Don Juan (Canto 4) - Lord Byron
Romance and Satire in Spanish Domains and Beyond
Original Poem (English), selected stanzas (due to length):
Note: Don Juan is a lengthy satirical poem by Lord Byron. Canto 4, first published in 1821 (though Byron continued revising the poem), resumes Don Juan’s adventures, mixing romantic intrigue, comedic commentary, and Byron’s trademark social satire. Below are several representative stanzas. For a full version, please consult a complete literary edition.
Stanza 1
’Tis sweet to see the dawn in eastern skies,
But sweeter still, to watch a soul awake
To some new sense, or love’s most dear surprise—
In Juan’s breast, these lines prepared to break;
He wandered, yet not lost to all that lies
In maids and moments prized for passion’s sake;
We track him now in lands both old and strange,
Seeking or fleeing, still in ceaseless change.
Stanza 14
Our hero’s gleanings from the wars and seas
Did leave him half a soldier, half a rake;
But Fortune’s unexpected vagaries
Put him afield again, for valor’s sake,
Or maybe for no better aim than ease;
He strolled, a pilgrim with a poet’s take,
On proud hidalgos, labyrinthine halls,
And rosy lips behind dark convent walls.
Stanza 50
Behold, the lands of old romance appear
With Moorish spires and storied castle keeps,
Where passion’s echoes, vibrant and austere,
Haunt patios silent when the daylight sleeps;
Yet Juan’s nature, youthful, half-sincere,
Is quick to tangle in the vow he keeps
To seek a worthy love—or loves, at most—
A vow undone each time desire is host.
Stanza 97
Byron, your bard, half present, half withdrawn,
Observes this pageant with ironic grin,
His lines reflective of a world forgone,
Yet mocking all the trifles held within;
Good society and scandal’s early dawn,
He shapes it all to verse, where wit may sin,
And Don Juan is both toy and Trojan horse,
To smuggle social truths by sly discourse.
(…Canto 4 continues, with Don Juan encountering new figures of courtly life, romantic flirtations, and Byron weaving in commentary on Spanish culture, chivalry, and global politics…)
Canto 4 of Don Juan places the wandering hero amid Spanish backdrops and lingering romantic tension. Having survived sea voyages and battlefields in previous cantos, Don Juan now steps into a world of storied castles, convent walls, and aristocratic intrigue. Lord Byron uses these scenes to mock traditional notions of chivalry and gallantry—highlighting instead how impulsive desires and subtle manipulations often guide human conduct.
Byron’s signature ottava rima stanzas maintain a light, almost playful rhythm, even when the content veers into pointed satire. He exposes pretenses of courtly manners and romantic earnestness, often interrupting the narrative with self-referential jokes. The poet’s presence looms: Byron never lets the reader forget that the entire tale is orchestrated by his pen.
The canto also underscores Don Juan’s paradoxical nature—he’s naive enough to tumble into new infatuations, yet worldly-wise from prior scrapes with fortune and warfare. This duality sets the stage for comedic mishaps. Though Byron’s narrator teases the hero for his wandering passions, the poem also reveals a broad sympathy: youthful longing, curiosity, and self-discovery are recognized as inevitable aspects of life.
In a broader sense, Canto 4 continues to question social norms. Through Don Juan’s flirtations, run-ins with Spanish nobility, and sidelong glimpses of political realities, Byron critiques empty ceremony and the illusions of romantic idealism. By the canto’s conclusion, the reader senses that Juan’s odyssey is far from done. Whether in grand halls or hidden chapels, he remains subject to capricious fate—and Byron stands ready to turn each twist into an irreverent commentary on cultural mores. (Approx. 230 words)
Key points
1. Canto 4 unfolds in Spanish settings, blending chivalric backdrops with Byron’s satirical lens.
2. Don Juan’s character remains a mix of earnest romantic and accidental rogue.
3. Byron’s use of ottava rima stanzas pairs narrative tension with wry, humorous undertones.
4. Social and political hypocrisies come under friendly fire, revealed through comedic entanglements.
5. By the close, the stage is set for further adventures, hinting at Byron’s sustained critique of culture, romance, and identity.
