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STANZA WISE SUMMARY
Stanza 1. It was at the royal feast held (at Persia) to celebrate the conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great, that, what follows, happened. Alexander, the brave son of Philip, sat in a majestic and awe-inspiring manner, high up on the throne. His brave soldiers and courtiers were seated around him. Their foreheads were decorated with garlands of roses and myrtle. (It is in this manner, that all those, who distinguish themselves in war should be rewarded and honored).
The beautiful Athenian courtesan, Thais, sat by the side of Alexander. She was at that time in the full bloom of her youth and beauty. Alexander and she made a very happy couple. It is true that none except brave men (like Alexander) deserve to enjoy the beauty and love of a lovely woman (like Thais).
Stanza 2. Timotheus (the musician) was seated on a high platform in the midst of a band of musicians. His fingers moved rapidly on the strings of the lyre.
Sweet strains of music came trembling from the lyre and soared upwards, arousing heavenly joy in the hearts of listeners. Timotheus' first song dealt with Jove, who, under the effect of the irresistible passion of love, left his luxurious seal: on Mount Olympus and assumed the disguise of a fiery dragon. In this disguise, he moved forward on his bright coils, holding his head high. He rushed to the beautiful Olympia and felt her soft, white breasts coiled himself round her slim waist. As a result of this union he made her pregnant with a child who would be like himself, a great ruler of the world. The crowd of listeners praised the noble music of Timotheus and shouted that Alexander whom they saw was in reality a god. Their shouts that Alexander was a god were echoed by the arched roofs of the building. The king heard these shouts with delighted ears and began to behave like a god. He pretended to nod his head (like Jove) and shake the Heaven and the earth.
Stanza 3. next, Timotheus sang in praise of Bacchus, the god of wine, who is eternally young and handsome.
He described how the mirthful god marches at the head of a procession of revelers and merry-makers. Trumpets are sounded and drums beaten and Bacchus comes with his handsome face glowing. When hautboys are blown, Bacchus, eternally youthful and handsome, proceeds onwards. The pleasure (like the pleasure of drinking etc.) sanctioned by Bacchus are a great blessing. A soldier enjoys nothing better than drinking. Bacchus' pleasures are highly prized by soldiers especially after they have done hard fighting in a battlefield.
Stanza 4. Pleased with the music, the King became proud. He began to fight all his old battles in imagination. Three times in his imagination he killed those whom he had already killed in actual fighting. The great musician, Timotheus, noticed that Alexander's anger was mounting. It was clear from his flushed cheeks and his fiery eyes. Seeing that Alexander was hurling a challenge at heaven and earth, Timotheus changed the tune and the subject of his song and thus calmed Alexander. He now played a sad song in order to stir the pity of the king. He sang about the downfall and death of the great and noble King Darius who had been cruelly treated by fate. Darius had lost his high status and lay deserted by those very persons to whom he had been very generous in the past, and he lay unprotected on the naked earth without a single friend to close his eyes after death.
Stanza 5. The great musician felt that the theme of pity should be followed by the theme of love because pity is akin to love. Then in soft and sweet Lydian strains, he dwelt on the futility of waging war and winning glory. He regarded glory as a hollow and short-lived distinction and referred to the business of war as an endless whole time job involving the conqueror in constant toil and trouble. He suggested that if at all it was worthwhile for Alexander to conquer the world, he should remember that the best use he could make of the world was to enjoy the pleasures of life. He reminded Alexander to enjoy the love of the beautiful Thais, who was sitting by his side, and who had been presented to him as a gift from the gods. The big crowd on hearing the praise of beauty applauded loudly.
In this way, love was honored but the credit of crowing love went to the musician. Alexander was unable to conceal his passion for Thais. He sighed and looked again and again at her. At last, overpowered by strong wine and thoughts of passionate love, he succumbed to the charm of Thais, admitted his defeat, and sank on her breast.
Stanza 6. On seeing the king abandon himself to thoughts of love, the musician changed the theme of his music and began to play harsh and vigorous music on his lyre. The music disturbed like a peel of thunder, the dream of Alexander who had fallen asleep on the breast of Thais. It awakened him so that he lifted his head and looked as if he was still in a state of bewilderment. He felt astounded as if he had not recovered from the effect of sleep. Timotheus now dwelt upon the theme of revenge in his song. Such was the power of his music that the listeners felt as if they were seeing the Furies, the avenging deities, just in front of them. The Furies were in an excited frame of mind. They raised their hair, in the form of snakes. The snakes produced hissing sounds, and the Furies emitted sparks of fire from their eyes. Next, Timotheus made his listeners see a band of ghosts of those Greek soldiers who had been killed in the battlefield by the Persians and who had remained ignominiously unburied. They demanded "revenge” for their death. They moved their torches high up in the air and pointed toward the palaces and temples of their enemies, the Persians. The greek princes applauded the song of Timotheus with a fiendish delight.
