Gray's Elegy, verse 1

Finally, I'm able to post selection a from Gray's Elegy as annotated with gestural symbols by Gilbert Austin. Above is verse one, which I blogged on at length last week. A quick orientation is in order. When found below the text, the symbolic letters and numbers refer to the feet (advance to Right 2, retreat to Right 1 positions, i.e. right foot in front, weight on right foot, then sink back with the weight on the left on line 2). Above the text, the letters refer to the countenance (upper case at top of lines 1, 2 and 4: Ls for Listening, F for Forward, V for "eyes bent on Vacancy") and to the arms and hands (mostly lower case, though B means both arms and R means at rest). So the first gesture complex, on "the curfew tolls" indicates that you step forward onto the right foot, listening (looking in the direction of the sound, then placing your ears towards it) with the arms apart, hands vertical (v), right arm elevated and open on the diagonal (eq), left arm a little lower, horizontal, and stretched out to the left (hx), for Ls veq-vhx while aR2. Here is Austin's own drawing of "Listening" (figure 103) and his description:

"Listening, in order to obtain the surest and most various information, first presents the quick and comprehensive glance of the eye towards the apparent direction of the sounds, if nothing is seen, the ear presents itself towards the point of expectation, and the eye is bent on vacancy: but all this passes in a moment. The hand and are are held vertical extended. If the sound proceed from different quarters at the same time, both arms are held up, and the head alternately changes from one side to the other, with a rapidity governed by the nature of the sound; if it be alarming, with trepidation; if pleasing, with gentle motion. The figure is listening fear." (p. 488) [sorry about the noisy left side of the image; I'm working on that!]

The listening indicated in the Elegy is a little different, with the right arm perhaps even higher and the weight on the right foot in front, more enjoying than the pulling back this image seems to suggest. But the shape is there, and clearly those first three notations make for one complex of whole-body listening, weight moving forward towards the sound, arms receiving and delineating it, eye looking and then inclined.