SOURCE: Oberg, Charlotte H. “The Apology and Prologue as Overture.” In A Pagan Prophet: William Morris, pp. 25-38. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1978.

In the following essay, Oberg argues that the “Apology” and the Prologue to The Earthly Paradise function to foreshadow and amplify Morris's central poetic themes.

The Earthly Paradise begins with “An Apology” in which the narrator, introducing himself as “the idle singer of an empty day,” foreshadows the substance of his theme, at once evoking and disclaiming the epic tradition of Virgil, Dante, and Milton:

          Of Heaven or Hell I have no power to sing, I cannot ease the burden of your fears, Or make quick-coming death a little thing, Or bring again the pleasure of past years, Nor for my words shall ye forget your tears, Or hope again for aught that I can say, The idle singer of an empty day. 

[III, 1]

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