AFTER READING TROLLOPE'S HISTORY OF FLORENCE by Eugene Field: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
Eugene Field invites us on a whimsical midnight stroll through Renaissance Florence, inspired by a history book.
The poem
My books are on their shelves again And clouds lie low with mist and rain. Afar the Arno murmurs low The tale of fields of melting snow. List to the bells of times agone The while I wait me for the dawn. Beneath great Giotto's Campanile The gray ghosts throng; their whispers steal From poets' bosoms long since dust; They ask me now to go. I trust Their fleeter footsteps where again They come at night and live as men. The rain falls on Ghiberti's gates; The big drops hang on purple dates; And yet beneath the ilex-shades-- Dear trysting-place for boys and maids-- There comes a form from days of old, With Beatrice's hair of gold. The breath of lands or lilied streams Floats through the fabric of my dreams; And yonder from the hills of song, Where psalmists brood and prophets throng, The lone, majestic Dante leads His love across the blooming meads. Along the almond walks I tread And greet the figures of the dead. Mirandula walks here with him Who lived with gods and seraphim; Yet where Colonna's fair feet go There passes Michael Angelo. In Rome or Florence, still with her Stands lone and grand her worshipper. In Leonardo's brain there move Christ and the children of His love; And Raphael is touching now, For the last time, an angel's brow. Angelico is praying yet Where lives no pang of man's regret, And, mixing tears and prayers within His palette's wealth, absolved from sin, He dips his brush in hues divine; San Marco's angel faces shine. Within Lorenzo's garden green, Where olives hide their boughs between, The lovers, as they read betimes Their love within Petrarca's lines, Stand near the marbles found at Rome, Lost shades that search in vain for home. They pace the paths along the stream, Dark Vallombrosa in their dream. They sing, amidst the rain-drenched pines, Of Tuscan gold that ruddier shines Behind a saint's auroral face That shows e'en yet the master's trace. But lo, within the walls of gray, E're yet there falls a glint of day, And far without, from hill to vale, Where honey-hearted nightingale Or meads of pale anemones Make sweet the coming morning breeze-- I hear a voice, of prophet tone, A voice of doom, like his alone That once in Gadara was heard; The old walls trembled--lo, the bird Has ceased to sing, and yonder waits Lorenzo at his palace gates. Some Romola in passing by Turns toward the ruler, and his sigh Wanders amidst the myrtle bowers Or o'er the city's mantled towers, For she is Florence! "Wilt thou hear San Marco's prophet? Doom is near." "Her liberties," he cries, "restore! This much for Florence--yea, and more To men and God!" The days are gone; And in an hour of perfect dawn I stand beneath the cypress trees That shiver still with words like these.
Eugene Field invites us on a whimsical midnight stroll through Renaissance Florence, inspired by a history book. He brings to life the spirits of Dante, Michelangelo, Raphael, and the passionate preacher Savonarola, as if they're still roaming the city's streets. The poem unfolds as a collection of vibrant snapshots — renowned artists creating, lovers immersed in Petrarch, a prophet warning of impending doom — all viewed through a dreamy haze of rain and drowsiness. By the end, the reader feels the immense presence of an entire civilization coming alive through the pages of the book.
Line-by-line
My books are on their shelves again / And clouds lie low with mist and rain.
Beneath great Giotto's Campanile / The gray ghosts throng; their whispers steal
The rain falls on Ghiberti's gates; / The big drops hang on purple dates;
The breath of lands or lilied streams / Floats through the fabric of my dreams;
Along the almond walks I tread / And greet the figures of the dead.
In Rome or Florence, still with her / Stands lone and grand her worshipper.
Angelico is praying yet / Where lives no pang of man's regret,
Within Lorenzo's garden green, / Where olives hide their boughs between,
They pace the paths along the stream, / Dark Vallombrosa in their dream.
But lo, within the walls of gray, / E're yet there falls a glint of day,
Some Romola in passing by / Turns toward the ruler, and his sigh
"Her liberties," he cries, "restore! / This much for Florence--yea, and more
Tone & mood
The poem maintains a hushed and reverent tone throughout, resembling the voice of someone half-asleep, drifting through a cherished imagined world with quiet wonder. There’s genuine tenderness in the depictions of Angelico praying and Raphael gently touching an angel’s face one last time. However, the final third takes a darker turn: the nightingale falls silent, a prophetic voice booms, and the poem concludes with an unresolved sense of moral urgency. Field transitions from nostalgic reverie to a blend of awe and unease, all without raising his voice.
Symbols & metaphors
- Rain and mist — Rain is a central theme in the poem, appearing right from the start and reappearing throughout. It creates a soft blend between the speaker's current surroundings and the Florence of yesteryear, giving the imagery a mix of reality and dreaminess. Additionally, the rain brings a subtle sadness — the grayness of the world outside prompts a reflective journey into memory and history.
