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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 August 2011
Commentators on Lycidas have usually traced the origin of Milton's line, “Under the opening eyelids of the Morn,” to a marginal reading in the Authorized Version of Job. As several scholars have observed, “the alternative reading for ‘dawning of the day’ [Job iii. 9], offered in the margin as more true to the Hebrew, is ‘the eyelids of the morning,’” and in Job xli. 18 [Heb. 41:10] this image occurs in the text itself — “By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.”
1 See Masson, David (ed.), The Poetical Works of John Milton, III (London, 1874), p. 447Google Scholar; Verity, A. W. (ed.), Comus and Lycidas (Cambridge, 1898), p. 130Google Scholar; Hughes, M. Y. (ed.), Milton, … Minor Poems (New York, 1937), p. 286Google Scholar; Todd, H. A. (ed.), The Poetical Works of John Milton, V (London, 1801), pp. 18–19Google Scholar. Cf. The Bible (London, 1613) on Job iii. 9, “Heb. the eye lids of the morning.”
2 The Bible (London, 1613), Job xli. 18. In some versions of Job this text is numbered as 9 or (more rarely) as 10.
3 Gesenius, William, Robinson, Edward, and Brown, Francis (eds.), A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Boston and New York, 1928)Google Scholar, translate this phrase as “eyelids of dawn, break of dawn.” Cf. Gesenius and Robinson (Boston, i860), “the eye-lashes of the dawn, for the rays of the morning sun…. Better, 
for the eyelids with the eyelashes as a whole, like Lat. palpebrae…. In these passages — Job. iii.9, xli.10] the allusion is specially to the eyelashes, as a figure to represent the first rays of dawn; so too the Arabic.”
4 Ibid., s.v. 
cf. Strong, James, A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Hebrew Bible (New York, 1890)Google Scholar.
5 Schindleri Lexicon Pentaglotton … In Epitomen redactum à G.A. (Londini, 1635)Google Scholar.
6 Lexicon Heptaglotton, … Authore Edmundo Castello, II (Londini, 1686)Google Scholar.
7 Olympiodori Alexandrini in Beatum Job (P.G., XCIII, cols. 60, 444); Sacra Biblia ad LXX. interpretum fidem diligentissime tralata (Basileae, 1526). Olympiodorus (col. 60) explains the allusion in Job iii. 9 alternatively as the morning star or the sun, Mὴ ἴδoι ἑωσφόρoν άνατέλλoντα, τoυτέστι, τὸν ἑωθινὸν άστέρα, ἢ καὶ τὸν ἥλιoν.
8 Cf. Biblia. Breves in eadem Annotationes, ex doctiss. interpretationibus, & Hebraeorum commentariis (Parisiis, 1532). The Glossa Ordinaria explains this figure literally as the last hours of the night and allegorically as a reference to the worldly-wise (Textus bibliae cum Glossa ordinaria, Nicolai de Lyra postilla [Lugduni, 1528–1529]): “Palpebras diluculi extremas horas noctis accipimus: in quibus quasi nox oculos aperit dum venturae lucis iam initia ostendit. Prudentes igitur saeculi maliciae antichristi perversis consilijs inhaerentes quasi palpebrae sunt diluculi: quia fidem quam in christo inveniunt, quasi errorem noctis asserunt: & venerationem antichristi veram esse mane pollicentur.” According to Lyranus’ commentary, the phrase “Ortum surgentis aurorae” (Job iii. 9) refers literally to the “signum aurorae surgentis quae praecedit lucem solis,” while the eyelidimage in Job xli tropologically signifies the devil's false revelations: “Oculi eius ut palpebrae diluculi. Per oculos eius designantur revelationes falsae quas tanquam veras recipiunt prophetae diaboli & hoc significantur per palpebras diluculi.”
9 Biblia Hebraica. Eorundem Latina Interpretatio Xantis Pagnini Lucensis, Recenter Benedicti Ariae Montani Hispal. & quorundam aliorum collatio studio, ad Hebraicam dictionem … expensa (Antverpiae, 1584).
