are ele dewiny. They" ean never hope stain the Serenity ands of the Scholae Gipsy, who has the pie of 8 fey, Manderiog shot nfl, woods adhe saan His mind is serene and carefie, ang buoyed up with The hape ot schieving hs spetual fou. ve Te Lines 201-210, The Scholar Gipsy fortunately belonged {0.28 psych was fice rom dots deacons an eee The Vieiorian ape) may be sai to sulle from strange diate called ‘modern ify whieh Rss brought init wake sordid materiivn and maddening seepticism ‘The Viclorlans have no time‘ stand and Sare. "They are madly pursuing’ wealth Tike the will the-wisp. helt senibiltes "are dfadcaed, and they are tadiferent to Ue the suferiogs of the fellowsbeings. The poet, therefore, eaters {te Scholar Gipsy fo avoid the company of the Vietorany suerng from the infettious diseases. of materialism and scepticism The Seer ipa mort ran away ekly ke Dio, the qen of Carthage, who" had Fun, sway from her treacherous lovey Aeneas Je underworld. He should tives feof seeluiony for ftom the adding crowd and pursue his noble ideal ae steele Lines 211.220, The Scholar Gipsy should, in the fines of things tive secluded fe.” His iespication Wil guide him He should draw srength and sustenance from the lowly ‘objects of Nature. “He'should move about ia moonlight, when ho. one ca alata hum, “Attimes he may come out of the pastoral slope ot fecline on the moonlit feace and Tisten. 10 the watblings of the Eehingale from the garden fol of fesh and perfumed Bowers oF Lines 221-230. The poet reiterates his request to the Scholar Gipsy to avoid the Eompany ‘of the Vietonine, who. ste ‘plerig fom the ncurabe deans of matriasm and Scecls religious controversy of the age, partiulary manifest in Ihe Oxford Moveinent, could not give ny happiness to the Victorians ‘They have all fost their mental equithriva, They are Gstavght with confusion and) perplexed qucsionings. ‘Their vision Sbscared. It the Scholar Gipsy Gomes fo contact with these ‘uted people, he will lose hs Wston, ope and buoyancy of spin He will alo be destined to become’ weak” and’ aie. Uke thé Victorians Lines 231240, The poct advises the Scholar Gipsy to ignore he pretiog’ and smiles of ihe Vitorians, which are all decepune He lnvodoees a Homeric simic fo emphisue is poi, The gas Phonecn tadef Was the aadlpued later othe mace worl He one, whe pang a hs merchant vse actos the tarancan Se, dicovered at sunrise the prow hip appre. sg him, brushing aside the wet and old eecpers The ne ap " an belonged to she erty Greok, and his merchandise consisted of the avictes of Ioxoty tathee than of neces. ‘The Pronecian trader was hostile tothe Greek, and didnot sept welcome fim, Lines 241.280, The Phonccian merchnt, arom. impatient, He aceed thei uddrs spread ost the sala, and nutiedy sailed vay. ie tiled on and on thou Testo Svat the company ot ievioerty Greek merchant He sled on the Mediterranean Sea between the Spits and Sey and reached the Aan Oa fst Suhr of Graaf on i arial at he Ce of Spain adjoining the dark cliff dropped is sas. He unloaded Ms Bes of cloth and merchanase before the dark Spaniard ‘A representative porm of Arno, The Scolar Gipsy deserves to be staid seriou eps, 98 fo 7 Melancholy, a5 vida Teiinurdeta Natures as poem wl the” Ovfors background, as a clasieal poem, 880, ‘Amold has boroyed his materials from Joseph Glansil's Vani Dogmatsing.” But he has reefested the scolar beyond ‘econ, fe alr ecoey ia by hand's “yabal of Spintual guek and ioealam. Helge made a "dream-Baure, 30 abosimeyr ot the septation for Wrath. "Me becomes a vision of {tne fab, and, therelore becomes komo oe i a mars at Oe Aer Soe OED meant at Sees Seagate Piredeat On eo CE aero ta eto a aie tana ie a canes ey ac ge ne Roane ee Aivs’strange dene of modern ie/vil Scanned with CamScanner rey Son E SBEMarTIEW AROLD ote Tn The Scholer Gipsy a in Tiyrsis Onloed loons large in ov sins” Gua it ene ot exalts eo, hl cet a ‘hil protagonist in both the pocms..-In one of he’ cways- Arnel pals stowing wibute 10: Oxford “Noy we. areal char sil Eedkefsoften make mistakes, and Iwi mine to redound to my Acre only, "and not to. touch Oxford. Beautiful ity 39 venerable, so lovely, so untavaged by the erce intellectual life oF cour ent, 50 serehe?