374—to John Galt 1
Dec. 11, 1813.
My dear Galt,—There was no offence—there
could
be none. I thought it by no means impossible that we might have hit on something similar, particularly as you are a dramatist, and was anxious to assure you of the truth, viz., that I had not wittingly seized upon plot, sentiment, or incident; and I am very glad that I have not in any respect trenched upon your subjects. Something still more singular is, that the
first
part, where you have found a coincidence in some events within your observations on
life
, was
drawn
from
observations
of mine also, and I meant to have gone on with the story, but on
second
thoughts, I thought myself
two centuries
at least too late for the subject; which, though admitting of very powerful feeling and description, yet is not adapted for this age, at least this country, though the finest works of the Greeks, one of Schiller's and Alfieri's in modern times, besides several of our
old
(and best) dramatists, have been grounded on incidents of a similar cast. I therefore altered it as you perceive, and in so doing have weakened the whole, by interrupting the train of thought: and in composition I do not think
second
thoughts are the best, though
second
expressions may improve the first ideas.
I do not know how other men feel towards those they have met abroad, but to me there seems a kind of tie established between all who have met together in a foreign country, as if we had met in a state of pre-existence, and were talking over a life that has ceased: but I always look forward to renewing my travels; and though
you
, I think, are now stationary, if I can at all forward your pursuits
there
as well as here, I shall be truly glad in the opportunity.
Ever yours very sincerely, B.
P. S.—I leave town for a day or two on Monday, but after that I am always at home, and happy to see you till half-past two.
Footnote 1:
For John Galt, see
Letters
, vol. i. p. 243 [Footnote 1 of Letter 130], and vol. ii. p. 101,
1. Galt wrote to Byron in 1813, pointing out that "there was a remarkable coincidence in the story" (of
The Bride of Abydos
) "with a matter in which I had been interested" (
Life of Byron
, p. 180, ed. 1830). Byron, imagining himself charged with plagiarism, wrote a somewhat angry reply, to which Gait answered by stating that the coincidence was not one of ideas, sentiment, or story, but of real fact. He received the above answer (
Life of Byron
, pp. 181, 182).
On this poem Byron seems to have been particularly sensitive. He is accused of borrowing the opening lines from Mignon's song in Goethe's
Wilhelm Meister
:
"Kennst du das Land wo die Citronen blühn?"
Cyrus Redding (
Yesterday and To-day
, vol. ii. pp. 14, 15) suggests that Byron used the translation of the poem which he himself had made and published in 1812 or 1813.
Byron was also charged with pilfering them from Madame de Staël.
"Do you know de Staël's lines?" he asked Lady Blessington (Conversations, pp. 326, 327); "for if I am a thief, she must be the plundered, as I don't read German and do French: yet I could almost swear that I never saw her verses when I wrote mine, nor do I even now remember them. I think the first began with 'Cette terre,' etc., etc.; but the rest I forget. As you have a good memory, perhaps you would repeat them."
"I did so," says Lady Blessington, "and they are as follows:
'Cette terre, où les myrtes fleurissent,
Où les rayons des cieux tombent avec amour,
Où des sons enchanteurs dans les airs retentissent,
Où la plus douce nuit succéde au plus beau jour,' etc."
