sign in sign up
<<
Home , The Lost Leader (poem)

THE POETICAL \VORKS

OF

R 0 B E R T B R 0 'V N I N G

VOLUME I.

THE I

~ POETICAL \VORKS

OF

::\OB,~ERT BROWNING

WITH PORTRAITS

IN TWO VOLUMES

VOLUME I

LONDON SMITH, ELDER, & CO., 15 WATERLOO PLACE

[AU n'gkls rmrvedj Printed by B.I.LLA!ITYllli:, HAliSOll t.' Co, At the Ballantyne Press ED I TOR'S NOTE.

HIS edition of Mr. Browning's poems and plays makes no pretence to T be critical. One of the most useful of the Shakespearian commentators, Mr. Theobald, has observed that the science of criticism, so far as it affects an editor, is reduced to three classes: "The emendation of corrupt passages, the explanation of obscure and difficult ones, and an inquiry into the beauties a.-1 defects of composition." Happily there are no corrupt passages in _..,wning, but undoubtedly there are some obscure and difficult ones, although the reader will often be surprised to find how frequently obscurity and difficulty will be dissipated and removed by a careful study of the context. So, too, Browning has his beauties and defects of composition; but neither his beauties or defects of composition, nor the obscurities and difficulties of particular passages, are here discussed or explained. All that has been done is to prefix (within square brackets) to some of the plays and poems a few lines explanatory of the characters and events depicted and described, and to explain in the margin of the volumes the meaning of such words as might, if left unexplained, momentarily arrest the understanding of the reader. That some easy words have been explained and some hard ones left alone is more than likely, since, on such a subject, no standard exists either of information or of ignorance. Mr. F. G. Kenyon has been kind enough to make the notes for "," but for the rest the Editor alone is responsible. The edition is a complete one, containing all Mr. Browning's regularly published plays and poems, from Pauline (1833) to Asolando (I88g). In the arrangement of the contents a chronological order has as far as possible been observed; but as Mr. Browning himself rearranged some of his smaller poems regardless of their dates of publication, his publishers have not felt themselves at liberty in these cases to adhere to chronology. In all the poems the poet's latest readings have been followed. AUGUSTINE BIRRELL. I DEDICATE THESE VOLUMES TO MY OLD FRIEND JOHN

FORSTER, GLAD AND GRATEFUL THAT HE WHO, FRO~! THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THE VARIOUS POEMS THEY INCLUDE, HAS BEEN THEIR PROMPTEST AND STAUNCHEST HELPER, SHOULD SEEM EVEN NEARER TO ME NOW THAN ALMOST THIRTY YEARS AGO.

R. B. LoNDON: April 21, 1863. AUTHOR'S PREFACE TO EDITION OF 1868.

HE poems that follow are printed in the order of thcir publication. The T first piece in the series I acknowledge and retain with extreme repug­ nance, indeed purely of necessity; for not long ago I inspected one, and am certified of the existence of other transcripts, intended sooner or later to be published abroad : by forestalling these, I can at least correct some misprints (no syllable is changed) and introduce a boyish work by an exculpatory word. The thing was my earliest attempt at "poetry always dramatic in principle, and so many utterances of so many imaginary persons, not mine," which I have since written according to a scheme less extravagant and scale less impracticable than were ventured upon in this crude preliminary sketch-a sketch that, on reviewal, appears not altogether wide of some hint of the characteristic features of that particular dramatis persona it would fain have reproduced: good draughtsmanship, however, and right handling were far beyond the artist at that time. R. B. LONDON : December 25, 1867, AUTHOR'S PREFACE TO EDITION OF 1888.

PRESERVE, in order to supplement it, the foregoing preface. I had I thought, when compelled to include in my collected works the poem to which it refers, that the honest course would be to reprint, and leave mere literary errors unaltered. Twenty years' endurance of an eyesore seems more than sufficient : my faults remain duly recorded against me, and I claim permission to somewhat diminish these, so far as style is concerned, in the present and final edition where " Pauline" must needs, first of my perform­ ances, confront the reader. I have simply removed solecisms, mended the metre a little, and endeavoured to strengthen the phraseology~xperience helping, in some degree, the helplessness of juvenile haste and heat in their untried adventure long ago. The poems that follow are again, as before, printed in chronological order ; but only so far as proves compatible with the prescribed size of each volume, which necessitates an occasional change in the distribution of its contents. Every date is subjoined as before. R. B. LoNDON: February 27, 1888, CONTENTS OF VOL~I "' PAGE - PAULINE: A FRAGMENT OF A PAGE CONFESSION DEDICATION us BOOK THE FIRST us - BooK THE SECOND 128 I. PARACELSUS ASPIRES • 16 BOOK THE THIRD 141 II. PARACELSUS ATTAINS. 27 BooK THE FouRTH ISS BOOK THE FIFTH III. P ARACELSUS 36 168 IV. P ARACELSUS AsPIRES • sr BOOK THE SIXTH I82 V, PARACELSUS ATTAINS. 6o NOTE • 72 : A DRAMA-

