Ashley MS 5269

'A Channel Passage and Other Poems'. 'Russia: an Ode'; [1890]. Draft, written on both sides of two folio leaves of white wove paper. Watermark 'Hieratica / (a vegetable Parchment) J. S & Co.'. The MS. has been entitled 'Russia an Ode' in pencil by another hand.

As follows: Part I, ll. 1-24, part III, ll. 1 and 2, f. 1a; part I, ll. 25 and 26, part II, ll. 1-6, 11-16, 23 and 24, part III, ll. 17 and 18, f. 1b; part II, ll. 17-22, 25-26, and eight and a half discarded lines, part III, ll. 3-12, f. 2a; part III, ll. 19-26, f. 2b. Part II, ll. 7-10, and part III, ll. 13-16, are not found in this MS.

Part I, ll. 13 and 14, originally followed l. 10. Their new position is indicated by an arrow. Lines 5, 10, 15, 20, 24 and 26 have been numbered by Swinburne. At the end of part I he made the calculation 26 x 3 = 78.

Part II, ll. 3-6 and 11-12 originally came at the foot of f. 1b, forming a continuous passage. Their position following l. 2 is indicated by an arrow. This position was originally occupied by ll. 23 and 24, which were later placed in brackets by Swinburne. They originally formed a continuous passage with ll. 1-2 and 13-16. Between ll. 15 and 16 is the autograph note '(Vates. Launch of Livadia, Sept. 30, 1880 / Dysthanatos, March 14, 1881)'. Evidently Swinburne considered that the assassination of Alexander II was not unconnected with his own prophetic power, and hoped that the spell would work again in the case of his successor. Lines 17-22 and eight discarded lines, beg. 'Lovers yet among us, praisers yet there are' and ending 'Hearts wherein all base thoughts breed as worms in graves;', occupy the lower half of f. 2a. All these lines appear to form a continuous passage, but are followed by the half line 'reptile sons of recreant France'. Lines 21 and 22 were added later. Half way down f. 2a, but separated from the rest of the text on the page by gaps above and below, are ll. 25 and 26.

Part III, ll. 1 and 2, are written parallel with the length of the paper in the top right hand corner of f. 1a. Lines 17 and 18 are half way down f. 1b, separated by a gap from the portions of part II above and below them. Beside ll. 11 and 12 on f. 2a is the autograph note '16 to come'.

The final text found in the draft differs by twelve words and one line from that printed on pp. 130-135 of the first edition. The poem is dated '1890' in the printed version. It was first published in the Fortnightly for Aug. 1890, and was also privately printed as a brochure Russia: An Ode., 1890.

Folio; ff. ii+2.

Poetry ENGLISH: Algernon Charles Swinburne, poet: A Channel Passage and Other Poems by Algernon Charles Swinburne: 1904: Autogr. drafts and fair copies of poems included in.

Poetry ENGLISH: Algernon Charles Swinburne, poet: Poem, 'Russia: an Ode', by Algernon Charles Swinburne: [1890]: Autogr. draft.