., ., . j:t>'i :j i:::$;5 >,o:~Gh:;r{(~i:rrdrii 21 hr!~j!it:x.t? !G~I.!~*I>./.i~:, i>i::~-~ c,>j IIJ ~'i!(d]:IYI:, { .llJWt >jiYl&ib21103 13i :.I !sir! 11fj.t ~l;[h'15dftl:~t~lL~"i 12;Jffi l.ii'j'! !!I; Ul:X!'j I::!) ?;::-cJX; ,J tr:,~i After a shld? of this unit ~?~~j~~y~9!d;k~~#~if~1bjj~~:~j::~~1[~rri!y<,,c! 2~1~jr, ~1x2; :,,i 11r(I> ,~~ij,~>l~;; speak on Robert Browning's life and work and the rclationsl~ipbct\\,ccn thcin. a appreciate Sordello; and understand Browning's conccptior~of the office of a poet.
37.1 INTRODUCTION
In this unit you will read a brief sketch of Robert Brow~iing'slife. This \voulcl be helpfitl to you in writing your own term-paper. Still more. it will help you apprcciatc Browiling's poetry.
Robert Browning is buricd in Westmi~isterAbbe!! where poets such as C:ha~~ccrnncl Spenser also lie interred. 'A good many' wrote I-Icnq. Jnmcs about B~.onning. 'oddities and a good many grcat writers have becli cntombcd in tl~cAbbe!,: but ~~oiic of the odd ones have been so great and ~lolicof the great o~icsso odd- ('lhc .\/IL'L~~L,I.. January 4. 1890). It is the combination of Bro\vniiig's greatness ancl oddit! tliat !.oil should be able to appreciate finally after you I~avecoiiiplctcd !.our stud! of thc , present and the two foIlo\vi11g units.
The excerpt from Sordello that you will also read in this illlit kvi'll ellable >.ou to % ~mderstaiidBrowning's ailns 2nd aspirations as a poet. Hopc 4.011 wvill clijo! rmding about Robert Bro~vningand a spccirncn of his poetr!,.
37.2 ROBERT BROWNING (b. MAY 7,1812 - d. DEC: 12, 1889)
The poet Robcrt Browning bore the ilamc of his fathcr aid grandfather As a !oung mail Bro\viiing's father had becil sent by his father to Wcst Indies to takc cnrc o!'tlicl fanlily plantation. However, he revolted against tlic ci~reltytowwards thc sla\ cs t11cl.c. rctunled home and his father foui~dl~iln employment in thc Bank of Engla~ldas n clerk on a small salary. Robert Bro~vning,Sr. (d. 1866) workcd at tllc Bnlik iuitil his rctirement in 1852 He was a self-effacing person. iilild aid stildio~lsaiid Ilad 26.. 5'- collected a library of 6000 books of Greck, Latin and recondite English b~ritings (A rccund~ye:yprF,.~~ypj~.l<~l~~s:..ia about O~SCUSC. abstruse, ~utof tlzc bvay or little Robert Bron ning: kno\\n subjects.) T11c poet's father rvas illore a illall of leanling than busiilqss niid m Life ;u~tlAspir s?ioau 111s!,out11 he had llopcd to beconle a11 artist. All his life 11e drew skctclles and ~ll~~stratiopst~.qmusc!l~js cljldrei~ alld.friends. T11e,poct Br~wningcould have I ;lhented his qptitu& fqq. the ,visual arts fso~ll,his fatllot-.
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Bson;~i~ng;s.~~l,~~\lyl;~;~firq~~~~~~~~~~~~$~(~~~~~~~ .(JJi !j); \\;.i"~sil In Scql.jnncl o f , Gcri~~al), fall]^^: &1ldis,cott#ll, 1!2ot[!c)r. ,~h~;~~~~~c\~j\~ta$,13 l)yl., fa1111I),! l~a'rpsc gnrdcn . and tlie C~~~gfic;ga$j~i~I,,ql~~p,q\a114 SXAS, ,tlly~~,~~~lo~171;~~~for~x~1st; ,Hcl;,busba~!dand ,, cliildrcn I\ crc- als,g jpadq to, fql;lo\vJ1~q,tq~f!~p,[;on~rfigq~jo~~gl !c!lapol+and not to the Church of Etigland. Her daughter Sar~a~u~aand her son. the poet, \vex passionatcl! devoted to hcr.
Robert Browning, the poct, was born on May 7,1812 at Cainber~vell.a suburb of !,cndou. He \.;as raised there and at New Cross. fi~rtllerto tlle so~~tlleastfiom 120ndon. Bron.ni11g was a restless child and his biograplicrs record thc public rcprool' of George Clayton, the preacher at his mother's chapel. for liis 'restlessness and inette~~tlon'.Hc had rebellcd from scl~ooland was 1a:tcr to rebel .fro111London University. tlis educati~nwas conducted ~nainlyby his father and a series of tutors of Greck, Latin, French, Italian and i~iusic.He became famous for his quaint lear~~iny which was acquired chiefly in his father's library. For his pleasures lie I-oamcd tlic fields, roclc on horseback and spent time in Dulwich Gallery. He grew up to bc passionate, brilliant but also indisciplined, with an inordinate estimate of his po\\.c~.s. u.hich liowever, were indeed vcr! great.
Bro\v~li~~g'sfirst volu~ncof poems Incondilcl was a collection of I!,rics. It \\.as \\.rittwl ~vlienhe was twelve years old. He later destro!/ed them: but two survi\~c.I'c~l~l~nc: A Frnginenf ?/'aC:onfL;,rsion was published anonymousl!; in 1833. It is nlarkcd b~ tlic influence of tlie Romantic poets, especially Shelley: whom hc called 'sun-treader-: 'Sun-trcadcr. life suld light be thine for ever! ' However, it is also a work. ~\hicli records his disa\~o\valof Shelley n.110 was not popular in tlie earl!! ninctcentli ccntun,. AL thc agc of 14. Shclley had provided an esit :for Bro\vning from the nliddlc class world of Caiiib~-rwclland Nc\v Cross. The cliildrcn tlicrc;: never \vent to Ha.rro\\,and Kugb~,much less Osford and Carnbridge:Bro\\~ning becanle a disciple of SliclIc!.. tool
Sun-trcadcr. I believe in god and tn~th And love; and as oiic just escaped froill dcatll Would bind I~imselfin bands of fr~endsto fccl. He lives indeed. so. I \vould lcaii on thee! Tllou must bc cver with Iiie. iiiost in gloo111 If such must conic. but chiefly \vhen I die. For I seem, dying, as one going in the dark To figlit a giant: but live thou forever, And be to all what thou has been to mc!
Browning's esposure and exploitation of his ow11 cmotioi~sand his 'intense and 111orbidself-coi~scious~iess' in Pollline was disliltcd by J.S. Mill ( 1806-73). a leading illtellectual of his time. Perhaps it was Mill's criticism that discouraged him from co~lfessi~lg11is own emotions and encouraged him to write objectively.
