A last word on epigraphs, more or less
Hail, Albion!
It is possible that I am overfond of quotation (citation needed). [As has already been made manifest many times] I had originally intended to add an epigraph to the header of each chapter of Impossible Histories (buy said book here, or anywhere), a second epigraph at each midpoint “turn.” And then, as the MS. was nearing completion, and clearly needed to be cut down to reach the desired page count, I had a brain wave. Why not add a second quotation to each section, this one taken from the anonymous nineteenth century mad prose-poem Albion?
Albion, you may recall, is an utterly baffling, sublime, and under-read text (see below)
and my life’s mission is to drag it kicking and screaming into the canon—what better way than by quoting constantly its lovely plums?
But probably two epigraphs per demichapter, or eighty therefore total, was overly greedy, and in the end all epigraphs got cut due to a combination of editorial imploring and the remorseless mathematics of wordcount. My proposed “normal” epigraphs I have secreted in the annotations of each chapter, but the fully weird epigraphs from Albion—all beginning and ending in an ellipsis because Albion is made up entirely of overlong run-on sentences—I have sequestered in this post.
I am (as I so often am) brimful of pride at my own cleverness at these Albionic epigraphs, and the cunning ways they tie in with each chapter. Please cut each out and paste it in the apposite place in your copy of Impossible Histories, the first of each pair at the chapter’s opening, the second at the “turn.”
1. WWI
…Europe aghast the strange demur, blood, precious blood…
•Albion: In Twelve Books VI (1822).
…the Captain inebriate, glorious wounds, intrepid scars, useless the line…
•Albion: In Twelve Books VII (1822).
2. Vinland
…nor alone the old world, lo distant new…
•Albion: In Twelve Books IV (1822).
…nor scaped nature the dire infection, chagrined, despairing grief, heaven dips external; inward a gnawing foe, a canker-worm, to eternity, hurries the deceived, the deceiving; impregnate ether, mingle vermilion, imperceptible, arms death, man, creep, cattle, fowl burdened, contaminated finny realm, long pavements ocean; enervate gales, ice pinioned, chill human, pull down the beautied system; nature, retard her divine operations, spit putrid disease, death; man no more…
•Albion: In Twelve Books II (1822).
3. Alexander the Great
…Alexander supreme, full assurance fraternal her friendship…
•Albion: In Twelve Books VII (1822).
…proof blast myriad ages, and ran the Jewish, Persian, Grecian, Roman empires, born, aspire, decline, father Time, his melancholy veil o’er human greatness…
•Albion: In Twelve Books II (1822).
4. Inca Empire
…ignominious end; Henry, strange commotion, the king a prisoner…
•Albion: In Twelve Books IV (1822).
…unheard difficulty, wade, rivers, scale rocks, ascent perpendicular, untrod woods impassable, den savage monsters, serpent realms; Indian nations, spectators the cruel grape, the bayonet, spear, the hand, the mightier soul, heaven, earth, hell alarm, lightning, thunders, nor stay the startled poles, up upward rebound empyrean amazed…
•Albion: In Twelve Books V (1822).
5. Freemasonry
…Washington, keen, catch golden moments as they passing fly, his military ken along the extended Jerseys, determines deadened night, cross the stream, embattled armed, their midst infest, with slaughter and dismay; ’twas night, the sun antipodes, powdering celestial beauty, when led this hero, his select muster, shores the meander Delaware…
•Albion: In Twelve Books VI (1822).
…note rising winds, their changing sceptres, secret whistling, starry heavens night…
•Albion: In Twelve Books VI (1822).
6. Sigmund Freud
…bid the people, imperial him, arrogant his own arm, that planted his head a crown forbidden gold…
•Albion: In Twelve Books XII (1822).
…distant approach mad brained usurper death…
•Albion: In Twelve Books III (1822).
7. Athens and Sparta
…worthy our leader, deserving honours his country, nor Sparta, renowned Thebes, can boast such zeal, such patriotism, availing himself the tyranny his oppressors, his only aim the welfare his country, and that attained, contentment his lot to be forgotten; his enemies offer him the sovereignty the isle, hear his spurning answer; let rocks flow melting the ocean, let stars confused their celestial career…
•Albion: In Twelve Books VII (1822).
…whether kings seated equitable thrones, statesmen, philosophers, poets divine gifted, or those finer minds, that humane, energize the benefit the welfare mankind
•Albion: In Twelve Books XII (1822).
8. WWII
…him their affections, leader august, small in stature, a mind superior wiles, frowns ten thousand worlds…
•Albion: In Twelve Books XII (1822).