Alexander felt so much incited that he caught hold of a burning torch and rushed forth to set fire to the houses and temples of the Persians. Thais, holding a torch, led the way and showed to Alexander the object of his revenge. Thus, just as Helen was responsible for the burning of Troy, similarly Thais led the Greeks to destroy the town of Persepolis.
Stanza 7. Thus in the remote past, long before "bellows" and the "organ" were invented, Timotheus with the music of his flute and lyre could inspire in the hearts of his listeners, feeling of anger or pity. At last, St. Cecilia appeared on the scene. She invented the Organ. By virtue of her divine inspiration and native wit, she enlarged the scope of music and made it possible to sustain natural notes.
Let the great musician Timotheus acknowledge the superiority of St. Cecilia as a master musician or let the honor of possessing supremacy in music be equally shared by Timotheus and St. Cecilia. Timotheus with the music of his lyre, made Alexander's soul soar toward heaven; St. Cecilia attracted an angel from heaven to earth with the music of the organ.
LINE-BY-LINE EXPLANATIONS
See the Furies.....unburied remain
These lines occur in "Alexander's Feast or the Power of Music", written by John Dryden. They refer to the occasion when Timotheus tried to inspire a mood of revenge in Alexander. The former presented through music the spectacle of Furies, the avenging Goddesses, as well as ghosts of Greek soldiers, who had been killed by Persians, in the war between Greece and Persia. Timotheus suggested to Alexander that the dead Greek soldiers desired Alexander the Great to take revenge for their death.
Timotheus in his fifth song suggested that the Furies, Goddesses of Revenge in Greek mythology, wanted Alexander to take revenge on the Persians. The Furies were in an excited frame of mind. They raised their hair in the form of snakes. These sriakes produced hissing sounds and the Furies emitted sparks of fire from their eyes. Timotheus also presented to the imagination of Alexander the Great a spectacle of ghosts of the Greek soldiers. these were the ghosts of those Greek soldiers who were killed in the battle between Grece and Persia, and who had remained unburied. The ghosts of Greek soldiers desired Alexander to take revenge for their death.
Behold how they.....fired another Troy
These lines occur in "Alexander's Feast or the Power of Music", written by John Dryden. They refer to the occasion when on Estening to the fifth song sung by Timotheus - a song of revenge - Alexander the Greek felt so incited that he caught hold of a burning torch and set fire to the houses, temples and palaces of the Persians.
Timotheus in his song presented a spectacle of the ghosts of those Greek soldiers who had been killed by the Persians. He suggested that the Greeks moved high up in the air with their burning torches pointed toward the palaces and temples of their enemies, the Persians. When the Greek princes present at the royal feast listened to the song, they applauded it very enthusiastically. Alexander the Great felt so much incited that he caught hold of a burning torch and rushed forward to set fire to the houses and temples of the Persians. Thais, holding a torch, led the way and showed to Alexander the objects of his revenge (Persian temples and palaces). Thus, just as Halen was responsible for the burning of the city of Troy, similarly, Thais led the Greeks to set fire to the town of Persepolis.
Thus long ago.....or kindle soft desire
These lines occur in the poem "Alexander's Feast or the Power of Music", written by John Dryden. In these lines, the poet refers to the greatness of Timotheus as a musician, who with the music of his lute and lyre, could inspire different moods in Alexander the Great Timotheus lived at a time when such musical instruments with "bellows" such as the organ were not invented.
In this way, in the remote past when musical instruments with "bellows" such as "organ" had not been invented, Timotheus with the music of his lute and lyre inspired in the hearts of his listeners' feelings of anger or pity. The poet means that Timotheus was such a great musician that with very simple musical instruments like the flute and the lyre, he could infuse feelings of anger or those of pity into the heart of Alexander the Great. The poet of course, refers to the different songs sung by Timotheus to entertain Alexander. The song which dealt with the defeat and death of Darius, infused feelings of pity in the heart of Alexander. The song which dealt with revenge, inspired Alexander to set fire to Persian houses, palaces and temples.
