Record Number: 18473

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

[Charlotte Bury went to see Humphry Davy, hoping to enlist his support in a subscription for James Hogg] 'and the visit was productive to me of a great treasure; for seeing some verses lying on a table, I asked permission to read them, upon which I obtained a copy of the following lines, which are, apart from their own merit, invaluable as coming from so great a man. Lines by Sir Humphrey Davy To the Glow-worm THOU little gem of purest hue, That, from thy throne o'erspread with dew, Shedd'st lustre o'er the brightest green That ever clothed a woodland scene, I hail thy pure and tranquil light Thou lovely living lamp of night Thy haunt is in the deepest shade By purple heath and bracken made : By thee the sweetest minstrel sings, That courts the shady grove; O'er thee the woodlark spreads his wings, And sounds his notes of love Companion of the lights of heaven Thine is the softest breeze of even; For thee the balmy woodbine lives, The meadow-grass its fragrance gives. And thou canst make thy tranquil bower In Summer's sweetest, fairest flower. The hour of peace is all thy own ; Thy lamp is lit for one alone ; Shedding no transitory gleams. No rays to kindle or destroy ; Constant, innocuous, still it beams The light of life, of love, of joy.'

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

unknown

Country:

n/a

Time

n/a

Place:

specific address: home of Humphry Davy

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Charlotte Bury

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

18 Feb 1775

Socio-Economic Group:

Gentry

Occupation:

lady-in-waiting

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

Scotland

Country of Experience:

n/a

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Humphry Davy

Title:

'To the Glow-Worm'

Genre:

Poetry

Form of Text:

Manuscript: Sheet

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

owned
copied from an mS at the home of Humphry Davy

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Source Information:

Record ID:

18473

Source:

Print

Author:

Charlotte Bury

Editor:

A. Francis Steuart

Title:

Diary of a Lady-in-Waiting, The

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

1908

Vol:

2

Page:

183

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Charlotte Bury, A. Francis Steuart (ed.), Diary of a Lady-in-Waiting, The, (London, 1908), 2, p. 183, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=18473, accessed: 18 May 2024

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Additional Comments:

Letter is undated and chronology is unclear: Hogg produced volumes of poems in 1815, 1825 and 1831