ForasIliehere，hoursofthedeadnight，Dyinginstateandbysuchslowdegrees，Ifoldmyarmsasiftheyclaspedacrook，Andstretchmyfeetforthstraightasstonecanpoint，Andletthebedclothes，foramortcloth，dropIntogreatlapsandfoldsofsculptor’swork：[90]
Andasyontapersdwindle，andstrangethoughtsGrow，withacertainhumminginmyears，AboutthelifebeforeIlivedthislife，Andthislifetoo，popes，cardinals，andpriests，SaintPraxedathissermononthemount，Yourtallpalemotherwithhertalkingeyes，Andnew-foundagateurnsasfreshasday，Andmarble’slanguage，Latinpure，discreet，——Aha，ELUCESCEBATquothourfriend?
NoTully，saidI，Ulpianatthebest！[100]
Evilandbriefhathbeenmypilgrimage。
Alllapis，all，sons！ElseIgivethePopeMyvillas！Willyeevereatmyheart?
Everyoureyeswereasalizard’squick，Theyglitterlikeyourmother’sformysoul，Oryewouldheightenmyimpoverishedfrieze，Pieceoutitsstarveddesign，andfillmyvaseWithgrapes，andaddavisorandaTerm，AndtothetripodyewouldtiealynxThatinhisstrugglethrowsthethyrsusdown，[110]
TocomfortmeonmyentablatureWhereonIamtolietillImustask”DoIlive，amIdead?”There，leaveme，there！
ForyehavestabbedmewithingratitudeTodeath：yewishit——God，yewishit！Stone——
Gritstone，a-crumble！ClammysquareswhichsweatAsifthecorpsetheykeepwereoozingthrough——
Andnomorelapistodelighttheworld！
Wellgo！Iblessye。Fewertapersthere，Butinarow：and，going，turnyourbacks[120]——
Ay，likedepartingaltar-ministrants，Andleavemeinmychurch，thechurchforpeace，ThatImaywatchatleisureifheleers——
OldGandolf，atme，fromhisonion-stone，Asstillheenviedme，sofairshewas！——
1。Vanity，saiththepreacher，vanity！：”TheBishoponhisdeath-bedhasreachedSolomon’sconclusionthat`allisvanity’。Soheproceedstospecifyhisparticularvanityinthechoiceofatombstone。”——
N。Brit。Rev。34，p。367。”In`ThePalaceofArt’，Mr。Tennysonhasshownthedespairandisolationofasoulsurroundedbyallluxuriesofbeauty，andlivinginandforthem；butintheendthesoulisredeemedandconvertedtothesimplehumanitiesofearth。
Mr。Browninghasshownthatsuchasenseofisolationandsuchdespairarebynomeansinevitable；thereisadeathinlifewhichconsistsintranquilsatisfaction，acalmprideinthesoul’sdwellingamongtheworld’sgatheredtreasuresofstatelinessandbeauty……
SotheunbelievingandworldlyspiritofthedyingBishop，whoordershistombatSaintPraxed’s，hissenseofthevanityoftheworldsimplybecausetheworldispassingoutofhisreach，theregretfulmemoryofthepleasuresofhisyouth，theenviousspitetowardsGandolf，whorobbedhimofthebestpositionforatomb，andthedreadlesthisreputedsonsshouldplayhimfalseandfailtocarryouthisdesigns，areunitedwithaperfectappreciationofRenaissanceart，andaluxurioussatisfaction，whichevenadeath-bedcannotdestroy，inthesplendorofvoluptuousformandcolor。”——
EdwardDowden。
46。Frascati：atownofcentralItaly，nearthesiteoftheancientTusculum，tenortwelvemilesS。E。ofRome；
ithasmanyfineoldvillas。