In 1834 Browling went 011 a tour of Russia \~itli.Geor~ede Benkhauscn. tllc consul ,general. In 1838 and '44 he made two short visits to Italy. 111 thc meintimc IJnr.ctcelsz~s,Browning's first aclu~owledgedwork, was published in 1835. Tlic carc'cl- of t11c historical Pancelsus (1493-1541): the Swiss-born physician, served R~~\\,II~IIs as a s~~lki~~g-horseor pretest for liis esploratioii into tlic true fcliciu: of a pc~ct's endeavours, that is, in the conflictiilg clainls of love (self-forgetting) and kno\\.lcdgc (se!f-assertion) in the mind of the poet. IJnrncelsz.uwas a resounding critical succcss
It introduced him to the great artistic and literary ~vorldof London. At a dinner in , 1836 Words\vorth, who in a few years was to beconle the Poet Laureate. proposed a toast to Browning and welcomed him to the colllpany of the poets of Englnnd. (Tllc evcilt: may rcinind you nearer home of tlie reception of Rabindranath Tagorc b! Bankim Chandra Chattol~adliyaya). Bro\~ningcalile to l Hi-o\\;ningfound writing plays niore congenial to liis te~iiperbecause it allowed hi111 to escape his sub.jecti~:ceinotions and for tllc next tc~iyears lie wrote plays thxt wcrc published along with his shorter dramatic poclns u~ldertllc titlc Hells n17l.i IJonic,qnmnres(1841 -46). Thcsr: were a series of eight pa~nphlctstllclt \\.ct-c publislicd as onc volu~iieafter 1846. Pip~~nl'tn.~cs (I84 I), A Hlnr ir~lhc ,Yctlrchc?on (1 843) 31id A .Yoill '.s 7'1+o,y~~iy(1846) wwcic alilo~~$the better l The third aid seventh ~a~iipliletsill tllc series (1 842-1845) wvcrc dew~otcclto short poems. Thcse illcluded 'My Last U~~chess','Soliloquj. of a Spanisli Clloister'. '7 nc Pied Piper of Hamelin', 'How tkey Brought tlie Good 'Nc\\:s from Gl~e~itto Ais' ( 16 -), 'Pictor Ig~zotus',Floreilce 15 -, 'Tile Lost Leader?, ,'l-IomeThoughts f~.o~~i Abroad'a~ld'The Bishop Orders His To~iibat St. Prased's Church'. These nxrc livcl~~.carriecl tlie force of emotion but were often learned. 'They' wrote a contemporary reviewer. 'look as thouglialready packed up and 011 their \vay to posterity'. However, Landor opined tllus: . . . Since chauccr was alivc mid halc No nun has walked along our road with stel:, So active, so inquiring eye, or to~iguc So varied in discourse.., It nas clear to Landor that Browning was in the tradition of Clinucer, Sllakcspcart: and Dome. The reason for tl~cclloice of liis titlc Bells nuci lJnmegrnnrrrc.v,however, nras not clear to myone until Browni~lghad explai~zedit in tlic last ~~umbcrof tlic publication. It, indicated, Brow~iingpointed out, 'an alternation. or ~nisture.of IIILIS~Cwith discoursing. sound witli sense, poetry witli tl~ouglitt:which [lookecl] too a~~lbitious. tlius csprcsscd. so the symbol was prcfcrrcd'. One of the contemporary pocts wvlio admired Browning's early poclns was El~zabetli Bnrrett (1 806-6 1) daughter (and eldest of tllc twclve children of Ed~~ardMoult011 13arctt. a rich proprietor of Jamaican plantations. Sllc canic to knov~Bro~vning froill his uriti~igand scnt hcr two volu~l~esof hcr l'ocrns (1844) ~vliiclihc reccivcd 01.1 his rcrum from a trip to Italy. In some of tlie poems in thcsc volumes she had praiscd Bro\vti~nga~ld the latter responded through a tclegranz on 10 January. 1845: ' 1 lovc !.our pocllls . dear Miss Barrett. and 1 love you too.' I-Io\vcver: it was not ~ultilthe May of 1845 that he was allowed to call. c\lmost evcq thing appcarcd to be ~111propitiousw11en Browning met Elizal~ctliSarrctt In 184.5, Shc was sis years oldcr tl~atilli111. In 1838 she had fallc~iill seriously due to a broken blood vessel and was scnt to Torquay to rccovcr. Therc her clclcst brotllcr Ecj\\rard was dro\~~ncd,to her lifclong grief. As a result sl~crctunicd to London in IS4 1. still a11 itlvalid. On top of thcse Mr. Barrctt mas a Lyrnnnical 1:3tlicr nnri hc had I'orb~ddcnan! oC11is children to mame. Bran.ni~zgfouncl Elizabdli 111 her invalid's ~ii.fbriiinPo2?ti.j! dark l.oom. chained b!. ~~oal and fil~all!.cane the rapture.of Iove.aodil~a~~pil~esrs..i:Shefr&ordizd'-thes'l: :c~j$~l.iie~iij~liif: 1 ill lies LS(>nne[.y.~i(>~~~(/I(? /~~)Y~z~~zLcY~:( 1;8.5.0],.Tl~~~~itl'~~~~~~~~~i~~~~.t-~t~ ~t~ck&~rl~~~~j~rs:~jj~~~l~i~ llat~lrcof llcr Io\~L'. Bronni~lg,had :rend/lief :Cataiiii,i to.~Ca~~ioChs":~~~~t!fr~~?i:~liat$~i;tr. her the nickname of -the Portuguese'. The solzilet isk@~~enh@rlcsc~:ibe'~;i.fils~.IJnl;.tii$rcs>i \voman5sdcvotioll to ber poet lover. ..-. . . .. ::. . . 8,: .., ', . ,..' i ; ;, ,, ,,.,:, , ,! i; :<,;:-;:(:.; ,,;! ;!j +.:!:!.:I. . ?[!!.. j!.! /, !:)I!;!. ;c ,:!r;!:i j;i'!.,:l , ~ I , . , , I 1. , , . . . . ; . . '>. .:: . . 9, .. . , , , ;,:, ,:I:.* [,,j,i> ' ;.;'I ~.):>:~~.i,< ..:{i:;.;.;; ,,! , , , , , : #,1 ;!: ',;;,;:,; !.;. ,. :,, .,::::!,I;!!, .;.,,;,.,,!!:.: ,i:i :I;!.:': !i;!::rr: ':,:".!i,:;: I,,:,II.! ,' .ti, :: , , .. ,.., , !,..' ., .j .I , , .!!? v,.:;,,,,. , :>,~,. .. .: :;! !; ,,I ,,~,![!\i;;lf$?;!,'~~~,~q.:;~:d,,i~:,r.:?;?~i:, i:::!i!;: ;,,I, ,, !.:lifU~;: . . "' ;,. ! 8 , .. . , '.. ,: . 1;; .... :: ... ,kL .'.I ..' ?. ,. . . . , I ,,- .. +!:.:I, . .. , ?!: i;:!::;,!;,;:I[ 'i*,j~)i!;~..:,');:!: j,;;,<.:;;;; ,,11ii**: , .:...; i!; .. .. , . . .::, . ' . . , : )!' .; : , . .,..;: , .!: ." , :.' !;., . ,,,:, fi.!,!:!::) ,.!; ::i':;??,,.;;,. j!il,; :,,,:~:l~d.