ROBERT BROWNING LIST OF REFERENCES EDITIONS POETICAL Works, 9 volumes, The Macmillan Co. Riverside Edition, 6 lumes, Houghton & Mifflin. Globe Edition, 2 volumes, edited by Augstine Birrell, The Macmillan Co. Cambridge Edition, 1 volume, oughton & Mifflin. Selections, 2 volumes; Smith, Elder & Co., 1872 Browning's own selection). Selections, 2 volumes, edited by C. Porter d II. Clarke, Crowell (The same, with additional poems subsequent to $72). BIOGRAPHY ORR (Alexandra L.), Life and Letters of Robert Browning, 1891. SHARP (Wm.), Life of Browning (Great Writers Series), 1890. CARY E. L.), Browning as Poet and Man. WAUGH (A. R.), Robert Browning The Westminster Biographies), 1900. DOUGLAS (James), Biography of Robert Browning (Bookman Series). *CHESTERTON (G. K.), Browning English Men of Letters), 1903. * DOWDEN (E.), Browning (The Temple Biographies), 1904. See also Forster's Life of Landor, Hallam Tennyson's ife of Tennyson, The Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, and The Letters of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. REMINISCENCES AND EARLY CRITICISM *GOSSE (E. W.), Robert Browning; Personalia, 1890. RITCHIE (Anne Thackeray), Records of Tennyson, Ruskin, Robert and Elizabeth Browng, 1892. DUFFY (C. G.), Conversations with Carlyle. * W. W. STORY nd his Friends. FARRAR (F. W.), Men I have Known. BRONSON (K.), The Century, Vol. XXXVII, p. 920: Browning in Asolo. BRONSON (K), The Century, Vol. XLI, p. 572: Browning in Venice. LAMBERT (L. V.), hatauquan, Vol. XXXV, p. 590: The Brownings in Florence. HORNE R. H.), A New Spirit of the Age, 1844. POWELL (T.), The Living Authors f England, 1849. OSSOLI (M. F.), Art, Literature and the Drama. HAWTHORNE, Italian Note-Books. BAGEHOT (W.), Literary Studies, Vol. I: Wordsworth, Tennyson and Browning; or Pure, Ornate and Grosque Art in English Poetry (Originally in National Review, Novmber, 1864). NETTLESHIP (J. T.), Essays on Robert Browning's Poetry, 68. MORRIS (William), Review of Men and Women, 1856. INTRODUCTIONS TO BROWNING ALEXANDER (W. H.), An Introduction to the Poetry of Robert Browning. BERDOE (E.), The Browning Cyclopædia, a Guide to the Study of the Works of Robert Browning. CHICAGO BROWNING SOCIETY, Browning's Poetry, Outline Studies. CooKE (Bancroft), An introduction to Robert Browning. CoOKE (G. W.), A Guide-Book to the Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning. CORSON (Hiram), An Introduction to the Study of Robert Browning's Poetry. DEFRIES (E. P.), Browning Primer. FOTHERINGHAM (J.), Studies of the Mind and Art of Browning. HOLLAND (F. M.), Stories from Robert Browning. KINGSLAND (W. G.), Robert Browning, Chief Poet of the Age. MOLINEUX (M. A.), A Phrase-Book from the Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning. MORISON (Jeanie), Sordello, an outline Analysis of Mr. Browning's Poem. ОRR (Alexandra L.), A Handbook to the Works of Robert Browning. SYMONS (A.), An Introduction to the Study of Browning. WILSON (F. M.), A Primer on Browning. (The above books are for the most part more elementary than could be needed to-day by any person of ordinary intelligence. Some of them. however, especially that of Berdoe, and in a less degree those of Corson, G. W. Cooke, and Mrs. Orr, contain much valuable information not elsewhere so easily obtainable.) LATER CRITICISM * BEATTY (Arthur), Browning's Verse-Form, its Organic Character. *BERDOE (E.) Browning's Message to his Time; his Religion, Philosophy and Science. BIRRELL (Augustine), Essays and Addresses. BIRRELL (Augustine), Obiter Dicta, Vol. I: On the Alleged Obscurity of Mr. Browning's Poetry. * BROWNING SOCIETY (of London): Browning Studies; Selected Papers of Members of the Browning Society, Edited by Edward Berdoe. * BOSTON BROWNING SOCIETY: Selected Papers BROOKE (S. A.), The Poetry of