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20
RAFAŁBORYSŁAWSKI
ofBathinSomerset,21animportantRomano-Celticcultcentre,which,
aroundtheyear886,experiencedconsiderablerevivalandwasincluded
inKingAlfred)splanofestablishingfortifiedboroughsasasystemof
anti-Vikingdefences.
22
WhetherthepoemindeedspeaksofBathis
ultimatelyinconclusive,asthethermae,publicbaths,wereubiquitously
presentaroundtheremainsofRomancivicandmilitarystructures.It
isthennottheexactidentityofthecitythatiscentralłalthoughitmay
havebeeninscribedinthelinesnowlostłbutthepoem)sexploitationof
theimageryofthepresentruinandimaginedpastsplendour,acrossbe-
tweenthealreadymentionedthemeofexcidiourbisand,knownchiefly
fromLatinsources,themeoftheencomiumurbis,aeulogytoacity.
TeRuin)snarratorisapensiveflaneuramongthevestigesofbuild-
ingsinthemannerwhichmaybringthehypotheticalimagesofprince
Alfred)sexperienceofRome.And,aswasthecaseabove,thenarrator
ofTeRuinleavesusguessingandspeculatingastowhatthepoem)s
conclusionwas.Mosttypically,thepoemisassumedtohaveservedas
anexempluminthetemporarinessofhumanachievement23łtheopen-
ingimageofthefatebreakingthecitywallsandbuildings,theworksof
giantscrumbling,setsafamiliarthemeofevanescenceandofsictransit
gloria.Butwhateverthepoem)sconclusion,ultimately,liketheearlier
speculationsaboutAlfred)sRomanexperience,itleavesitsnarratorand
thenalsousinanendlessmazeofinconclusiveness,or,torefertothe
presentvolume)stitle,inastateofurbana-maze-ment.Itisonlybysee-
ingandsayingwhatthecityisnotthatitsspiritualandhistioriosophic
senseappears,butthentheveryactofsayingwhatthecityisnotis
alreadylogicallyflawed,fornotknowingwhatitwasmakesitimpos-
sibletotrulyknowwhatitwasnot.Tus,themedievallyunderstood
sensusmoralis,thatis,themoralsenseofTeRuinasapoemandthe
moralsenseoftheruinsperceivedbythenarrator(aswellasbyour
hypotheticalAlfred)is,inaway,apophatic,sinceitcanbedelineatedby
21MichaelLapidgeetal.eds.,TeBlackwellEncyclopediaofAnglo-Saxon
England(Oxford:Blackwell,1999),400.
22
JeanManco,uAlfred)sBorough,”inBathPast,2006,accessedJanuary5,2015,
http://www.buildinghistory.org/bath/saxon/alfredsborough.shtml.
23
HughT.Keenan,uTeRuinasBabylon,”TennesseeStudiesinLiterature
11(1966):109-117.