~!;:>(.I.: r;:j,!t:!.i:; ;; . . I .: ;. :, .: f; . .! ! ': .i! : ;;;t.Eliaa~~at~&il$pett;~ril~~~~i~g~,jl:;! .;~,~,r:r,.[;! ::i." . .) !j.:~:;;!,!'j ...... , . ; ..; 8:. ,,; ,!!;:.: :'. ';,; ;,: i!;t:.jv': .I!: .-;:8,,;l!i'{,> (!:#I1rl.i t;;i3;.t;ii {i!, i!i i,.' .!.k:! It \kt@ ,clear tb?t Br?wl)iog. ?p,cCli+a4et~:~~~l~ll~9tigett~~@rII;~w~I~~~Ii~~~ \~qr;fj?~l~~~;is;, ;; conscnt So the< 1,iirricd clandesti~icl!in scptcmbcr 1846. and :I nccli latvl- lcli liir Italy -The Brownings took up residence in a flat in Casa Guidi in-~~~.tsA~!.f~~~&%&t~~s"~~~ health improved remarkably and their soil Robert (ibPen") was born in 1849, Browiling had always depended for hikjfi~&l&%!& ldigi*dt1i& 6ii8 'k6.5f "of' l$iid'$vorks were published at 'his father's expense.!~~6%~~s!!~~?i@b~i~$a~~6Tl\6~f";I~lil\. with her small inconle (Her father remained unreconciled to her until his death. Hc use~tttj;iP&~~~fiifj~&~~~~i11i&~;i~~dpi&#~.I~i~~~~$~~~f7 ~%&q&&\jigdt~&&.'~~~~f~~~ I succa~s~~i)~~~.~~~~f:~~l~n.~~&~~~~i~~~~~~i~~&~f:&~~$g~~l\~~jcqi$~~dI\i:JJ1 3'6' callvassed~ " ~k~-fi~~~L{E&~S~~~&~!fl~~~gu~&~~~in.r,mgcrl3 rrtji K]0 IK~ I I;uil isborrr r% b:~;::liir,r:rh ni updi.i~ >lowbnc latM to2 anin-~mEi?,Y< brls Her verse novel Az,u.oro Leigh (1 857) was a tre~llelldouscritical SL?~EBS'@!~t\&~.tj"i"";! asserted that it was the greatest poem written in English. The poelll is a feil~ale tl&I ~&~&~~f~~t:~&[~~$~f&~fi~&$~&~#fi~~f>.fiA~~~&il~~!@~~+~~&v~~&14?f~I.? -~liZd&@ ga$f-'d&#<# (hs$j&d.~by ~g.j~b~h~~.&-~~$~i~.~~~fi+& td&~lTi1 i dr&$i)~~~~lf~&..~&&& ~~{i~&@'&*f&~e i[i+k$&fd .{$d$~i!$&~~@{~@bl&~f&#l#fi@ f33 I! p~~~:O1!:&~~~~rf~l:~id~&~i~~d~;~&~~&yffl~ip~d@?cil3r! n3~;1 zrllr!unl vid k .hrri;I$!rr3 o: .ni?ilzirl :i:ii.sr Isnrc!:j;{~El r;J :J:~i:ij . . . a sense of life in general, of people who are uninistakably Victorian, 9111 I I; ~~+~~g~~~~~(i&&J~~~&l~~~~~~~fi&~~~&&l~~~fi~~l~l~~~~@~fi~~~~~Q~(f~g~~~& bu.&l~~l It<.;! ~~y,lp~&~~j~it~~~~i&~,~~~1.4, tt.~i~slrl b3f~333;:3~~IJT~I h:)d .t:.~ti"I(> air;? 1:v;rI d-,z,ri~f[1/r:12l ,(+08 I ) wt\o?:\yq:l ?.\\s~t~\sd\ .I:?~ITG w; zf: -I:X~;> xirl ~riir;;!~;lqffi ~IIG I 1 I I c J I c J 1~3~~~r~fil;?2df -31~0 fi!gljt~irf The ~~er\bJdt.i@lfi~& ]~@#jr[ i~ $~&Q~IL>~~.$~~& [taliall indepeilde~~cein.u%fd~~z4i&@jhddb~[b8d admired work Men 6nd Wo??ien(1855) in two volumes. It is a collection of 5 1 podir~~8c~~~bf~t&&p&nC,@Yd thkbr&l%hb~'~r~~&\~s B~~S~;TI'~I~'$~Z.I d&$&~iic~f:&t~eFi d&&hf$&~~~~~~~&&il~l+.~~&' ;~&~~~~{bi~~~~Q&~i~&~~~@~~~~f~~ c+$bj8!.)(HX ~~~~~~&~~~~~~~'~~$~rp'I'&;i~~f~~~~Ofic~b~gp&~ffk&1~8~#~v~d~~$~Y&& IdM& rzan i . '~e~b&&i]j$\'.~~#R~{((~~&,/~Q~~(~'{I f~;~~d&~1~f~~~\~p.f?51~ Lm &tfir&1ii30b calfip&##!&@&d~a& ~&fdl~'~#~&&@&~~1~t3.@fl~~ti ifwefiwd~flb ;d&@$~$&b Browning's timeless respect for Shelley: .2T8 1 ~JC[YIz'$liri',~~O'l?J 83i~xiz-bi rft :J~It 33f1iX .bn:,~:J& littri~:a?ttifo.~rl txrir;rriy~ 37-1 ,zz:D3!Ji: c eG.r.1 ,.?rr!.jor$ How strmige it seems and new1 .7fi3'! Italy. my Ttaly! drlcr~sI bif, :~i>.rTto rhirlV/ Quecll Mary's saying serves for.>Ptr@~j?fit r~blzrrl:ill2 01 2x10 Wlell fortune's malice lost her - Calais .ko'Jd brffi 'JU~O!I;~G~ol 312d1' Opell my heart and you will &&d :)rcrl ~sfln,t;isnl adjl I li;rj'fl Graved inside it. "Italy" .'tij jd~~ohhnc 3lrwi:id .,1~5fblt~ sqc3f-Q Sucl.1 lovers old are I and slle: ''3ti7~b-~a-13r~z~~.~II~ZGILI; ~~32 So it always was. so shall ever be! (ll?c~9~6~dfim of fr!rlgi~zc,d orfw ( 1 'Lrr;rtr.rt~l./i 2rlt I/..' ) 1'3bi2~tlB~~IJo? tlrl e.~iJi~cR In somc of the yoenis in Men nnd Women Browning spoke about his Iovc for his \vifk*.'k$b1!~f&f&J~~!qdqyqde ~&&~q&~&.tj)d~jlyrdn-r!-@r~wold r~&d'b-r~lil~iR OW I nl ll,~rii l' .fcs o~~AI! t~l110fi2 1 %r,.~BBZ ndv~ ..z?3rtl~r!$o7/~ 1:~oq ?cQSrg .arll o?' :,sjrrirl>~ro.r8 bf dijk df&ptrrt.&~armn '3371J*~~IJOIII 41; 31BtZ -CM DJ~I- !'~~&~~o~&t$&d~,:&~~~$bi:~~t~&\~i~,:~ldmurI bsvil nflv armorh ~~1a~~r~A;'ttt However, Men and Women was not very successful except among the young peoplc. The reviews were uncomprehending and unsympathetic. Even eight years aficr its publication Chapman and Hall, his publishers, still had unsold copies 011 their shelves. Browning got bitter and took refuge in drawing and clay modelling and tlic society of his friends. However, a graver matter began to occupy his days. Mrs. Browning's health. \\,liicli in the beginning had been remarkably restored, begail to fail. On 29 Junc 186 1 shc died with her husband by her side. Browning was heartbroken. He decided to rcti~r~i to England. .A few months later he left Florence, never to fetum and slowly travelled back to England with his son. Back in England he prepared Elizabeth's Last Poems for publication and as i~sunlthe sale of her book much exceeded his own. He also took interest in Pen's educatioii and in planning his career as an artist. Drnmahs Personae (1864), brown in^'' S 11CSt book of poems, was unexpectedly popular. It included some of his intricately argumentative monologues such as 'A Death in the Desert', 'Caliban upon Setcb'os' and 'Mr. Sludge "The Medium"'. A second edition of Dramntis Personne was brought out the same year. It