53。DidIsay，basaltformyslab，sons?：Notehowallthingselse，evensuchreflectionsasareexpressedinthetwoprecedingverses，areincidentalwiththeBishop；hispoor，art-besottedmindturnsabruptlytotheblackbasaltwhichhecravesfortheslabofhistomb；
andseevv。101，102。
66。travertine：seenotetov。67of`PictorIgnotus’。
71。pistachio-nut：or，greenalmond。
79。Ulpian：DomitiusUlpianus，oneofthegreatestofRomanjurists，andchiefadviseroftheemperor，AlexanderSeverus；bornabout170，died228；belongstotheBrazenageofRomanliterature。
95。SaintPraxedathissermononthemount：thepoordyingBishop，inthedisorderofhismind，makesa`lapsuslinguae’here；seev。59。
99。elucescebat：”hewasbeginningtoshineforth”；alateLatinwordnotfoundintheCiceronianvocabulary，andthereforecondemnedbytheBishop；thiswordis，perhaps，whatismeantbythe”gaudyware”
inthesecondlineofGandolf’sepitaph，referredtoinv。78。
AToccataofGaluppi’s。
1。
OhGaluppi，Baldassaro，thisisverysadtofind！
Icanhardlymisconceiveyou；itwouldprovemedeafandblind；
But，althoughItakeyourmeaning，’tiswithsuchaheavymind！——
St。1。Galuppi，Baldassaro(ratherBaldassare)：b。1703，inBurano，anislandnearVenice，andthencecalledBuranello；d。1785；
adistinguishedcomposer，whoseoperas，aboutfiftyinnumber，andmostlycomic，wereatonetimethemostpopularinItaly；
GaluppiisregardedasthefatheroftheItaliancomicopera。
2。
Hereyoucomewithyouroldmusic，andhere’sallthegooditbrings。
What，theylivedoncethusatVenicewherethemerchantswerethekings，WhereSaintMark’sis，wheretheDogesusedtowedtheseawithrings?——
St。2。SaintMark’s：seeRuskin’sdescriptionofthisgloriousbasilica，in`TheStonesofVenice’。
3。
Ay，becausethesea’sthestreetthere；and’tisarchedby……
whatyoucall……Shylock’sbridgewithhousesonit，wheretheykeptthecarnival：
IwasneveroutofEngland——it’sasifIsawitall。
4。
DidyoungpeopletaketheirpleasurewhentheseawaswarminMay?
Ballsandmasksbegunatmidnight，burningevertomid-day，Whentheymadeupfreshadventuresforthemorrow，doyousay?
5。
Wasaladysuchalady，cheekssoroundandlipssored，——
Onherneckthesmallfacebuoyant，likeabell-floweronitsbed，O’erthebreast’ssuperbabundancewhereamanmightbasehishead?
6。
Well，anditwasgracefulofthem：they’dbreaktalkoffandafford——She，tobitehermask’sblackvelvet，he，tofingeronhissword，WhileyousatandplayedToccatas，statelyattheclavichord?——
St。6。Toccatas：theToccatawasaformofmusicalcompositionfortheorganorharpsichord，somewhatinthefreeandbrilliantstyleofthemodernfantasiaorcapriccio；
clavichord：”akeyedstringedinstrument，nowsupersededbythepianoforte{nowcalledapiano}。”——Webster。
7。
What?Thoselesserthirdssoplaintive，sixthsdiminished，sighonsigh，Toldthemsomething?Thosesuspensions，thosesolutions——”Mustwedie?”
Thosecommiseratingsevenths——”Lifemightlast！wecanbuttry！”——
St。7。Themusicaltechnicalitiesusedinthisstanza，anymusiciancanexplainandillustrate。
8。”Wereyouhappy?”——”Yes。”——”Andareyoustillashappy?”——”Yes。
Andyou?”——”Then，morekisses！”——”DidIstopthem，whenamillionseemedsofew?”