Browning. BURTON (R.), Literary Likings: Renaissance in Browning's Poetry. CARPENTER (W. Boyd), The Religious Spirit in the Poets. CHAPMAN (J. J.), Emerson and Other Essays. CHURCH (R. W.), Dante and Other Essays: Sordello. COOKE (G. W.), Poets and Problems. CURTIS (G. W.), From the Easy Chair; Robert Browning in Florence. DARMESTETER (Mary J.), Revue de Paris, October, 1898: Ménage de Poètes. * DOWDEN (E.), Studies in Literature: Mr. Tennyson and Mr. Browning; Transcendental Movement in Literature. DOWDEN (E.), Transcripts and Studies: Mr. Browning's Sordello. EVERETT (C. C.), Essays Theological and Literary. FAWCETT (C.), Agnosticism and Other Essays: The Browning Craze. FORMAN (H. B.), Our Living Poets. HUTTON (R. H.), Literary Essays. JAMES (Henry), Essays in London and Elsewhere. JENKIN (Fleming), Papers Literary, Scientific, etc.: The Agamemnon and Trachiniae. * LAWTON (WC.), The Classical Element in Browning's Poetry. MABIE (II. W.), Essays in Literary Interpreta * tion. MILSAND (Joseph), Littérature anglaise et philosophie. MORLEY (John), Studies in Literature: The Ring and the Book. OLIPHANT (Margaret), The Victorian Age of English Literature, Vol. I. PATER (Walter), Essays from the Guardian. SAINTSBURY (George), Corrected Impressions. *SANTAYANA (George), Interpretations of Poetry and Religion: The Poetry of Barbarism-Walt Whitman, Robert Browning. * SCHELLING (F. E.), Two Essays on Robert Browning. * STEDMAN (E. C.), Victorian Poets. STEPHEN (Leslie), Studies of a Biographer, Vol. III. SWINBURNE, Introduction to the Works of George Chapman, pp. xiv-xix (a splendid passage on the alleged obscurity of Browning). THOMSON (James), Biographical and Critical Studies: Notes on the Genius of Robert Browning; The Ring and the Book; Browning's Pacchiarotto. TRIGGS (O. L.), Browning and Whitman, A Study in Democracy. VINCENT (L. H.), A Few Words on Robert Browning. WOODBERRY (G. E.), Makers of Literature: On Browning's Death. ARMSTRONG (R. A.), Faith and Doubt. AUSTIN (A.), The Poetry of the Period. BUCHANAN (R.), Master Spirits. CHENEY (V.), The Golden Guess. COURTNEY (W. L.), Studies New and Old. DAWSON (W. J.), Makers of Modern English; Religion of Browning. DEVEY (J.), Comparative Estimate of Modern English Poets. FORSTER (J.), Four Great Teachers: John Ruskin, Thomas Carlyle, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Robert Browning. FRISWELL (J. H.), Modern Men of Letters. GALTON (A.), Urbana Scripta. GOULD (E. P.), The Brownings and America. KERNAHAN (Coulson), Wise Men and a Fool: One Aspect of Browning. MACDONALD (George), Imagination and Other Essays: Browning's Christmas Eve. MCCORMICK (W. S.), Three Lectures on English Literature: The Poetry of Robert Browning. NOEL (R. B. W.), Essays on Poetry and Poets. SARRAZIN (G.), La Renaissance de la Poésie anglaise. SCUDDER (V. D.), Life of the Spirit in Modern English Poetry. SHARP (Amy), Victorian Poets. SWANWICK (A.), Poets the Interpreters of their Age. WALKER (II.), The Great Victorian Poets. TRIBUTES IN VERSE *LANDOR, Robert Browning. * GILDER (R. W.), Five Books of Song: Browning's Death. FIELD (M.), The Burial of Robert Browning. CARMAN (Bliss), Songs from Vagabondia: The Two Bobbies. * CARMAN (Bliss), More Songs from Vagabondia: In a Copy of Browning. BIBLIOGRAPHY FURNIVALL (F. J.), A Bibliography of Robert Browning from 1833 to 1881. ANDERSON (J. P.), Bibliography of Browning, Appendix to Sharp's Life of Browning. LEARNED (II. B.), A Hand List for the Student of Robert Browning. NICOLL (W. M.), and WISE (T.), Literary Anecdotes of the Nineteenth Century: Materials for a Bibliography of Robert Browning. ROBERT BROWNING SONGS FROM PARACELSUS HEAP cassia, sandal-buds and stripes Spent with the vast and howling main, And strew faint sweetness from some old Egyptian's fine worm-eaten