now appeared that Browning had at long last overconlc the mistrust of the British people. A selection of his poems and a voluiile of thc collected edition published in 1863 had both sold off veq well. Browning had begun writing The Ring nnd the Book in 1860. It was a poem in obcr 3 21000 lines in blank berse divided in twetve books.. .It was published in four monthl! .instalments from November 1868 - February 1869. It is based on a collection of documents based on an Italian murder trial in the seventeenth century. The sale of this book was once again encouraging and a second edition of it was brought out in 1872. Since the mid-sixties Browning's reputation remained on the ascendant and he remained prolific until the end. Asokundo: Fancies and I;nct,s (1889). his last book of poems, was a success. He caught cold, fell ill and died on 12 Deceinbcr. the salllc Year. Browning wished his poems to be read for their own sake. He thougld that his korks should rise or fall by their own merit, independent of his life and habits. Pcrllaps his .Shakespeare spoke for him: Which of you did I enable Once to slip inside my breast, There to catalogue and label What I like least, what love best? Hope, and fear, believe and doubt of, Seek and shun, respect-deride? Who has right to make a rout of Rarities he found inside'? ('At the Mcrmnid' V.) , In 1969 Richard Howard, an American poet dedicated+hisvolume of manolo~ucstci Browning: 'to the.great poet of otherness,.. who said, as I should like to say. 'I'll tcll my state as though't were none of mine.' If we.are ever to understand Bro\?;niog- the man who lived humbly, like the poet in his 'How it Strikes a Contdmporan.'. but inwardly, as his poems speak so eloquently - it can be through a study of his poetry. 1 Self-Check Exercise-I Robcrt Browning: Liff1 ant1 Aspir at' Ions 1. Why did Browning (in your own words) call his series of psiipl~letsBcl1.s and I Pomsgrc~nnles? ., 2. Who was the Porttigues in the title Sonnets from the Portzlgzresc '? 3. What did Virginia Woolf think about Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Azlrorn Leigh and the poet herself? 4. When was Broivning finally able to gain thc attcntion of the Englisb people '? 5. Did Browning,like his poetry to be read in connection with his life ? 37.3 SORDELLO Robert Browning's thoughts about the office of a poet and his owvn kale and fbture career as a poet can be understood from some of his early poems. SorcJcllo is one of them. You will now read lines 475-693 from the secoid book of Sordello. The escerpt 'Sordello in Mantua' is given in the appendix. You may first familiarjzc yourself with the historical background of the work, then try to go through tllc escerpt and then read 37.3.2 in which the excerpt has been explicated. After l~aving done that go on to the next two units and then return to 'Sordello in Mantua' once again in order to understand it hlly. The poem would need more attcntion and concentration of mind than most other poems but the effort would be rewarding. 37.3.1 ,SordeIIo: An Historical Perspective Browning began writing Sordello shortly after the publication of Pauline in March 1833. It was published on 7 March 1840 by Edward Moxon at the expense of Browning's father. The poem in 5800 lines, next in length only to The Ring and the' Book, was received'by the public wkh incomprehension and with derision by the crir ILL. The poem was found notoriously obscure and caused severe and prolonged damage to Browning's reputation. ~rownin~gave some thought to revising the poem before republication. However, it was not included in his canon in 1849. When Browning republished Snrdelln in 1863 he had added 85 lines to it and supplied quotation marks to thc text, the lack of which had added to its obscurity. Resides these. Browning supplied n~nningtitles designed to el~~cidatc~IC~.~JIJCJ~~~~~~~I~~RI$L~~~~~~ 'I: ;>! *I$.,dfk'#f{r/~64.&)~&b7' ., ,. . . in the 1863 edition of liis poem. @!lrt:?i',.jitfi!$.~ !)Ul; ... , ,\; :: , , ! ,;! j; : j ,II I Browning seemed, at least publicly, to have 110 heart to defend J'oralell~~,,,~-~:gfi~fi,o~;~'~ has it that the poet admitted that 'When tlie poem was written, t\vo lincn. ~vlintit mealit =-G6d .a-fid. e.fi-B~owil~,~~~-~oi~,~-~-6d-~16il~-~l~~~-iv~--~-~- (Di+-id-Ketl,;-' &~eing,s:-A --fikfo,*ianfcijrH3:47-)-pstr;t- of.tlie confusion cro~.up-from.its~i~istu~.icnI ~~ng?-&-is-leosely-b~ed-en-t~~fe~f-.~ordd~o-(s~-12-(~)~6~)-~~~~~0~.ac@rcli~tg-~ctstic tradition, was the so11 of Elcqfle., tlie archer : accordi~igto a~~otlierof Taurcl lo .I' :'x' ,'.t . . ,! .)I.-', .,{!:a , <., :; ;:I.<,!t fiqt;.\vJfc!wh~.w?? rrGudg11; nla;i.:lW4;~~dl'j1i.o,cI~I~1~~~~i1~1b&d~~alli,~d:~1i~~~~dbfi~\~~lil;it:lii~ , Republics of Veroi~aand Padua. was defeated bv Podcsta liis t'~ie~i~~.:~!T~~c.~~~:~Cc'~i~~~t~ &led... him, his. _fanlily ..._...... and -__his_ faction ...... from ~ici;cza. Eccclino befire . subn;ittin2... to th~ssentence burned the ne~ghbouringhouses a~ida gl'cat part of tlic ton.11. A son ,o-l,;...... -. .... erni.in0 -1B)\var ~o*s~o~~lilii,frolll~-~~.e,.aj~e--~i, .tll.c.nl 7dst t,i ,.$-.c). Piecoding to-.9ro\vi~liiig-Ihe~iod~er-and-ekifdlvere sav~xlbp-Eicortc~tlic.