Byron and His Beautiful Words

I have a confession to make. I have never read the poetry of George Gordon, Lord Byron. Until now. Early in the week I was looking for material for a tweet and pulled out a book of Byron's poems. I found the poem "When the Moon is on the Wave" and excerpted a couple of lines. Here is the whole stanza:

"When the moon is on the wave,
And the glow-worm in the grass,
And the meteor on the grave,
And the wisp on the morass;
When the falling stars are shooting,
And the answer'd owls are hooting,
And the silent leaves are still
In the shadow of the hill,
Shall my soul be upon thine,
With a power and with a sign."

I find those beautiful words remarkably powerful.

Lord Byron's life is the stuff of fiction. Biographies and collected works abound; my public library has thirty books on its shelves at the moment, Amazon.com lists twenty on the man and his writings. He is the sort of historical personage who crops up everywhere as soon as you look at the period.

I knew many details of his life without ever having read a biography or his work. Indeed I always accepted that his work was good, perhaps a little dated, I thought, but worthy of reading some day.Then, quite by chance, I read "She Walks in Beauty Like the Night" and it has become my favourite Regency poem:

"She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies."

Byron was by all accounts a difficult man, a man of many conflicting parts. Two hundred years ago, in 1809, he was just approaching the height of his powers. By 1824 he was dead. He captured the imagination of his time, and still appears regularly in Regency fiction written today.
I have never been a great lover of poetry. But I am learning, and growing. I read Robert Burns, Sarah Teesdale, John Keats, Helen Maria Williams and William Wordsworth. And now I read Byron.

Listen as you read "So We'll Go No More A-Roving":

So we'll go no more a-roving
So late into the night,
Though the heart be still as loving,
And the moon be still as bright.

For the sword outwears its sheath,
And the soul wears out the breast,
And the heart must pause to breathe,
And Love itself have rest.

Though the night was made for loving,
And the day returns too soon,
Yet we'll go no more a-roving
By the light of the moon."

Beautiful words indeed...

'Til next time,

Lesley-Anne

Regency Gardens

I've been thinking a lot about gardens recently as I clean up my own flower beds and prepare my terracotta pots for summer blooms. And of course, I began to think about Regency gardens.

That led me to the internet and my favourite thing, research. What I found confirmed that Regency garden information is dominated by the work of Humphrey Repton, the Picturesque movement and its natural woodland 'look'--trees, water and classical statuary and follies. Sezincote in Gloucestershire is the classic example of this style of gardening.

But I was thinking about Regency gardens on a smaller scale. I was hoping to find (easily) what plants the gardeners of the Regency favoured, in cottage gardens, in walled gardens, and in the flower pots on the terraces of the grand houses. Empress Josephine's roses are the only thing that came up, and certainly roses have featured repeatedly in Regency romance. I discovered that it will take considerably more research to discover other popular plants of the era.

But I found several other things. One is a book that looks delightful--"In the Garden with Jane Austen" by Kim Wilson. Here is the official blurb; I can't say it better: Bringing Jane Austen’s gardens—real and fictional—to life with excerpts from her novels and letters, period songs, poetry, and illustrations, this charming recollection offers tips for creating English gardens alongside Austen. This lavishly illustrated exploration with color photographs of gardens associated with the writer offers a rich experience to admirers of both Austen and gorgeous gardens. Complete with a reference section that includes important dates in Austen’s life, locations and dates of her houses, and a map of 1809 England, this delightful book is perfect for the history and garden enthusiast alike.

Another thing I found is a BBC TV series, with a companion book, called "Gardens Through Time". It is about the history of garden design, and follows the development of the Royal Horticultural Society from 1804. This series apparently has an episode titled "The Regency Townhouse Garden 1805"; presumably the book has a chapter with the same title. I would love to see/read that.

Two other books deserve mention. "Wordsworth's Gardens" by Carole Buchanan looks fascinating. With a scholarly bent, it covers Wordsworth's landscaping and gardening plans and connects his poetry to the gardens at Dove Cottage and Rydal Mount.
And Shire Publications, who do wonderful historical booklets, have one titled "Regency Gardens" written by Mavis Batey. It is out of print but it seems to be available in the out-of-print book world. It sounds like a must-have.

Then there are the gardens in England. Shugborough estate in Staffordshire has a Walled Garden restored authentically to 1805--same plants, vintage tools and planting methods. The Royal Pavilion at Brighton has authentic Regency gardens--they again emphasize the 'picturesque in nature', but include herbaceous plants, annuals and bulbs. The plantings began in 1816.

It will take more research to discover other Regency restorations; here are some websites I plan to investigate:
www.greatbritishgardens.co.uk
www.britainsfinest.co.uk

Two final notes: Jane Austen's World has several blogs on Regency gardens. Use 'regency-gardens' on their blog to search for them. And, if you are going to Britain in June, don't miss 'Regency Gardens', an afternoon talk by Cassie Knight at Chawton House (yes, Jane Austen's home!) in Hampshire on June 30. The afternoon includes garden tours and a tea. Oh, how I'd love to be there.

Till next time,

Lesley-Anne