™ “These are young barbarians all at play " And yet steeped in sentiment as she les, Svesding her gardens o the moonlight, and whispering from her towers. the last enchontments ofthe Middle ‘Age, who will Geny that Oxford, by her inelable charm keeps ever calling. us nearer to the true’ goal of all of us, to the Weal 10 perfection, —to beauty, in a word, which js-only truth seen ftom other ide?" Adorable dieimer, whose hart has bee so Fomantie! who hast given thyself so prodigally, given thyself 10 Sides and to. heroes not mine, only never tothe philstines' home of Tost causes, and forsaken’ beliefs, and unpopular names and Impossible loytties Fame met Car andy: we ich seman teraz tna ey spb Ge ha On ee ee pe ‘country."* Seholer Gipy ‘A pastoral_is a. poem dea SEE Ee es aR, fare aa The Scholat Giny is notable for its topography. “No one quareele apples Regt ray, ae eh Biee ss Ei Ee es ‘Tm SCHOLAR ctpse aa 21 imple life and love ia the heat of Natae. Theos, Bi Moschas, an Viet titted x patter ot ieee kare eg eet Foy and Amold soe of Hee tcensos Nites ee oct is idealined and wares ata background of is hon he The Sceter Gin isnot «carbon copy of the tale ees poems, Here “Arnold ano doubt, s pastors setae Bet ea Felated to urhonisal Oxford andinor coumtepe, here oft ys ol etpect’an syle atmasohers. “Arnold hy trertore hasgh Gay Reet Nate i th tha aver ass ind. The poct has of course, introduced a spiced ithe seek whom he dims the ates opportunity "Bat hot ashepherd, "Heiseniy a pessoa qt of tie ‘And: hence our concinow that a pot of rar hey iss Victoria tora oem but he spit brated ino it 1 tpealy ‘The shepherd, who is the poet's companion in. quest for he Scholae’ Gipsy, is areal shepherd He fs not a alisgoreal ‘igure representing ssa Isuroed fend ofthe post, "No readsts wil (ver mistake the sem-urban eitied hfe of Oxford sy rus ie ‘Arnold has no aceasion to ease the sting of his pow They ave scenes allscon by him. Tne charm of the secceg) of Oxford $30 exquisite that itneeds no ealisation. The poct hot not used the convention ‘of pastoral poetry, which Would have made it Tather arth, “I deals, oa fhe other hand, mith sovnes of Nature 15 known and Seen by an educated English, SS does “Tennyson's a Memoriam: Each of hem i 9 record of Sar tn re aay lament te death ofan age of scligiut Fath of tie tere alice of lg We-Tonks atthe pet ies solace Fas ‘psapl are between wo serge, one ad. aad te oher forsien fe orn That eveah ets avi Feoplearein the dating pth. The fone of the poems ease? for Fit the natral tome a an apenas ape Rags Waker, ho thot obit, but rege aiheanahgdflhscere of ‘gut dnd rcpretil thee proms ~ Cat must be bore in mind that Ard in ths ley. dos lac the fate of the Ovlonachaae, He, ace amen dsc moder hares rel ia pot ot Anus, awl bt om The Scholar Gipsy. In this poem as elsewhere Afaold has an eye [prthe dette aig atm SF Natures Tras, Avnet be aso fas str ula Ts why engl aah peer Wantefa Nutech mest sn macht Heaon But tee ISpoldensing he fae tht espct ofthe oberon Scanned with CamScanner| \) | 4 Tht + rege hell 23 $8 TH0UND, “Tia and accra of ei, ne Grothe Bate Sek eT paT oT OE fe snare eh aa Tare cecesnpry open pea rey a Ge Raa en Ee he re Bred “oft hou ast given them store Stdowers—te fealeafed, white anemone, Dar Suess Grnsed with Jews of miner eves, Recut artes with sted leaves re Arold presets. perfumed morn. 2 fn senucutses” Arnoldi ako an exellent pictorial atte WE Mosinee weep crowing and recosing the ips of Th tnoon Minera pees We cannot bot smell the scent of sieanen Un SEY ole down th pruned dhowenot "ag eve peces ofthe Hunt spring. “he, pre-med Corser his the boat moored by the cool riverbank, the harvest Sey above Govstow bridges al the garmur of suinmers days IR rc x Hones Sher Gy, "puck hy" bd dist Wychwood bowers the fine of festa igs a Chest Church Hay te ipo\ling ier naonted by te blackwinged swallows, tit spits ann maine te mgtngaee png tnt ak dings, "ihe seieet poppies the dark. Casbellse "the cool bank ine summerhest te ppl ochses delight our seosee ‘infact, the familar word of eyes and ears, Unconsciculy Araold is becomes PRaphaelie poet. veagSRUTE, 8 TOMAR, adh in The Schlr Gey uy th delicacy apd sfivence of eolour, the Fagranse at U [itty gate snpeot whens ore Sean eth eshnass ard capannon of ight andthe How a We {Bre aud the seu a fone and wling Water, eng and jal fhe plesure and power ei the whole poem,” Shakepete Sho ehcors his eld-Nowers and hedge-row, blooms. wilh he fame sure loving Hand. binds them in as simple and