~.n-ciic~~:-n.I~.o died .ind~e..c~nfl.ict..Retrude,-wife oof..Sd.iiaguel:ra,.prese~~t .on.this-owosior7,. Qicd.sc>o~. a%_rslle.was,bro!.d!t .tp..AdelnicleIs.c?~tle.at.Golto,- .Hcr.~~.e_~v._bon~-s~?!~.!~ou~~~:.- survived. Adelaide dreading his fi~turerivalry with lier so11 brouglit LIPSol.clcllo as her pfg~,:rda~x~iiiy1(l~in~1tb;tb~~E1:co.~'s..d~~~~~~t~~~1~~8fi~~~~it~~da!:i~I'iid~,~c:~oi~i:dd01 6 time there...... "-- appeared ...... an 'intrigue' between liim .and Palnia (Cunizza)-- -. -... \vliicli-. \\.as stronger on her side. Palma was determined to sce Sordello restored to his riglitfill .-... -, -- -.. - So.sli~'c6~";i.~ed.i".if.lif..SSa1iia, lier.'fitl~~irs..~'ji~*l.fii,~. a 11jr. .. to brcak licr rnar~age-witl~tl~e~~Guelpfi'Ricl~ard.-'~ounrof .Sal~-Banifac-icr slie ailr aFIrcr-lat;\-l;?cri-- ~ordclioand he:q$,yfi ~$~:~/~1~~~94 &,Y?\~YIfiqr.&pi (jflih~~,!j~~~ ~~~>~I~i~&~]~~~~f#l~~ , i belonged. In he mealitline Eccelilio had assumcd t11e"monastic habit' in tlic f~rstplncc w~in~to-~-dehide;-lris-secorrd~~~ife~sdmli..a~id-intl~e-second-ontof rc~iioi-sc-fb~- his .m11.n~i.v~7;nc~t-~le-\vroI&g-doee-to ~il~~ler~a-b~~~t11~ -soti-by------.-- Adelaide, his second wife. ---,--.----.- ...... , ...... -.-. -...... According to his biographers? Bro\v~iinghad prepared l~irnsel~~fdr,~~%(~&fc~$8-.T6 ..... - ... - .... - .... -.- ...-...... , ...... -, ...... studjuig Uie cliron~clesof t111s per~odrn fiiiliaE K~sto~y.He arso supplcmcntcd 111s reading by a visit to the places connected wit11 liis ston, We should. hoivc\ cs. Iiol~c to le-~~!~,~r~j?~$~~~ci~~~~]lisf~~:i~~~~f~~1~~!@t~i!~!~~~r;b~~~~!~iti11~~1,~1~11. . if!!: ;I(.;IEI j,1:,~105l '+n,,, ,.,.,:IT., - 21 ~'\\q.;\.jia.. '. ;?! [I:.;o!,I !;*,:: ::.<:!"! (.: .jr<:f!:< (f~ ~ir~j~.~~~a~~t$.,in,j~i~.il.~tise... I I. fl ., .. , in#d!L .,." . /g~~/..~j~~qj,~~ni~~! .$k3e~jwsf .~oy+j-~.q !-]91~% ji~hijiIqli.-,? ,?., crwfedlth~~\+!lanl~qs\kg~;~~~~w;~/dg fuj~ygwl,!?its, ;sPJ&$I.~ jp8~?r~8'p~l.~~s1 l~i~jq ~.oi, his poem,; l~:r~~J~~li:f~6~&d~M~iI%~drl~i~~d::Ul~~$~~kl!@~~kl!ld~~i~j1~:pflt~.0~~iag~:~fi~.~~!1i1lil#~~~; of Anj.~i;and,;wr~t&!ftroubad~~~'-rpnas;3: ikv:R,l.qv~~a@?I .mMer td3w&!hqokfi1~:il11rjinp~nnjtj:,:j link between the love poetry of Proverqe and of Italy. wliicli derixd from it. :4 mysterious obscurity shrouds the life,~~~p~;~p~~~~~~~~~l~i~~y~~~@ii~~&qt~sj~~~~~,~~~~Q~~;~~cf~ indicated by Dante. c ,. ;i:,;':{;l.fl [ti \:,::,\'',.;:.i{..\,'jcj ifr:~;::~;~~~~,jt;~ ;.:ij) ~'jfif: >,.j.rIt ;:;{;; i;,',,,~,(jY\~{~,:ir;ijj,T,tT i~,;~~,s~]2iiill.,,f-~.i({ Browning M-jq.a!ted:&~olrdRN~jn~tP;b~~tg"!~~!,~~lsa~di~fi.~~ij~pi~~~~~ hp&iiji&ljqt~r~lyt~c~ 1 09.~t~.3.01iiit~ , ; , ,I?[hl;j - !j [! oI~i . , ,:I ...... ,,it?if, .. ;-2ix:, :,:, , :;,. .( , ., . e~t::?~':,>?,, ,,I, :. ,. . , r, , *,.,:, ., , ,,:!~2.,*~<;~~;i:,~~f\~:!jj ,F> a!fj [>;j,d!:;,;,t-'j.t ;tly,~,;j,,.;+,)f.\ i,:,.I.,,i!, Tho, bbforipl,?dec.~rntio~~~y~s, ~pk~:fipgsfi~p@& l~p,~n~~g~~~?lp~fi~~x.~.~s~ig~e.p .,,, , I ii;:fi'>a;: ziib?gkg~(~~~d I~~T~~IIIIRSLBJS~: Q~)~:$~G~~&+QP.+. tlt~-j!?~q!dylde~f~ '\!$ fL~f ~Y.F I,wI?wB.I?\~~L -., i1ui0Ca.sCQI! Ijfi!,~:@Is%iS;~y~rSlti$t~dyn ihr! j-j_:;/ 3; ..:!./>,jrof.i.~lt:ji)e:ji~dlJc(:r 1 .,7c,;l'jrJ !,;;jly!j::j,i!jfi; i, ;:*? pr,rtt: ,:?%...... !,*;P*;.r! iL*dI!!,;, f iri I ?\\l:>.y{tiY!i;;:!;.:,,id!!t:i2t ,%:!i(ltrl.j7fl Bro~+~~ingikasJ~$~~~~BI,~tt~~ret~~~~.a~~,pI,ai~~~tec4c4~~!t~~iC~It:f~.q~3~~ gpq~ aba~idon.... Sordello and Salingucrra probably ncvcr k~ie\vabout o~icalio~.lier'\ c~istpm.!;Sbf&&l~?s Idve&asi~il~~~za;~da~lgI~te~:~~~c~~~ff\&d: ~&l&~d@j:d$$&f&,. F: R(wtbw.+w:c I:! . ]ad\ -married five times. Palma, daughtdii bf Gmelni ah&kgil;&$,~st~i~~$~l:$fifi~l~ Life iind Asl)i~.;itions ifp sister.- .G - . . K.. Chesterton. . was. . _. ___._..______.-___.- right iti thinking tllat Bro~vlliil~)S~~g!~~w~,..~~Tj~~..~~~_ost glorious coinplimeilt that has ever been paid to the average man'. ,.._ .._ _ _ .-.__._/- . -... --. lll.the IlilTeteentll-celmry;-Sor&lJ-o- \was a ~~~fi~~i;l~~~~-f~ffji~'pf~~Rj$i$el'ifP;-PbjG, In the last ce11t~11-yArthur Sj~rnoilscalled it a 'psychological epic'. Perhaps SorcEclko sllould be read not for' its 1nedievall~$$~~$g~1$~~lyj~ti~@y& w;: qy ![id,69 C$)Llll$$fr- . .A.. v \ Is Browning'sown explorations illto the iiatork ?$'art an e role o t le artist 111 soci~t):.;:T~;~,:~!eEpll~~,g~~~~~,~J.~i:?ls!~:f r~:5$1,13,.?:$ s~?~~~~~!~?~=,?'l!~k~f~#J~ti9f!~~?3.si~~~l~8~? , . . . fil$b?: !$!?..;!: ZFo;; j.'.;;-,:,,! !; , ii1:; ;;i ,,;,; $,,,,! i) y-i;< jc, 2?; The .Three Cantos' rvhich began publ~$~~!o~~,l~~~of~f-r~;!/I j~'1,q~~l?~]~$~n~~ys~ratcs.,.,L!~.. . that ihe Cantos adopted a nletl~odai{ddstyle !L<..:.JI .,:..opyoqed I[ -!!o,!. t$,, b(:;cj ro>,, vl;lin.: ':.$.~i,,. s .,t-..,+y ggq~fl;. 131.% ri:, i<~rsz..: .;.I. ! 1 . ' !(-it: ?:I '.:j;!ri.:~;: 12 J!!;:I!:,<] Haug; ri all. tliere can be but one Sordtllo ! '' ('- ; l'oqtr~f.JoSl,?\7)(, ,11,):14) ,,{ . Give, , upj th.'- iptlglio; ; letllq,> .ci *:,t~3.,,(':njree311 ..,ol!,rCapfp+J.j lr;!, ,,:, ,, , ?I, I .,,,,.,; Pound does not think that Browning was right keeping SU~Jectivity at bay: foulld anywllere outside the discard Browning's intaglio make a pattern he follows the intaglio method i~?afii:l;, ,heifell:yes ;v,iyp $ ;qqs $,:f.