10 Leo Juda (tr.), Biblia Sacrosancta Testamenti Veteris & Novi, è sacra Hebraeorum lingua … translata (Tiguri, 1544).
11 Biblia Interprete Sebastiano Castalione … In recenti hac translatione … expressam Hebraeae atque Graecae sententiae Veteris ac Novi Testamenti veritatem (Basileae, 1551)Google Scholar.
12 Biblia, Hebraica, Latina planeque nova Sebast. Munsteri tralatione (Basileae, 1534)Google Scholar.
13 Testamenti Veteris Biblia sacra, … latine recens ex hebraeo facti, brevibusque scholiis illustrati ab Immanuele Tremellio & Francisco Junio (Londini, 1593)Google Scholar.
14 Iohannis Piscatoris Commentariorum in Omnes Libros Veteris Testamenti, III (Herbornae Nassoviorum, 1644)Google Scholar. Piscator's commentaries on the Old and New Testaments had been previously published between 1601 and 1616.
15 The implication of swiftness and the analogy between eyelashes and solar rays are as appropriate in the Latin text as in the Hebrew. Like the Hebrew noun ‘ap‘appáyim, the Latin palpebrae could signify both eyelids and eyelashes, and its etymology had been traced by Renaissance lexicographers to the verb palpitare. Cf. Ambrosii Calepini Bergomatis Lexicon (Haganoae, 1526)Google Scholar; Stephanus, Robert, Thesaurus Linguae Latinae (Basileae, 1576)Google Scholar; Cooper, Thomas, Thesaurus Linguae Romanae & Britannicae (Londini, 1584)Google Scholar.
16 Iobus, sive de patientia liber Poetica Metaphrasi explicatus, Authore Abrahamo Aurelio (Londini, 1632).
17 The Holy Bible, tr. John Wycliffe and his Followers, ed. Rev. Josiah Forshall and Sir Frederic Madden (Oxford, 1850); cf. N.E.D., s.v. Eyelid.
18 The Bible (Edinburgh, 1579)Google Scholar.
19 The Holy Bible (London, 1584)Google Scholar.
20 Arthur Golding (tr.), Sermons of Master Iohn Calvin, upon the Booke of lob (London, 1574)Google Scholar.
21 Iob Expounded by Theodore Beza … Faithfully translated out of Latine into English (Cambridge, 1593)Google Scholar.
22 Sylvester, Iosuah, Iob Triumphant, in DuBartas His Divine Weekes and Workes (London, 1641)Google Scholar.
23 The Matthew, Coverdale, Taverner, and “Great” Bibles agree in rendering the two passages as “the rysynge up of the fayre morning” (Job iii) and “hys eyes lyke the mornynge shyne” (Job xli). See The Bible in Englyshe (London, 1541)Google Scholar; The Bible … translated into Englische by Thomas Mathewe (London, 1549); The Whole Bible … Faythfully Translated into Englyshe by Miles Coverdale (Zurich, 1550); The Byble, … faythfully set furth according to the Coppy of Thomas Mathewes translacion (London, 1551); cf. Darlow, T. H. and Moule, H. F., Historical Catalogue of the Printed Editions of Holy Scripture in the Library of the British and Foreign Bible Society (London, 1903)Google Scholar.
24 The Holie Bible faithfully translated into English, out of the authentical Latin. Diligently conferred with the Hebrew, Greeke, and other Editions in divers languages … By the English College of Doway (Doway, 1609), “the rysing of the appearing morning” (Job iii), “his eies as the twinklings of the morning” (Job xli). Revised editions of the Douai version alter this reading to “the rising of the dawning of the day” and “his eyes like the eye-lids of the morning"; see The Holy Bible, translated … and first published by the English College at Doway, Anno 1609. Newly revised, and corrected (Philadelphia, 1790).
25 La Bible, qui est Toute la sainte Escriture, à savoir le vieil & nouveau Testament (Lyon, 1561)Google Scholar.
26 La Bible qui est toute la saincte escriture du Vieil & du Nouveau Testament … Le tout reveu & conferé sur les textes Hebrieux & Grecs par les Pasteurs & Professeurs de l’Eglise de Geneve (Geneve, 1588)Google Scholar.
