"Zanoni", Book 4, Chapter VIII, by Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Chapter VIII:

τ’ἄποφερβόμενοι
κλεινοτάταν σοφίαν,
αἰεὶ διὰ λαμπροτάτου
βαίνοντες ἁβρῶς αἰθέρος,
ἔνθαποθ’ ἁγνὰς
ἐννέα Πιερίδας
λέγουσι Μούσας
ξανθὰν Ἁρμονίαν φυτεῦσαι·

Eurip. Med. I. 834.

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Awww snap! No resolution in this chapter to previous chapter's cliffhanger!

But at least we get to learn something about what happened to Zanoni and Viola, which I guess is nice?

Footnote after "There the air carries with it the perfumes of the plains for miles along the blue, translucent deep.": See Dr. Holland's "Travels to the Ionian Isles," etc., page 18. (A real book! Published in 1815.)

That bit of German in there near the beginning:

"Durch die Schöpfung floss da Lebensfülle,
• • • • •
An der Liebe Rusen sie zu drücken
Gab man höhern Adel der Katur."

We have a footnote for it: "Die Götter Griechenlands"

That's it, but google can tell us more: that is a poem by Friedrich Schiller written in 1788. A rather influential little poem, but far out of scope here to discuss the nature of its influence.

We aren't given a name for the island that Zanoni now lives on, but we are told it is opposite to Cephallenia. There are three islands of consequence close by to Cephallenia, and one of those is much closer than the others: Ithaca.

platanus: plane trees. In North America these are known as either plantain trees or sycamores (although other unrelated trees go by the sycamore). There is a hybrid of this genus known as the London plane commonly planted throughout London. For being on a Greek island, most likely this is referring to Platanus orientalis, Old WOrld sycamore or Oriental plane.

cystus: a genus of flowering perennial shrubs, sometimes called the rock rose.

The picture used is of Port Bathy and Capital of Ithaca by Dodwell Edward, painted in 1819, but his travels there were from 1801-1806, so very close in time to our story setting.

To follow along: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2664/2664-h/2664-h.htm#link2HCH0046