$$ ?o~$~~~?.gfitty.~~ npi!~.~:~fl~~~~~fi~If~~p(~~??Id, '?I", :+$. P!?~$ $"d!c+$$3e;?: ~?~e~)~$l~EiFa)l~~:~fz~~~xfy!&" l~i{{'(ir;b.>~,~:j!~ impressioil.of l,!story ,o,nthe Prese~it. ,,, ;: r!,,lp i/[.,15!.r>tji.!l.;i4 :;~:~I~;~.~~,~~I.~~:~~J~;./I? e;,~:i:r:.; .. ! I !,. :j. ,...,. ,. ,, , '.:'I4;, . .l '..", ).:! ,'.);!ii'iii 'i:.:,! ir :~~i!;i'ii'i~~::~~'.:i! 8'4 However, in;order to inake sure that you have ilndep~p~9&t[?J$y.~~sfcg~cplu~~dfp~~prl do a11 esercise. Having urritteil your answers ~ompgql;~~~~~~,..~i1;1~~t~e,..._., .... I~Q$~J;!~pvided by nze in this unit under 37,s.In case you feel you have not tmderstood the ' b?~lj$f;~)1~lld,H~~~F)~J~,~~ Q?$$ by :# .!$ogd &@?tg :r~$q~d:[h%$$ctj?$?~(;tb~#.Ge t!:;! ri 1.-;11.~6 :{:if ... -,;i ;- ::; iic:::ttr!a!\>' hr:;;!d Se~:~-Cf-Ch~~~;E3eyqis(r4,:~;. ;,.,ii- p!i,i illi.,.;l.i:.;3:,irj ,;~:.j~~:,~,!i~,i;~?~X+:;J:;;.:\/: g.;!,+x;b~ . i !!,,' ,:,:,; , (,, ";,~i~;J~~~~~~,~;< I:.,; i ,iji>,;2i ', l .~AI.IJ!; CIA ,XI IZITJIT-H~~Z!i:it~l/f -. /.i~:~ij111 . Victorian Poetry 3. What according to Ezra Pound was wrong \,it11 Browning's method in writing Sordello? How did he decide to rectify it? 37.3.2. 'Sordello in Mantua': An Explicatiori You have six verse paragraphs from the second book of Sordello prescribed for detailed study. Sordello consists of six books in all. In the first book wc scc Sordello as a refined and bea~~tifi~lboy: (The delicate nostril swerving wide and fine A sharp and restless lip, so well co~nbine With that calm brow) a soul fit to receive Delight at every sense; Book I, 11 43-66 And he appears to be fimled for spiritual delights only. He is su.1 artist in tlle mal The opening lines of the excerpt (printed in this block) effectively sets the tornc: The evening star was high When he reached Mantua, but his fame arrived, Before him: friends applauded, foes connived, And Naddo looked a.11 angel... Through these lines, right at the outset, you come to know the way Sordell~is bcillg treated by his friends and well wishers i.e, with clapping and applause and by ri~als and enemies by acquiescence. Naddo, Browning's biographers surnlise. was fashioned after John Forster. Browning's attitude towards this cllaractcr is bcst reflected in the following lines: 'The knowledge that you are a bard Must constitute your prime, nay sole reward!' So prattled Naddo, busiest Of the tribe of genius-hunters.. . Naddo's high so~~ndingwords are meaningless for a poet suc11 as Sordello. He utters bland 'common sense' which is of not ~nnchuse to a true-poet that Sord:llo IS.The way Naddo discusses Sordello's poetry with hiin shows how superficial his precepts are. 'Now, you're a bard, a bard past doitbt,' Naddo tells Sordello, and gocs on: - And no philosopher; why introduce , Crotchets like these? Fine, surely, but 110 usc In poetry - which still must be, to strike, Based upon common sense: ther'e's notliiilg like Appealing to our nature! No tricks were tricd In that, no hollow thrills, affected throes! Sordello replies: " The man", said we," tells his own joys and woes. Wc'll trust him." Robert Browning: I To this Naddo responds: 'c Life and Aspinitions I I Would you havc your songs endure? I Build on the huillan heart! - why to be sure i Yours is one sort of heart - but I mean theirs, I Ours. everyone's, the healthy heart one cares 1 To build on! I I It shows according to Sordello (Browning) how poor an understanding of the true i poet9screati~ e process Naddo has. A true poet must not only write about I himselU11ersclf but illust obseive others also. However, Naddo tries to impress other i poets such as Sordello. So he uses as high sounding language as he can comn~and: i Central pcace, inother of streilgth , i Ask those calm-hearted doers what they do Wlcn they Ilave got their calm! And is it tnle, Fire rankles at the hcart of every globe? I Naddo tries to impress his a~iditorby high souilding philosophical arguinents. Sordello participates in the song-contest, defeats the court poet Eglamor who dics soon after his defeat. However, Sordello the 'Goito-mai~ufacturc' soon finds that he I ~von\vitLi the help of Eglamor's rhyme and by doing exactly what he disliked in pcoplc such as Naddo. The narrator points out: Then he found, (Casting about to satisfy the crowd) That happy vehicle, so late allowed, A sore annoyance; it was the song's effect He cared for, scarce the song itself.. . Sordello's success was in reality his failure. However, Naddo " The master certes rncant to waste No cffort, cautiously had probed the taste Hc'd please anon: true bard, in short,- disturb His title if thcy could; nor spur nor curb, Fancy nor reaso11,wanting in him; whcnce The staple of his vcrses, coinnlon sense; However. Sordcllo feels alienated from the art that has won him thc applause and thc pos~tlonof the court poet. He would prefer his Goito and the woods around it to Mantua and the glory of the court. Sordello has won everything that his success as a poet can procure bim. Power, money, faille and above all the lovc of women - Bianca and others. They observed Sordello's facility in his poetry: Virtue took form, nor vice rehsed a shapc: Herc heaven opened, there was hell agape, As Saint this simpered past in sanctity, 'Sinner the other flared portentous by A greedy people. Since Sordello was so si~ccessf~~l,the narrator asks T11en why stop, surprised ,,...., / At his success? ; :fj,HfH3ilF id.;3ii$15zidg6,,phly# y:&;,&gi?