At last divine.....unknown before
These lines occur in "Alexander's Feast or the Power of Music", written by John Dryden. In these lines, the poet pays a shining tribute to St. Cecilia who is supposed to be the inventor of the organ. The poet says that St. Cecilia enlarged the scope of music. She accomplished this fact by virtue of her native wit and divine inspiration.
The poet means that the lyre and the flute were the only two musical instruments for a long time. Then St. Cecilia appeared on the scene. She invented the organ and thereby enlarged the scope of music, and making it possible to sustain musical notes. She accomplished these two things by virtue of her native wit and divine inspiration. This is to say that though she had not studied music anywhere, yet she possessed a natural wit, by means of which she enlarged the scope of music. Instrumental music that used to be so simple, when there were only lyre and the flute in the field, became now very complex and elaborate. The credit for enlarging the scope of music, which was limited before the invention of the organ, goes to St. Cecilia.
Let old Timotheus.....an angel down
These lines occur in "Alexander's Feast or the Power of Music," written by John Dryden. They are the concluding lines of the poem. The poet pays a great tribute to St. Cecilia, the inventor of the organ, and the patron saint of music in these lines. He suggested that she was either as great a musician as Timotheus or she was even a greater musician. Timotheus sent the soul of Alexander, a human being, flying toward heaven. St. Cecilia with the divine music of her organ attracted an angel from heaven to earth. The poet suggests, of course, that the miracle performed by St. Cecilia was in no way less remarkable than the wonder worked by Timotheus.
Comparing the respective achievements of Timotheus and St. Cecilia, the poet says that either Timotheus should acknowledge the superiority of St. Cecilia as a master musician, or the honor of being a master musician should be equally divided between Timotheus and St. Cecilia. Timotheus worked a miracle when with the help of his music he made the soul of Alexander fly toward heaven. St. Cecilia worked a greater miracle, because according to a legend, with the divine music of her organ, she attracted an angel from heaven to earth. (The poet refers to a legend, according to which, when St. Cecilia sang to the accompaniment of her organ, an angel felt that divine music was coming not from earth but from heaven. The angel mistook the earth for heaven. Thus he came down from heaven to the earth in order to listen to the heavenly music played by St. Cecilia).
The song began.....sovereign of the world
These lines occur in "Alexander's Feast or the Power of Music," written by Dryden. They refer to the occasion when Timotheus entertained Alexander the Great at a feast, that was held at Persepolis to celebrate the conquest of Persia.
Timotheus began his song with an account of gods. Timotheus revealed how Jove left his abode on Mount Olympus, and assumed the form of a serpent. He crept hastily, with his head lifted above his bright coils, towards Olympia, Alexander's mother. He made love to her by embracing her and making her conceive Alexander. Being the son of Jove, Alexander was born in the image of Jove, who is the ruler of the universe. (In other words; Alexander was as powerful as Jove, the president of gods).
Timotheus flattered Alexander's vanity by telling him that he had descended from Jove, because he (Alexander) was as powerful as Jove.
He sung Darius.....to close his eyes
These lines are taken from the poem, "Alexander's Feast or the Power of Music", written by Dryden.
Timotheus sang the praise of wine in order to entertain Alexander the Great at a royal feast, held at Persepolis to celebrate the conquest of Persia. The song roused a strange mood in Alexander who began to feel very wild and proud. In order to check his "wildness", Timotheus changed his theme. He sang of the tragic downfall and death of Darius, the Persian opponent of Alexander. He revealed how Darius was defeated by Alexander, and how he was betrayed and deserted by those to whom he had been so generous in the past. Timotheus indirectly referred to Bessus who deserted Darius when the latter’s need was utmost. The friendless Darius was left on the road to die after he had been treacherously stabbed by Bessus. There was no one by his side to close this eyes when he breathed his last.
Soothed with the sound.....he slew the slain
These lines occur in the poem "Alexander's Feast, or the Power of Music" written by Dryden.
Timotheus sang the praise of Bacchus (god of wine). He told his hearers how Bacchus had sanctioned "drinking" and how it was the privilege of soldiers to drink after they had fought hard battles.
On hearing the praise of wine Alexander felt as if he were under the influence of a strong drink. He began to feel very vain and proud. In his imagination, he fought once again all the battles that he had fought actually (in the battlefield). He defeated his enemies thrice and killed his opponents again in his imagination. (This is to say, Alexander felt so proud that, in his imagination, he repeated scenes of killing and defeating his enemies).