[because this chapter’s second half already had two epigraphs, I, in a rare moment of forbearance, forbore to add a quote from Albion as a third.]
9. Julian the Apostate
…memorable series, history, pregnant, eventful, people, tongue, realm, impious empire, estranged in heart from the true God…
•Albion: In Twelve Books II (1822).
…myriads that revolve the powdered pole, western heaven’s eternal starry frame, did not domes, zones, constellations, Ursa Major, Orion, the fraternal Pleiades, isolated sires, kingly of old, serene, revolve run heavens galaxy plains? changing scene, the solar system…
•Albion: In Twelve Books XI (1822).
10. Vice President Henry Wallace
…kingdom, empire, nature her overflow basket…
•Albion: In Twelve Books XI (1822).
…deafening crash, shook lowermost sea, unfathomable earthquakes alarm antipodes; a pause unknown terrestrial, save chaos of old, when Deity on creative morn, roused the eternal stillness…
•Albion: In Twelve Books IX (1822).
11. The First Crusade
…what heroic acts, to the eternal stars, Jerusalem mistress, all lands obeisance, heroes, chiefs…
•Albion: In Twelve Books II (1822).
…for it Columbus trod the mighty ocean, wond’rous for months, sky, sea, azure beauty, till by the finger God pointed, landing hailed a planetary globe…
•Albion: In Twelve Books VI (1822).
12. Romanticism
…amazed diversity, hill, vale, meander, enamel burst, abrupt harmony, nature her pious gambols…
•Albion: In Twelve Books XI (1822).
…be cool! let future generations rehearse the honours this glorious day…
•Albion: In Twelve Books I (1822).
13. The Third Crusade
…Cœr-de-lion Richard, his march, battle, glory, the Saracens o’er hill, dale, Englishmen at Ascalon, astound foreign clime, infidel nations…
•Albion: In Twelve Books III (1822).
…at length, push rampart walls, them veteran ascend, despise formal tactics, war determined, an aloud laugh, pepper grape, apparatus roar…
•Albion: In Twelve Books V (1822).
14. Polar Exploration
…nor the thought father Winter, the terrible pole, check youth ardour, eager fan nobler flame, hardy, case my limbs, with manly strength…
•Albion: In Twelve Books IV (1822).
…a hardy crew, on polar seas, smiling the grave hollow tomb, lifeless the air, animaculæ void, essential existence, and the human frame; onward sped…
•Albion: In Twelve Books IV (1822).
15. The Fall of Rome
…we refit to receive our wounded, every comfort, bathe the past, trophies, glory, bliss…
•Albion: In Twelve Books X (1822).
…Rome, imperial wins the proud monarch, on his golden throne; combat, pride, man, men, heroes, savages, either onward the path to immortal glory…
•Albion: In Twelve Books III (1822).
16. William H. Seward
…uplift cup, the daemon assassin, trickling blood…
•Albion: In Twelve Books III (1822).
…the Russians brimstone moved, kindle their holy capital, rather Babylonian an unknown eternal heap, than possession their accursed enemy; days, nights, heaven upward illumined, embers empyrean, and lodged the peaceful stars; anarchy as before the birth of time…
•Albion: In Twelve Books XII (1822).
17. Ethiopia and Yemen
…more than mortal enthusiasm to repel impious invasion…
•Albion: In Twelve Books XI (1822)
…soon the action terminated that part the enemy’s line opposed the superb Elephant…
•Albion: In Twelve Books X (1822).
18. Aaron Burr
…her calm demean, her significant smiles, slow to revenge insults her injured rights…
•Albion: In Twelve Books XI (1822).
…thou manly, who aright sing; now gigantic, pigmy now; whisper, stare hollow looks, wider gape stupid mouths…
•Albion: In Twelve Books XII (1822).
19. Vietnam
…plans, military schemes, routs, maps all nations, dissected minds superior enemies…
•Albion: In Twelve Books VII (1822).
…rudiments the school war, rebellion fiend bannered, the sounding toscin, to the war, to the war, either his former chief, him terrible indignant…
•Albion: In Twelve Books XI (1822).
20. Global Thermonuclear War
…I born in heaven, and scarce an infant peep jubilant region, when headlong unfathomable plunged hell, league my grand progenitor now called the devil…my name is war…
•Albion: In Twelve Books XII (1822).
…died all flesh, life utter extinct, man immortal swept an awful eternity; ocean alike destructive besom, save selected few, by heaven caverned, dungeoned unsullied, while swum amazed ether, Noah, his household, and the floating world…
•Albion: In Twelve Books II (1822).