Student Question
Where and when does Byron claim to have found fame and glory in the poem "Stanzas Written on the Road Between Florence and Pisa"?
Quick answer:
Byron claims to have found fame and glory in the eyes of his lover. In "Stanzas Written on the Road Between Florence and Pisa," he expresses that true fame comes not from public accolades but from his lover's admiration, which he values above all. While traveling between the historically significant and culturally rich cities of Florence and Pisa, he emphasizes that personal connections surpass man-made achievements in bringing genuine glory and fulfillment.
The speaker finds "fame and glory" when he sees the delight of his poetic words in his lover's eyes. He knows that youth is fleeting and fame by other means just as temporal. But his lover's delight is by far the best thing he could ever hope for. The two cities he cites are significant: Florence is considered by most to be the birthplace of the Italian Renassiance, famous for its beautiful art and architecture; Pisa is also well-known for its beauty and art. But for all their fame, the speaker still prefers the look in his lover's eyes to any of these man-made testaments to fame and glory.
Here is the entire poem:
Oh, talk not to me of a name great in story;
The days of our youth are the days of our glory;
And the myrtle and ivy of sweet two-and-twenty
Are worth all your laurels, though...
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ever so plenty.
What are garlands and crowns to the brow that is wrinkled?
'Tis but as a dead flower with May-dew besprinkled:
Then away with all such from the head that is hoary!
What care I for the wreaths that can only give glory?
O Fame! -if I e'er took delight in thy praises,
'Twas less for the sake of thy high-sounding phrases,
Than to see the bright eyes of the dear one discover
She thought that I was not unworthy to love her.
There chiefly I sought thee, there only I found thee;
Her glance was the best of the rays that surround thee;
When it sparkled o'er aught that was bright in my story,
I knew it was love, and I felt it was glory.
Byron has found fame in the eyes of his lover. The third stanza reads:
O Fame! -if I e'er took delight in thy praises,
'Twas less for the sake of thy high-sounding phrases,
Than to see the bright eyes of the dear one discover
She thought that I was not unworthy to love her.
He is saying that fame is less for the sake of hearing people speak well of him but rather to see the eyes of 'the dear one' when he discovers that she thinks him worthy of her love.
Glory is found in this as well. The fourth stanza reads:
There chiefly I sought thee, there only I found thee;
Her glance was the best of the rays that surround thee;
When it sparkled o'er aught that was bright in my story,
I knew it was love, and I felt it was glory.
When he knows that she loves him, he feels glory.
References