+ ;;;+ ?:.. , ,.,. .-..,:,.:., rt,: .,. .A 1: <: oI.i:,!)-i( 13?I:; ;I:)I,J;? zj>c.)rl Froin tasting their quiiltesse~lcefn~strates, sure, His design; each joy must he abf&+$!:~1'' 'ii; ':.t:j.ic~rr.i I.J,?:-;r;i-; ii;.r)flt;':) 7 5' Even for love of it. t.3h ,!!>rCj !(.:I; I! 2 !;,<>I; I-;,.; i'~~;,,~j-r[!Ii;:j >?!ji!; A;.,!,. ' .<;;:!'I +i !j;j b, !:f[jj;2 j,a,iij I<):! ?>'$::;rj .!>rj] SordelIo would be glad to leave his clevit~h~fi~sit~Mi :kj%t;l$&~~ds &ci all the benefits that go with it in order to know tl~cjoysand sorrows and fi-ustratio~~sof colnnloll li~~lii~~~y~~i~,i~;;i~gggi;@Igici:J~;jj~"j!'?, . .:'. J.!..J,,,,''1 ,r - <,I!:.-.' ' c,:zs.~~~rr~iQJ zsi"11 :~\II)I;LJ .. . . . wlile %.cjdifyd p$~$I&$~~a~~+ib~&i$te,vg&)2 3f6+jllk&,lg~ibii;f~~iji sf,fibp{/],ip , ;.< suc&~~~+&*~~~~&f~~d?a~p~~&t<~fi~l$$!p~~t~~lig~di$~$:g$e$! ii$..aiy.$cdrii,$ &f: . fi {, 7, <,, r 2 ,,, . ,.? ;::. .,.. . ,; r-l- Brownil~ggives Sordello credit for forging ~i-oben~d~'$~-~~pl~iid@*iY~Ptbvdiical \\as .- rl.?, ., r. a class language which avoided marki~l'$gi~i~a~~~~~h~2~!'~k6~f~ii~t~~~%ihkrk$! .> .i,:j?tk) -mTi~:,fi;tii! .!yri;ii >iit'i ';;!::),; :;;.c~>/[:!.: .ji -fi:>ii. '7. .)r>;bd&,ij2 ,;s>ij,~ -1 :,!.:!I {-{ .-l.,, ,-. ,I ,. : <<;t..rs ,, J-,!,.b;,.-...,l .,:., ? ~ ,.,L$ :,.,;1 :::I!<:~! Thc cause, conceived a cure, 'di&k~o\$~A.-;&oagflt'' . . ,, :-~]f;~;;;.:> I.!<- ~l~~~ lcmzuage, - weldil,g ,vordi.!ii$f$ti{Ei;&;&2 :'*:,;?: 1:) i 2,;: !!; ?::.,,,;i ,!!'i>;'if'i>; -,!,,, :",) ,:<.jj v. !:,i~.t!:t;i .:,tg. ;:;,,q ;,cijt;:;:, .<;i::<.; ~i:::!:;:.~i.;!i , : ,-r!:l::i:) :\;,;; ?~:,! .:r~::!!:: ;;$) !yii; 4 If owever, whgn So dello canle to use the language, to be able to give shapc to his I!.. (1 ~.>vri., t< , .,. ,. -, . ..,-, .... * .c 1~fi.rl. ~(~fi~~lj~tl~t-ydilb~~f~i;~zrA li;!lj :;r;tri~,ri:~>,:~:I F~C).II ;!c!! <~>!I,,i.!.ri.;? ?j&I:.i~:fi~ '!;dii : .Z*s:j$?(.i ;>:I,:.s>fj!;;&j . . ;:=,j;:!f:r,, 10 g'~(j!:lj,jl :J:44;idJ:, i;;fl; :;,b;jg:,- .~f~~~~,~~! . , ...... Piecc after piece that amlour broke away, :!{lj:;(;t(; 1.: jii , J\ic-,~;f;:'-,>ij>jJ-ii-j;: Because perceptions wllole. like,tl~a$he sought , . . , T~ c~otl,e~rc+iect so pLlre a l,~z+pgpth$~gf,'t7 ::13i'l 'I<>! 1 ~i!:;~;~:-~~f>j!:.!t:)j ;;I '; .!jr.ik:zj.; lj>:j 2;;?i,! 5;:1ijj .l:!2;.;:2,jt: J;>*JJ;>!! :,.I:,[ i As language: . ,. . 6. . .,,:,. 1ii~4~~d::.;I;. ?; thought may take perception's place But hardly co-esist in ally case Being its Illere presel~tmeut... l'l~ougl~t.r~$,oqp?iz~,pxp~~~~p~~~~,it,d~~sC~~~t gl;escpt .iqlwhjc~h,;@r~\ic:~~i1~gtlld~gl~t; it~dc:: ti I(.,:; RObcr&iR~vMiiing:i great pd~~y!,,(~)~e~:+'~]rg?d,jTh!lp $/~hap~Q~dqs~l~is,~oll~biar.St,.~r~yad!~i~lmr~~~:~:;~i!~~:~ Lift ;~nti.i\spir;itio~~~ in the ncst (uljf;y~~~;~~~~]~/~bg.~b~p~.tq,un&r~tgfd ,nril#:Brow,ling 6drivillg,at.) ::Thew -,A it !!I 3 csper illlents ofi ,$~pd.e~i'b~+w~~~~~y~~~~~pp.i~~~l~Iesp13[jien~ far:.$~II~;~,~B~O~NII~~~~ a1.inichesi1.i (.ri his portrgy$k;~j$p,rd@.!pii>! tJlC?,fC?gdl;~~i?g~apl~ witi12 m! ~.%e~~z!tu??::!CI ;,x . I i ;! ,If ;,ij:,i I t-i~i;: 12 , . , . . b,!,,:!>*j '.!I,[> :,-J;: ;L j, \-)rl;;. ,;.,*ii, .;!-&:,;:; ,4ccordillg to Greek mythology Apollo, the god of poetry, loved Hyacinthus and was pla?ling'quoitwith him. Zephyrus, the g~gt&i!anu!a:, felt1j~loiis,~fi~~~~lo:,~~~d!~e\v the disk thrown by llilll toward Hya~iq~~~~~s~~~j~sl~:.k.illed~:l~i~~~.,,So.dal.ln:a$esbaffarts to perfect his language apparently. killed hjsla@,?H~wey.er;.~ ~m~@t~~~bed~b~,l~t~;.f n a1'1 ~lrc co plcasc his audience the troubadour set q'jf,.~.p.L,ibn~$~,$a& ~.Fc,&+b~a~i~~~$ht:j csploits of Sill1011dc Montfort, thc father of tile famous E~lglishbaron. WIIO led the crusadpl ,ag$gg ;tll&ef~hiq+l ~A!-bpgqgsaai!~:$o.~ttl.teril:.Frane~- early $ia~:tI~l.lc;tl~i~ea~i~ai: r : ,-:, :iii cer:tu ry , ,.,iRrpiypli~~,~3 ;~~ajl~:?+y.,!tfiqat&:1?ish.q, ., yv:itl~:.rlbp~~do~~i:!It.i$ iypni~ali .$l~qt$~~~ ,j .:.; ! 2, defeat of tl~et~o.~l?.~ip$~~~!~L~ege~~sipn?\\iaf!ded:... tolthe:deeline .of:B~x&n,#],&s a:b,tqaG* :.j; :I lallg~lage.yrli.it.! i,,;,!;,.:r!; ,ni,l,;f,it>~' ]i:~I);i;i: ,.,; v!;!:;!; ::;i:,;!i,,,l>i .:.i!:j;i-i ,.,;[! [;i ~~~.,iij;!,.t!:.,',i ,d , , irlil;z .J5j!; 1 I ,-.h!l(28tua!!s. t11~,I~~~II~oE@~zQI~;~~II~~F~II~:s~~~I ,I : !I I /!-I). I ill 2 sit; r:,, , I !! ,i,,\ .- HOT~a merc singer. ugly. stil~~tcd,wcak Had Montfort at coi~~pletely(so:t~-p~mlc)#., , - ji: ,; !:I! ~~qil~,- i::aj.' His finger's ends; while past the prai$c;tideis1~1~~);.t., L~,;, 1 , 11, J To Montfort, citl~er'ssllarc distinctly kcpt, , ,!I . .II,$ (,I *-,I~I:,,. Thr. ~qu3nqqd for tn~en~erit! - I,,',\ ,\ \I t' *J I;? .,!I ,,(;, i This ~OSLI~G$Ji~udc,.~E;tll~ !Ma1fl~~k7r!sr$~i~yil:t;~a~~~ih1lself ,.. ;i~~~iscd..S~lidclfo:.--:kio:~~fia;l~~.~j; i!>?: the sollg co~~tc~t;j~&.!~b~i~k!ileIaadipa~~i~i,pfltbd:.!Ondhait sacasi.~lisi~d ode :~,ortlcl:sric .,!j-;\ Id "I I; PalllIa, his ~$pl~gc,.h~$.i~~~6~~!