27 La Biblia que es, los sacros libros del vieio & nuevo Testamento. Traslade en Español (Basilea, 1569)Google Scholar.
28 Biblia: das ist: Die gantze Heilige Schrifft: Deudsch Auffs new zugericht. D. Mart. Luth. (Wittemberg, 1545)Google Scholar.
29 Den Bybel Dat is de Boecken der heyligher Schriftuer/uytten oirspornckelijcken Hebreuschen ende Grieckschen ghetrouwelick verduytschet (Schotlandt/by Danswiuck, 1598).
30 La Bibbia, cioè i libri del vecchio e del nuovo testamento: Nuovamente traslatati in lingua Italiana, da Giovanni Diodati… (Geneva, 1607)Google Scholar, “le palpebre dell’ alba … maniera di parlar figurato: per loqual significa que’ primi chiarori che si veggono allo spuntar dell’ alba” (Job iii. 9); “alle palpebre dell’ alba … c. sono così grandi, rosseggianti, e lucenti, che risplendono da lungi, come 1’alba” (Job xli. 18). Cf. Pious Annotations upon the Holy Bible … by the Reverend … Iohn Diodati (London, 1643), "The dawning of] the Italian, the eye lids of or the first appearing of day light: a poeticall terme” (Job iii. 9), “the eye lids of] like unto the dawning of the day” (Job xli. 18).
31 Cf. Todd, V, p. 18; Sophocle, I, ed. A. Dain and tr. P. Mazon (Paris, 1955), p.77,
… ῷ χρυσέας
ἁμέρας βλέφαρον…
Though Mazon (p. 76) translates this passage as “oeil du jour doré” ("eye of golden day") rather than as “eye-lid,” the word βλέφαρον (like the Hebrew noun ‘ap ‘ap) may support both interpretations. Cf. H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, and H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (Oxford, 1925), s.v. βλέφαρον. Robertus Stephanus (s.v. Palpebrae) cites βλέφαρα and βλεφαρίδες as the Greek equivalents of palpebrae; and Henricus Stephanus, Thesaurus Graecae Linguae (Genevae, 1572), defines BΛEΦAPON as “Palpebra, …i. Pellis oculis obducta & hos tegens, quae & κάλυμμα vocatur…. Etymolog. dictum vult hoc vocabulum quasi τοȗ βλέποντος φάρος.” On the other hand, Thomas Watson (Sophoclis Antigone, Londini, 1581, p. 19) translates Sophocles' phrase as “O aurata tandem emicas/Claritas diei.”
32 Cf. Todd, V, pp. 18–19; Thomas Middleton, A Game at Chesse, ed. R. C. Bald (Cambridge, 1929), pp. 55–56; Marlowe, Christopher, The Jew of Malta, ed. Bennett, H. S. (London, 1931), p. 74Google Scholar; Bullough, Geoffrey (ed.), Philosophical Poems of Henry More (Manchester, 1931), p. 19Google Scholar; The Poems … of Richard Crashaw, ed. L. C. Martin (Oxford, 1927), pp. 125, 151. For later parallels in the works of Tennyson and Bayard Taylor, see Verity, p. 130, and N.E.D., s.v. Eyelid.
33 De Bybel (Leyden, By de Weduwe van Joannes Elzevier, 1663).
34 La sainte Bible, qui contient le Vieux et le Nouveau Testament, Edition nouvelle, faite sur la Version de Geneve, reveue, & corrigée; Enrichie outre les anciennes Notes, de toutes celle de la Bible Flamande, de la plupart de M. Diodati, & de beaucoup d’autres (Amsterdam, Chez Louys & Daniel Elzevier, 1669)Google Scholar.
35 Cf. Liddell and Scott, s.v. βλέφαρον, “of the curtain of darkness at nightfall, νυκτὸς άφεγγὲς β. E[uripides] Ph[oenissae] 543.”
36 Verity, p. 159.
37 Todd, pp. 18–19.
38 N.E.D., s.v. Glimmer.