Pope Urban for absolution
Preserved but no longer current.
"No," said His Holiness, "you can no more hope for mercy than this dry staff can be expected to bud again.'* Tannhauser departs in despair; but on the third day the papal staff bursts into blossom; the Pope sends in every direction for Tannhauser, but the knight is nowhere to be found, for, mercy having been refused, he has returned to end his days in the arms of Venus.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Pope Urban for absolution” mean?
"No," said His Holiness, "you can no more hope for mercy than this dry staff can be expected to bud again.'* Tannhauser departs in despair; but on the third day the papal staff bursts into blossom; the Pope sends in every direction for Tannhauser, but the knight is nowhere to be found, for, mercy having been refused, he has returned to end his days in the arms of Venus.
Is “Pope Urban for absolution” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.