The first number of The Germ opened with two poems by Thomas Woolner
(1825-1892), the sculptor-poet and minor PRB member. This is the second
of the two. Both show the clear influence of DGR's translations from
Dante and the other early Italian poets. The style of
Woolner's the poem is striking, at once studied and fresh. The effect is
of a contemporary poem that has been thoroughly (and
deliberately) infused with a set of cultural and aesthetic attitudes
associated with a much earlier historical frame of reference.
Woolner eventually published
this poem, like its companion, in his volume
titled My Beautiful Lady
(1863; 2nd ed. 1864; 3rd ed. 1866).
The poem can be usefully compared with DGR's The Blessed Damozel as well as the early
Italian models that stand behind DGR's poem. An early version of DGR's poem
appeared in The
Germ, no. 2, pages 80-83.
This collection contains 2 texts and images, including:
The Germ, no. 1 pages 5-10
Scholarly Commentary
Introduction
The first number of The Germ opened with two poems by Thomas Woolner (1825-1892), the sculptor-poet and minor PRB member. This is the second of the two. Both show the clear influence of DGR's translations from Dante and the other early Italian poets. The style of Woolner's the poem is striking, at once studied and fresh. The effect is of a contemporary poem that has been thoroughly (and deliberately) infused with a set of cultural and aesthetic attitudes associated with a much earlier historical frame of reference.
Woolner eventually published this poem, like its companion, in his volume titled My Beautiful Lady (1863; 2nd ed. 1864; 3rd ed. 1866).
Printing History
First printed in The Germ no. 1, pages 5-9
Literary
The poem can be usefully compared with DGR's The Blessed Damozel as well as the early Italian models that stand behind DGR's poem. An early version of DGR's poem appeared in The Germ, no. 2, pages 80-83.