Hark，thedominant’spersistencetillitmustbeansweredto！——
St。8。Thequestionsinthisstanzamustbesupposedtobecausedbytheeffectupontherevellersofthe”plaintivelesserthirds”，the”diminishedsixths”，the”commiseratingsevenths”，etc。，oftheprecedingstanza。
9。
So，anoctavestrucktheanswer。Oh，theypraisedyou，Idaresay！”BraveGaluppi！thatwasmusic！goodalikeatgraveandgay！
IcanalwaysleaveofftalkingwhenIhearamasterplay！”
10。
Thentheyleftyoufortheirpleasure：tillinduetime，onebyone，Somewithlivesthatcametonothing，somewithdeedsaswellundone，Deathsteppedtacitly，andtookthemwheretheyneverseethesun。
11。
ButwhenIsitdowntoreason，thinktotakemystandnorswerve，WhileItriumpho’erasecretwrungfromnature’sclosereserve，InyoucomewithyourcoldmusictillIcreepthrougheverynerve——
St。11。WhileItriumpho’erasecretwrungfromnature’sclosereserve：thesecretofthesoul’simmortality。
12。
Yes，you，likeaghostlycricket，creakingwhereahousewasburned：”Dustandashes，deadanddonewith，VenicespentwhatVeniceearned。
Thesoul，doubtless，isimmortal——whereasoulcanbediscerned。
13。”Yoursforinstance：youknowphysics，somethingofgeology，Mathematicsareyourpastime；soulsshallriseintheirdegree；
Butterfliesmaydreadextinction，——you’llnotdie，itcannotbe！——
St。13。Theideaisinvolvedinthisstanzathatthesoul’scontinuedexistenceisdependentonitsdevelopmentinthislife；
theironiccharacterofthestanzaisindicatedbythemerelyintellectualsubjectsnamed，physics，geology，mathematics，whichdonotofthemselves，necessarily，contributetoSOUL-development。Allfromthe2dverseofthe12thstanzadownto”Dustandashes”inthe15th，iswhatthemusic，”likeaghostlycricket，creakingwhereahousewasburned”，saystothespeaker，inthemonologue，ofthemenandwomenforwhomlifemeantsimplyabutterflyenjoyment。
14。”AsforVeniceandherpeople，merelyborntobloomanddrop，Hereonearththeyboretheirfruitage，mirthandfollywerethecrop：
Whatofsoulwasleft，Iwonder，whenthekissinghadtostop?
15。”Dustandashes！”Soyoucreakit，andIwantthehearttoscold。
Deardeadwomen，withsuchhair，too——what’sbecomeofallthegoldUsedtohangandbrushtheirbosoms?Ifeelchillyandgrownold。
AbtVogler。
(AfterhehasbeenextemporizingupontheMusicalInstrumentofhisInvention。)
1。
Wouldthatthestructurebrave，themanifoldmusicIbuild，Biddingmyorganobey，callingitskeystotheirwork，Claimingeachslaveofthesound，atatouch，aswhenSolomonwilledArmiesofangelsthatsoar，legionsofdemonsthatlurk，Man，brute，reptile，fly，——alienofendandofaim，Adverse，eachfromtheotherheaven-high，hell-deepremoved，——
ShouldrushintosightatonceashenamedtheineffableName，Andpilehimapalacestraight，topleasuretheprincessheloved！——
St。1。Theleadingsentence，”Wouldthatthestructurebrave”，etc。，isinterruptedbythecomparison，”aswhenSolomonwilled”，etc。，andcontinuedinthe2dstanza，”Woulditmighttarrylikehis”，etc。；
theconstructionofthecomparisonis，”aswhenSolomonwilledthatarmiesofangels，legionsofdevils，etc。，shouldrushintosightandpilehimapalacestraight”；thereferenceistothelegendsoftheKoraninregardtoSolomon’smagicalpowers。
2。
Woulditmighttarrylikehis，thebeautifulbuildingofmine，Thiswhichmykeysinacrowdpressedandimportunedtoraise！
Ah，oneandall，howtheyhelped，woulddispartnowandnowcombine，Zealoustohastenthework，heightentheirmasterhispraise！
Andonewouldburyhisbrowwithablindplungedowntohell，Burrowawhileandbuild，broadontherootsofthings，Thenupagainswimintosight，havingbasedmemypalacewell，Foundedit，fearlessofflame，flatonthenethersprings。
