Albania
area on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea, across the sea from Italy and next to Greece; in Byron’s time it was not a distinct nation, but was the general name for the area in which various peoples lived
boatswain
a low-level officer on a merchant ship who maintained the hull
Byronic hero
archetypal protagonist created and popularized by Lord Byron; the Byronic hero is characterized by a secret sin or tragedy in his past, an attitude of unrepentant rebellion against authority in its various forms, a love of freedom in all areas of life, and a brooding demeanor
canto
a section of a long poem, or a "song" which, together with other cantos, makes up the whole poem
caparison'd
covered with a caparison (a decorated cloth), like a horse might be; adorned
capote
long cloak with a hood, often part of an official uniform
certes
a certain or inevitable outcome
childe
a young noble
circumambient
surrounding; encompassing
circumscribe
to draw a circle or curve around, literally or figuratively
courtesan
a prostitute, especially a higher-end one
efface
to completely erase or wipe away
guerdon
a reward
iambic pentameter
the pattern of syllables in a line of poetry consisting of five units, each unit having an unstressed or short syllable followed by a stressed or long syllable (in iambic hexameter, there are six units for a total of twelve syllables following the same pattern)
Leucadia
a Greek island in the Ionian Sea (the Adriatic side of Greece), named from a word meaning "clear" or "white"; it is a location connected to myths including Sappho's suicide
minaret
a tall, thin tower overlooking a mosque, which is used for the call to prayer
ottava rima
poetry written in groups of eight rhymed lines in iambic pentameter, following the rhyme scheme abababcc
palsied
weakened or unable to move, physically or mentally
pelisse
a coat lined with fur, often part of a military uniform
perchance
perhaps
perpetuity
eternity; forever
phalanx
especially in ancient Greece, a closely packed group of soldiers who are protected by their overlapping shields as they project spears out of their formation
phrenzied
in a frenzy or panic
pilgrimage
a long journey, particularly one with religious or spiritual significance and a specific, meaningful goal
Pythian
relating to Delphi, the temple of Apollo where an oracle revealed secrets and wisdom
Sappho
a famous Ancient Greek poet born on the island of Lesbos in the 7th century B.C., most of whose poetry has been lost except in fragments, though it was greatly admired throughout antiquity, and her strong reputation has endured; in various stories about her death, she commits suicide by leaping into the sea
sedge
a grassy plant
sophist
a Greek professional philosopher who taught skills such as rhetoric, argument, and debate, but who tended to value victory over nailing down the truth; the sophists were active around the time of the alternative philosophers Socrates and Plato, who were their main critics and set a new path for philosophy
Spenserian stanza
a stanza (a group of lines in a poem) devised by the poet Edmund Spenser that contains eight lines of iambic pentameter plus a ninth line of iambic hexameter, using the rhyme scheme ababbcbcc
waft
to coast or drift through the air
zephyr
a gentle breeze; the "West Wind"