- Ghiberti's Gates — The Gates of Paradise stand out as one of the crowning achievements of Renaissance art, and the rain falling on them reflects Field's message that even the most remarkable human creations face the effects of time and weather. They also serve as a tangible threshold — gates — ushering us into the poem's dream-like realm.
- Beatrice's golden hair — Beatrice is Dante's idealized love and serves as his guide through paradise in the *Divine Comedy*. Her presence, noted solely by her iconic golden hair, indicates that the Florence depicted in the poem transcends the historical city; it represents an artistic and literary Florence — a realm where love and spiritual yearning intertwine.
- Cypress trees — Cypress trees close the poem with a powerful image. In Italian culture, they symbolize mourning and are often found in cemeteries, and in this context, they "shiver" with the prophet's messages. They embody the tension between the poem's beauty and its caution — positioned at the brink of dawn, balancing between the dream-like realm of the dead and the vibrant life of the day.
- Angelico's palette — Fra Angelico blending tears and prayers into his paint reflects Field's view of art as an expression of faith instead of mere craftsmanship. The palette transforms into a sort of altar. This symbol lies at the core of the poem's message: the finest Florentine art cannot be separated from devotion, and it is this devotion that imparts enduring strength to the work.
- The prophetic voice — Savonarola's voice, reminiscent of the voice from Gadara in the Gospels, highlights the moral reckoning that lurks behind Florence's beauty. The Renaissance city was more than just art and love poetry; it was also marked by political corruption. Savonarola's powerful call for justice serves as the poem's reminder that the dream cannot be entirely comfortable.
Historical context
Eugene Field wrote this poem after diving into Thomas Adolphus Trollope's *A History of the Commonwealth of Florence* (1865), which offers an expansive look at the city from its medieval roots to the Renaissance. Field, a journalist and poet from Chicago, was primarily known for his children's poetry, but he also had a serious side, fueled by a genuine passion for books, art, and European culture—interests he didn't often express in his more popular work. The poem features a vibrant array of real historical figures including Dante, Giotto, Ghiberti, Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Fra Angelico, Pico della Mirandola, Vittoria Colonna, Lorenzo de' Medici, and Savonarola, as well as drawing inspiration from George Eliot's novel *Romola* (1863), which is also set in Renaissance Florence. Written in the late 19th century, the poem captures the broader American and British intrigue with the Italian Renaissance, seen as the wellspring of Western art and culture.
FAQ
The prophet is Girolamo Savonarola, a Dominican friar known for his fiery sermons in Florence during the 1490s. He called for political reform and condemned the Medici and the Church for their corruption. Savonarola is associated with San Marco, the monastery where Fra Angelico created his frescoes. He eventually led a popular uprising that expelled the Medici from Florence. Field draws a parallel between his voice and that of the one heard at Gadara in the Gospels, connecting him to biblical prophecy.
Thomas Adolphus Trollope, the brother of novelist Anthony Trollope, penned a four-volume history of Florence published in 1865. This work explored the city's political and cultural life in great depth, transporting readers' imaginations right into the heart of the Renaissance. Field's poem captures the thoughts that filled his mind after finishing the book — the history transformed into a dream.
Romola is the main character in George Eliot's 1863 novel, which takes place in Renaissance Florence during Savonarola's era. In the poem, Field uses her name to represent Florence itself — a woman who personifies the city's conscience and approaches Lorenzo de' Medici to alert him that Savonarola's prophecy of doom is indeed true.
The nightingale's silence signals the shift from beauty to dread in the dream-vision. In the poem, Field travels through a Florence filled with art, love, and devotion. When the prophetic voice emerges, the bird falls silent — even nature acknowledges that a greater and more serious force is at play.
Lorenzo Ghiberti's *Gates of Paradise* are the ornate bronze doors of the Florence Baptistery, finished in 1452. Michelangelo reportedly described them as deserving to be the gates of paradise, which inspired their name. These doors are a hallmark of early Renaissance sculpture, and Field employs them as a threshold image — the gateway into the dream-world of the poem.
Vittoria Colonna was a renowned Italian poet and one of Michelangelo's closest friends during his later years. He composed sonnets for her and created drawings as gifts. Their bond was rooted in deep spiritual and intellectual devotion rather than romantic love, and Field captures this perfectly: Michelangelo is portrayed as her solitary and devoted worshipper, following her wherever she goes.
Fra Angelico was a Dominican friar who is said to have prayed before he painted and cried while illustrating the Crucifixion. Field transforms this historical tradition into a symbol: Angelico's art isn't distinct from his faith; it is, in fact, made from it. His tears and prayers become his pigments. This represents Field's most focused expression of the poem's main idea—that the finest art in Florence was an act of devotion.
Field intentionally leaves this vague. The speaker waits for dawn after spending the night reading, experiencing visions in that hazy state between sleep and wakefulness where imagination and reality blur. By the last stanza, he finds himself beneath cypress trees at dawn—this could represent the real dawn outside his window or the dawn awakening within the dream. The strength of the poem lies in Field's refusal to answer the question.