INTRODUCTION STRAFFORD: A TRAGEDY­ 195 I. MORNING 198 ACT I. II. NooN • 205 SCENE I. A HOUSE NEAR WHITE· III. EVENING 2Il HALL 77 IV. NIGHT. • 215 II. WHITEHALL 81 ACT II. SCENE I. A HOUSE NEAR WHITE· KING VICTOR AND KING HALL 86 CHARLES: A TRAGEDY- II. WHITEHALL 88 FIRST YEAR, I7JO.- AcT III. KING VICTOR. PART I.. . 221 SCENE I. OPPOSITE WESTMIN· KING VICTOR. PART II. . 226 STER HALL 93 SECOND YEAR, 1731.- , II. WHITEHALL 94 KING CHARLES. PART I. • 235 , III. THE ANTECHAMBER OF KING CHARLES. PART ~1. • 242 THE HOUSE OF LoRDS 98 AcT IV. - SCENE I. WHITEHALL 101 CAVALIER TUNES- II. A PASSAGE ADJOINING I. MARCHING ALONG • 248 WESTMINSTER HALL 103 II. GrvE A RousE • 248 III. WHITEHALL • Io6 III. BooT A~D SADDLE • . 249 ACT V. V THE LosT LEADER • 249 SCENE WHITEHALL I. • 108 "How THEY BRoUGHT THE Goon ., IT. THE TOWER .~ 109 NEws FROM GHEI'\T To Arx" 250 xiii xiv CONTENTS

DRAMATIC LYRICS-Continued. DRAMATIC LYRICS-Continued. PAGI! PAGE THROUGH THE METIDJA TO ABD· IN THREE DAYS. 292 EL-KADR 251 v-1N A YEAR. 293 NATIONALITY IN DRINKS , WOMEN AND RoSES 294 GARDEN FANCIES- BEFORE 294 I. THE FLOWER'S NAME 252 AFTER. • 295 II. SIBRANDUS SCHAFNABUR- THE GUARDIAN-ANGEL 296 GENSIS • 253 VJIIEMORABILIA • 297 SoLILOQUY oF THE SPANISH V'l'OPULARITY . 297 CLOISTER 254 MASTER HUGUES OF SAXE- '' • 255 GOTHA • • 298 THE CONFESSIONAL 256 CRISTINA 257 THE LOST MISTRESS 258 THE RETURN OF THE DRUSES: EARTH'S IMMORTALITU:S 258 A TRAGEDY- • 259 AcT I. • 301 PARTING AT MORNING 259 SoNG • 259 II. 307

CITY 264 A BLOT IN THE 'SCUTCHEON : A ToccATA OF GALUPPI's • • 266 A TRAGEDY- OLD PICTURES IN FLORENCE • 267 /cDE GUSTIBUS-". • 272 ACT I. HOME-THOUGHTS, FROM ABROAD 272 SCENE I. THE INTERIOR OF A HOME • THOUGHTS, FROM THE LODGE IN LORD SEA 273 TRESHAM'S PARK • 330 SAUL • '~ ;r' 273 II. A SALOON IN THE MAN· MY STAR z8o SION • 332 BY THE FIRE-SIDE z8r MILDRED'S CHAMBER 334 ANY WIFE TO ANY HUSBAND 285 , III. 'TWO IN THE CAMPAGNA 287 ACT II. MISCONCEPTIONS, 288 'A SERENADE AT THE VILLA • 288 ScENE. THE LIBRARY • 338 ONE WAY OF LOVE 289 AcT ANOTHER WAY OF LOVE 289 III. A PRETTY WoMAN 290 ScENE I. THE END oF THE YEw­ RESPECTABILITY • 291 TREE AVENUE UNDER LoVE IN A LIFE 291 MILDRED'S WINDOW 345 LIFE IN A LOVE • 292 " II. MILDRED'S CHA~IBER • 349 CONTENTS

