Lara, A Tale
Encyclopedia
Lara, A Tale is a rhyme
d, tragic
, narrative-poem
by Lord Byron; first published in 1814. The first work composed after Byron abandoned the idea of giving up writing and buying back his copyrights, it is regarded by critics as a continuation of the autobiographical work begun in The Corsair
. Unlike The Corsair, it was published anonymously, in conjunction with Samuel Rogers
Jacqueline.
This powerful narrative poem tells of the fateful return of Count Lara to the British Isles after spending years abroad traveling the orient
.
Returning to his patrimony with a retinue consisting of one foreign-born page, Count Lara resumes the management of his landed estates. Lara's first efforts are crowned with success: only to be undermined by the jealousy and envy of his peers. After a successful duel to defend his honour, the count becomes inexorably caught up in local blood-feuds; which quickly escalate to open warfare between his own followers and the private armies of his enemies.
Fighting against insuperable odds with desperate courage, Count Lara rallies the remnant of his shattered forces and makes for the Scottish border to regroup. During a forced night march he is intercepted by a large opposing force: and in the course of the ensuing battle he is mortally wounded, and is retired from the fighting due to the good offices of his ever-faithful oriental page.
As Count Lara lies dying he is confronted by his nemesis, Count Otho: but ignores the latter's taunts to address his dying words to his page in a foreign tongue unknown to his country-men. Otho arranges the obsequies, but Count Lara's page refuses to desert the graveside: his grief rendering him immune to Otho's threats and pleas to abandon his former master.
Rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
d, tragic
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
, narrative-poem
Narrative poetry
Narrative poetry is poetry that has a plot. The poems that make up this genre may be short or long, and the story it relates to may be simple or complex. It is usually nondramatic, with objective regular scheme and meter. Narrative poems include epics, ballads, idylls and lays.Some narrative...
by Lord Byron; first published in 1814. The first work composed after Byron abandoned the idea of giving up writing and buying back his copyrights, it is regarded by critics as a continuation of the autobiographical work begun in The Corsair
The Corsair
The Corsair was a semi-autobiographical tale in verse by Lord Byron in 1814 , which was extremely popular and influential in its day, selling ten thousand copies on its first day of sale...
. Unlike The Corsair, it was published anonymously, in conjunction with Samuel Rogers
Samuel Rogers
Samuel Rogers was an English poet, during his lifetime one of the most celebrated, although his fame has long since been eclipsed by his Romantic colleagues and friends Wordsworth, Coleridge and Byron...
Jacqueline.
This powerful narrative poem tells of the fateful return of Count Lara to the British Isles after spending years abroad traveling the orient
Orient
The Orient means "the East." It is a traditional designation for anything that belongs to the Eastern world or the Far East, in relation to Europe. In English it is a metonym that means various parts of Asia.- Derivation :...
.
Returning to his patrimony with a retinue consisting of one foreign-born page, Count Lara resumes the management of his landed estates. Lara's first efforts are crowned with success: only to be undermined by the jealousy and envy of his peers. After a successful duel to defend his honour, the count becomes inexorably caught up in local blood-feuds; which quickly escalate to open warfare between his own followers and the private armies of his enemies.
Fighting against insuperable odds with desperate courage, Count Lara rallies the remnant of his shattered forces and makes for the Scottish border to regroup. During a forced night march he is intercepted by a large opposing force: and in the course of the ensuing battle he is mortally wounded, and is retired from the fighting due to the good offices of his ever-faithful oriental page.
As Count Lara lies dying he is confronted by his nemesis, Count Otho: but ignores the latter's taunts to address his dying words to his page in a foreign tongue unknown to his country-men. Otho arranges the obsequies, but Count Lara's page refuses to desert the graveside: his grief rendering him immune to Otho's threats and pleas to abandon his former master.
External links
- Lara, A Tale, full text at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- Lara, A Tale, audiobook at LibriVoxLibriVoxLibriVox is an online digital library of free public domain audiobooks, read by volunteers and is probably, since 2007, the world's most prolific audiobook publisher...