This poem was written in 1862, its actual composition taking only two
weeks, although the poet had been considering the theme for some time.
It was first printed in 1864 and became popular at once, sixty thousand
copies being sold in a very short period.
[203] 7. =Danish barrows= are burial mounds supposed to have been left
by the early Danish invaders of England.
[204] 18. The =fluke= is the part of the anchor which fastens in the
ground.
[205] 36. =Wife to both.= This line is a prophecy of future events in
the story.
[206] 94. =Osier.= The reference is to baskets made of osier, a kind of
willow.
[207] 98. The =lion-whelp= was evidently a heraldic device over the
gateway to the hall.
[208] 99. =Peacock-yewtree=; a yewtree cut, after the fashion of the old
landscape gardeners, into the shape of a peacock.
[209] 213. =Look on yours.= This is another prophetic line.
[210] 326. =Garth=; a yard or garden.
[211] 337. =Conies=; rabbits.
[212] 370. =Just ... begun=; notice here the repetition of line 67: each
of the two lines introduces a crisis in the life of Philip. Several
other such repetitions may be found in the poem.
[213] 494. =Under the palm-tree=; found in _Judges_ iv. 5.
[214] 525. The =Bay of Biscay= is off the west coast of France and north
of Spain.
[215] 527. =Summer of the world=; the equator.
[216] 563. =Stem=; the trunk of a tree.
[217] 573. =Convolvuluses=; plants with twining stems.
[218] 575. =The broad belt of the world.= The ancients considered the
ocean to be a body of water completely surrounding the land.
[219] 633. This description may be compared with that of Ben Gunn in
Stevenson's _Treasure Island_.
[220] 671. A =holt= is a piece of woodland.
[221] 671. A =tilth= is a name for land which is tilled.
[222] 728. =Latest=; last.
[223] 733. =Shingle=; coarse gravel or small stones.
[224] 747. =Creasy=; full of creases.