COLO~IBE'S BIRTHDAY: D&UIATIC Rm.IA..."\'CES-Continued. A PLAY- PAGE PORPHYRIA'S LoVER • • 434 PAGE AcT I. MoRNING. • -- "CHILDE ROLAND TO THE DARK ScENE. A CoRRIDOR LEADING TOWER CAllE" • 435 TO THE AUDIENCE· CHAMBER , • 352 LURIA: A TRAGEDY­ AcT I. MoRNING ACT II. NooN. • 439 , II. Noo;:o; • SCENE. THE PRESENCE-CHAMBER 358 . 445 " III. AFTER:\OON • 450 ACT Ill. AFTERNOON. , IV. EVENING • 455 SCENE. THE VESTIBULE • 364 " v. NIGHT • • 459 AcT IV. EVENING. A SOUL'S TRAGEDY­ SCENE. A.'l ANTECHAMBER. . 370 AcT I. ACT V. NIGHT. " II. SeEsE. THE HALL

DRAMATIC Rm.IANCES- CHRISTMAS-EVE • ·48o INCIDE:>T OF THE FRENCH CA~IP 383 EASTER-DAY . 496 'THE PATRIOT • 383 ":\ly LAST DUCHESS • 384 MEN AND Wm.IEN- COUNT GJS}IOSD • 385 " TRANSCENDENTALISM : A POEM THE BoY AND THE ANGEL • 386 IN TWELVE BOOKS" • 508 , lNSTANS TYRANNtTS , 388 ,/ How IT STRIKES A CoNTE~! PO· MES~IERISM 389 RARY. . 509 THE GLOVE • 391 ARTEMIS PROLOGIZES , • 510 TntE's RE\'ENGES • 393 AN EPISTLE CONTAINING THE THE ITALIA!'i IN ENGLAND • 394 STRANGE MEDICAL EXPERI· THE ENGLISHMAN IN ITALY • 396 ENCE OF KARSHISH, THE ARAB IN A GONDOLA • 399 PHYSICIAN • 512 \\'ARI:\G • 402 }OHA.1\0NES AGRICOLA IN ~IBDI· THE TWINS • 405 TATION • 516 A LIGHT WO~!A:> • 400 PICTOR IGNOTUS. • 516 THE LAST RIDE TOGETHER • 407 \ .• 517 THE PIED PIPER OF HA~IELI:S: A:s'DREA DEL SARTO (CALLED A CHILD's STORY • • 4o8 "THE FAULTLESS PAINTER") 523 THE FLIGHT OF THE DUCHESS . 412 \- THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB A GRA~n!AR!AS's FUNERAL , 424 AT SAI:s'T PRAXED's CHuRcH 527 ' THE HERETIC'S TRAGEDY . . 426 BISHOP BLOUGJJI.~I'S APOLOGY • 528 ' I!OLY-CROSS DAY •. 427. CLEO'\'. • 542 PROTIJS . ~30 RUDEL TO THE LADY OF TRIPOLI 546 THE STATL'E AND THE BTJST . 431 , ' O:>E WaRD ~fORE •• • 547 · CO:XTE:XTS

PA(iE DRA~L-\.TIS PERSON.-E-Contimted. ~~A B.uco::xv • 550 PAGB 1.·· /RABBI BE :X EzRA • s8o DRA~L\.TIS PERSOX.-E- VA DEATH IN THE DESERT· • 583 V (ALIBA.'i UPOX SETEBOS ; OR, \. }--L\IES LEE'S WIFE- NATURAL THEOLOGY IN THE I. }-U!ES LEE'S WIFE SPEAKS ISLA.'OD • • 593 AT THE W!:SDOW • • 563 vi'o:sFESSIO:SS • 598 \,../ II. BY THE FIRESIDE • • 563 MAY A."D DEATH • 598 III. 1:-i THE DooRWAY • • 563 DEAF AXD DU~IB: A GROUP BY IY. ALOXG THE BEACH • 564 WOOLSER • 599 O.s THE CLIFF • 565 v. V1'ROSPICE • t- • • 599 READING A BooK U:'>DER VI. EURYDICE TO ORPHEUS: A PIC· THE CLIFF • • 565 TURE BY LEIGHTO'< · 599 \'II. MtoXG THE RocKs • 567 tOUTH A:XD ART • 599 BESIDE THE DRAWI:>OG- YIII. A FACE • 6o1 BoARD. • 567 A LIKENESS • 6oi L'(. DEcK . s68 o.s ~IR. SLUDGE, "THE :\fEDIF~I ". 6o2 GoLD HAIR: A STORY OF PoRxic 569 APPARENT F AlLURE • 624 THE WORST OF IT • 571 EPILOGUE . • 625 Dis ALITER VIsuy ; OR, LE BYI!.o:x DE Nos JouRS • 573 BALAUSTIO:X'S AD\"ENTURE Too LATE • • 575 ABT YOGLER • 578 ARISTOPH.-\...'\ES' APOLOGY . 666

PORTRAIT OF ROBERT BRO\Y"XI:XG (1S35l • Frontispiae,