smect a8 The Scale Gin isa ci of He, By etic of fe as it should be, whal Arnold means is that “I is always or.” Like Sophocles, Arnold seeks to * ily and ee IL gh a or or nen ces Heed. The trina byt lrpeene ene oF ea, co ‘They fight. but they’ do not know wr ‘om they are fighting [oF feltnor car wise" of their casual creeds, who never dehy {eto ary wleg They ia ede ety eee been baled leet dou, vhich much to have tied 86" ‘Te scHoLAK cms sng Schole Gipsy. on the otter business one desi He is “nursing hie phat Joy and every dost ion blown by time aunt oloaded inclete te th that one eaot hope to ahi a ot ay for mankind by mere external aids, Crecdsamdenetn a Bhics and. preachings are weighed inthe: Yaanee Pe ang, eh Gy haw aot ugh is romping ie hasbeen waiting fo te spark from heaven ine ees seetetof noble ie i within cuticles ea as and, has “one aim, one vericl’: Blot complains that Araol’sdefsition of poetry 36 the Siem of’ pear ei soyone ato fa a Surprise and elention ofa new expencnce of post. Eat see Bethaps, mised Arnolds point. By ericam of his, Aroold ment {he attempt to realise an cal life. There may Se 3 moral been And Arzold amoral Boh however rors "0 (ons eee ee aor sett aaa of ie, Mg nt Shvnaae aeons sei toe ae ea et oc, semappes oa adn a ha MS leper ea aod street ee tone eee Stopford Brooke makes similar complaint: “He [Arpoli] had insight into thee, the dullness, folie he decay and. death of ie tne which be uote but he a He Tong 00, {nto ‘the hopes and ideas which were aig in is darkness of the tie whieh was colecting iueftogsther vader ts decay. His temper, therfore wos not joyous, nor nas to yepathy ah tHe {emper of the whding but formative time in which te began aod ont posts ‘The, Schoter Gipsy may not be acceptable to readers and sites like TS. Flot and Stopford Brooke. But thre i Bo Aenying the fact thatthe poem bus abiing charm at eebected fhe vvéagee and teauty Sin pete ol Nature 260th: mele Spel cash isnt Tins Fai saicent tels dod i: “rhe proper sat at Scanned with CamScannerMATTHEW ARNOLD 216 sound like an incantation, i cadise Lost. a e ical skill and versification of the poem deserye The aT i in stanzas of ten lines, each jj ial. mea It is written SAS tet line ting n iambic pentameter except the sixth w! Meter._*0, veer poets” says Lamborn, “He [Arnold] seems most to have needed the advantage of a highly organised Sa ; this one, devised for The Scholar Gipsy, is more elaborate than any head had been used since Spenser ; it challenged Arnold’s powers ‘i here they were strongest, and enabled him to supply by poste cra tsmanship his deficiency in nataral magic.”’ The compoun words used in The Scholar Gipsy_ate Keatesian, and have heightened its beauty, ©.g., “Close: and remind us of the use of proper amas pped patience’, ‘green-mufiled hills’, ‘air-swept lindens’, “‘heaven-sent movements’ etc. The Homeric simile in which Arnold has drawn an elaborate comparison betweed the Phoenician-trader and-the Grecian trader has also heightened the_classical_grace and dignity of the poem. The consensus of opinion, however, is that it is rather forced and somewhat out of place.) Duffin remarks : “The great and glorious simile that ends the poem has come in for much abuse from high authorities, but it seems allright to me. They say that the motives that prompted the trader’s flight were not those which Arnold thought should urge the scholar to ‘fly our greetings, fly our speech and smiles’. But Milton’s prototypes show that irrelevance of Getail is one of the characteristics of the extended simile. All Arnold required was the analogy of someone getting away in a hurry from someone he does not approve of, and this he gives us Hee os throwing in for good measure a piece of illustrated y: Annotations Line J. She; herd—the ii i ives it @ pastoral sciting introduction of the shepherd gives i 2. Untie—unfasten, Wattled cotes—sheep-fold made of sticks, 3. Wistful—eager to come ; it is morning. 7 Ber Fo Come out to graze in the field, For it i8 4 Bawling fellow: , Shouting Meese the companions of the shepherd who are . & to Fowler, the ‘fellows? are the watch-dogs- Rach-~strainj A sche ening their throats as @ result of shouting. che arcs fasses nibbled by the sheep. +++ head—sprout forth new bl. + Men and dogs £5—~shepherds g 8. White she, D—ae i a Sg ladys, nd their sheep-dovs. Scanned with CamScanner