shroud Which breaks to dust when once unrolled; Or shredded perfume, like a cloud From closet long to quiet vowed, With mothed and dropping arras hung, Mouldering her lute and books among, As when a queen, long dead, was young. Over the sea our galleys went, With cleaving prows in order brave To a speeding wind and a bounding wave, A gallant armament : Each bark built out of a forest-tree Left leafy and rough as first it grew. And nailed all over the gaping sides, Within and without, with black bullhides. Seethed in fat and suppled in flame, But each upbore a stately tent That neither noontide nor starshine For joy of one day's voyage more, And in a sleep as calm as death, Lay stretched along, each weary crew In a circle round its wondrous tent Whence gleamed soft light and curled rich scent, And with light and perfume, music too: So the stars wheeled round, and the darkness past, And at morn we started beside the mast, And still each ship was sailing fast. Now, one morn, land appeared—a speck Dim trembling betwixt sea and sky: 66 Avoid it," cried our pilot, "check So, we broke the cedar pales away, We shouted, every man of us, A hundred shapes of lucid stone! All day we built its shrine for each, A shrine of rock for every one, Our isles are just at hand," they cried, "Like cloudlets faint in even sleeping. fur temple-gates are opened wide, For these majestic forms"-they cried. How bare the rock, how desolate, Yet we called out—“ Depart ! Our gifts, once given, must here abide. Our work is done; we have no heart Tomar our work,"—we cried. PORPHYRIA'S LOVER 1835. THE rain set early in to-night, Blaze up, and all the cottage warm; Which done, she rose, and from her form Withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl. And laid her soiled gloves by, untied Her hat and let the damp hair fall, This is the earliest of Browning's great series of dramatic poems in lyric form. It was first printed in the Monthly Repository, 1836, with Johannes Agricola in Meditation was then cluded in the Dramatic Lyrics (1842); and is Low classed among the Dramatic Romances. Most of Browning's poems are simply dramatic monologues, without stage directions, often without even the name of the speaker. The raler must remember that it is not Browning Aho is speaking or telling the story; and must drst notice who is speaking, and under what cirOnce this is done, most of the alked "obscurity" of Browning will be found to have disappeared forever. And, last, she sat down by my side And cailed me. When no voice replied. She put my arm about her waist. And made her smooth white shoulder bare And all her yellow hair displaced, And, stooping, made my cheek lie And spread, o'er all, her yellow hair, Too weak, for all her heart's endeavor. To set its struggling passion free From pride, and vainer ties dissever, And give herself to me forever. But passion sometimes would prevail, Nor could to-night's gay feast restrain A sudden thought of one so pale For love of her, and all in vain: So, she was come through wind and rain. Be sure I looked up at her eyes Happy and proud; at last I knew Porphyria worshipped me; surprise Made my heart swell, and still it grew While I debated what to do. That moment she was mine, mine, fair. Perfectly pure and good: I found A thing to do, and all her hair In one long yellow string I wound Three times her little throat around, And strangled her. No pain felt she; I am quite sure she felt no pain. As a shut bud that holds a bee, I warily oped her lids; again Laughed the blue eyes without a stain. And I untightened next the tress About her neck; her cheek once more Blushed bright beneath my burning kiss: I propped her head up as before, That all it scorned at once is fled, And all night long we have not stirred. And yet God has not said a word! 1836. |