What an interesting observation! Let me know if you find out anything
peripheral of this list.
MRS
>From: David Wilson-Okamura <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Sidney-Spenser Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Rivers at Night, or Son of "Stinking Seals"
>Date: Mon, 3 Jun 2002 12:17:30 -0500
>
>The following picks up on the aquatic theme of last summer's "stinking
>seals" query; high-minded readers should probably hit the delete key now.
>
>At FQ 3.2.32, Spenser says that Britomart went to bed, but did not sleep,
>at night--
>
> The time, that mortall men their weary cares
> Do lay away, and all wilde beastes do rest,
> And euery riuer eke his course forbeares...
>
>My question has to do with this last bit: do rivers really forbear their
>course at night? The Variorum points out that these lines are a translation
>of the psuedo-Virgilian Ciris:
>
> tempore, quo fessas mortalia pectora curas,
> quo rapidos etiam requiescunt flumina cursus (232-33)
>
>This explains the text, but doesn't really answer the original question: do
>rivers really slow down at night? Spenser had a lot to say about rivers,
>and one would like to believe that his love of rivers went along with an
>intimate knowledge of their habits and properties. Having said that,
>inquiring minds still want to know...
>
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>David Wilson-Okamura http://virgil.org [log in to unmask]
>East Carolina University Virgil reception, discussion, documents, &c
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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