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216
SONNET.
The sunny town of Naples,
The far and shining sea,
Re-echoed to the thousands
Who shouted, "We are free!"
The tale of those bold fishermen,
Is writ in blood and tears;
True freedom asks the labour
And care of many years.
But slavery's strong foundations,
In such hours are o’erthrown;
In doubt, turmoil, and danger,
The glorious seed is sown.
The basis of this poem is Auber’s Opera La Muette de Portici in which Fenella is a non-singing role performed by a dancer with extensive use of mime. This character was derived from the Fenella in Scott’s ‘Peveril of the Peak’, who in this case is a dwarf feigning to be deaf and dumb. Note the spelling ‘atchieved’ in line 28.