~fri!!fi~i~~i~?c~1d id!tl~~,qtll~~,~dc:t:t~eBc..n~~ifitr!h~~:r: +l~l:k..I:;.;:! . , filtlcreal hair. :,ij!y:!g 5 ijitl: i!:il;i;:.:; i ;; !.!I,,,; !, ;g,; :. ,::;:;js,, j.t2~!:;i!;jq.,j/:~;;:j; ~~:V!;~,,~~JI!~,._,. Ay. he strewed "II' a ~...a;.'AeL.il,jz;4; pi.:r...,rii/. j..:hpD;."q A fail-_\,dust LI~OIItllc n~i~ltitildcs: Although hc fcigncd to takc them by thcmsclvcs: I , I, His giants digi~ificdthose pun>.clvos. sLlb~i~,i~d-trl~i~r~~f~, , ,...... - .... - ...... " -- . - - _ ..... _...... _ .- ...... Sordello usccl artifice to flattcr his audicocc. tle callcd mischicvo~~~fiy:ti~ $i?~!,s~~ij Hc tried to find in tlzc~ua use, which thcy did not have. This deccption, 11o\vc-vw, hadalw~lfulcffcct o~~hirn.It 'Sundcrcd-ll1111 111 ~-I~~II;- - ---- - 011~jarred against anothcr.1jfc: - -. .-T11e poet thwart~ngl~opclcssly the Ma11. -.------Who. foolcd no lonscr, frcc iiifancy ran Hcrc. thcrc ------. - - -. ------'4 ' 2 ;$7 a(< '.*.'i :?$, T11e :pod-half was-at-Tva~wiU?-t-l~: .i~~a+~-l~alf. The for~aer--'disa~provcd of-any - coi~~pro~nise.Ihe latter was . - . - Victurian Poetry cor~~imandover his language also grew 'Into a bravest of expedients. too'. B~-o\\,ning compares Sordello once again with an Apollo who had thrown away his bow and quiver and retained the lyre alone. Sordello spent his days mastering the various forms of tro~lbadourpoetry sucll as tenzon, sirvent and rondcl. However, his complete plunge into his art did not allow hiin to be a sociable person. Hr: lost his audience and with it his due reward. But the complete Sordello, man and Bard, John's cloud-girt angel, this foot on the land. That on the sea, with, open in his hand, A bitter-sweetling of a book - was gone. Browning's mother and wife were both devout Christians and so was he Onc of his grcatest appeals to the members of the Browning societies in Englaild and America was his piety. In the lines quoted above he alludes to the angel in tllc Book of Revelation in the Bible. Browning wants to say that Sordello for the time bcing could not achieve the unity between the man and poet, and he uses the image of Saint John to clinch his point. His exempltrm shows his attih~dctowards Sordello i e. the high esteem in which he holds him. i.c. his own ardours for the office of a poct that he has adopted for hiinself. Sordello can be called Browning. The narrator. in the fifth book confesses it l~imsclf Man's ininost life shall have yet freer play: Once more I cast external things away, And nature composite, so decoinposc That' . . . why, he writes Sordelio ! (11.6 1 6-620) Sordello writes Sordello is. Browning writes about himself in the poem. Thc sto17. of Sordello against the background of thirteenth century Italy was a rusc for Browning to tell his own story. Sordello also helped hi111 clarifv 11is doubts and discover his intentioiled stance as a poet of England and Europe. Self-check Exercise-III 1. Who was Palma? 2. Who was Eglamor? 3. Who was Naddo? 34.4 LET'S SUM UP 1 In this unit you read about Browning's life. Although he asserted that the readers of his poetry should not relate his poems to his life you saw that in his own poems he sometimes asserted quite the opposite. This issue is complex and can never be coilclusively resolved either way. However, it offers you a helphl stand-point for a11 1 ~rnderstandingof Browning's poetry. We have also suggested that you may nccd to I read the pocm 'Sordello in Mwtua' a few times and follow the discussion on the 40 poelll in the unit closely before the poem becomes completely clear to you. Robert Browning: Lifc and AY~I~I-ations 37.5 ANSWERS TO EXEKCISES Self-check Exercise-I I. Beca1.1se he wanted to avoid a pedantic and pompous title such as The Poetry of Thought and Emotioil or the Poetry of Sense and Music. Bells probably svmbolised the music in his poetry and pomegranates the flesh of his feelings a~d elllot'ions. thoughts sand ideas. 2. Elizabetll Barrett, the poet who wrote her sonnets for her lover, a poet i.e. Robert Browning. 3. Virgina Woolf liked Mrs Browning's adoption of the drawing room as the scene of action of her poem and called her a 'true daughter of her age'. 4. In 1864, with tl~epublicatioll of Dmmntis Yer.sonae. 5. From what you have read above you will say 'no'. However, wait until you've read the next section. Self-check Exercise-I1 (a) Sordello was a Troubadour poet who wrote in provenqal and lived in Soutllcrn France. He found mention in The Divine Comedy of Alligberi Dante. Browning nlakes use of his life to explore his own ideas of a poet's joys and sorrows hopes and aspirations. (b) A majority of lgthcentury readers, includiilg Mrs. Browning, found Sordello incoinprel~ei~sible.Howevcr, for the Pre-Raphaelite poets it was a seminal text. (c) Accordiilg to Pound Browning followed the intaglio method. However, according to him the cameo method was better for poetry which he followed l~imsclf. Self-Check Exercise-Ill 1. Palma wras Sordello's beloved and her source of inspiration at the song-contest. 2. Eglainor was the court-poet whom Sordello defeated at the song-contest in Mantua. 3. Naddo represents the mediocre poet. Perhaps John Forster was the original of Naddo in Browning's life.