Selections From The Poems And Plays Of Robert Browning Part 3

_Interpretations of Poetry and Religion_, by George Santayana, Scribners, 1900, contains an interesting presentation of Browning's work in a chapter ent.i.tled "The Poetry of Barbarism."

_Browning Study Programmes_ by Charlotte Porter and Helen A. Clarke, Crowell and Company, 1900, is a series of studies on separate poems or on groups of poems. Often very suggestive and helpful. In _Poet-Lore_, edited by Miss Clarke and Miss Porter, are, _pa.s.sim_, many other valuable studies and notes on Browning. The Camberwell edition of Browning's poems, edited by Miss Clarke and Miss Porter with excellent annotations, was published by Crowell and Company in 1898.

_The London Browning Society's Papers_ and _The Boston Browning Society's Papers_ contain much valuable material on separate poems or on various phases of Browning's life and work.

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE

May 7, 1812. Robert Browning born in Camberwell, London.

1824. _Incondita_ ready for publication.

1825. Sh.e.l.ley and Keats read.

1826. Left Mr. Ready's school.

1833. _Pauline_ published anonymously.

1833-4. Travels in Russia and Italy.

1835. _Paracelsus._ 1837. _Strafford._ Acted May 1, 1837, Covent Garden.

1840. _Sordello._ 1841-6. _Bells and Pomegranates._ 1841. No. I. _Pippa Pa.s.ses._ 1842. No. II. _King Victor and King Charles._ 1842. No. III. _Dramatic Lyrics._ 1843. No. IV. _The Return of the Druses._ 1843. No. V. _A Blot in the 'Scutcheon._ Acted Feb.

11, 1843, Drury Lane.

1844. No. VI. _Colombe's Birthday._ Acted April 25, 1853, Haymarket.

1845. No. VII. _Dramatic Romances and Lyrics._ 1846. No. VIII. _Luria_ and _A Soul's Tragedy_.

Jan. 10, 1845. Correspondence between Mr. Browning and Miss Barrett begun.

May 20, 1845. Their first meeting.

Sept. 12, 1846. Their marriage at Marylebone Church, London.

Oct. 1846. to April, 1847. In Pisa.

April 20, 1847. Arrival at Florence.

May 1848. Settled in permanent home at Casa Guidi.

1849. _Poems by Robert Browning._ Two volumes.

March 9, 1849. Birth of Wiedemann (or "Penini") Browning.

March 1849. Death of Browning's mother.

1850. _Christmas Eve and Easter Day._ June 1851. Mrs. Browning's _Casa Guidi Windows_.

1852. _Letters of Percy Bysshe Sh.e.l.ley._ With an introductory essay by Robert Browning.

1855. _Men and Women._ In two volumes.

Oct. 1856. Mrs. Browning's _Aurora Leigh_.

June 1860. Browning found the "Yellow Book."

June 29, 1861. Mrs. Browning died. She was buried in Florence.

July 1861. Browning left Florence.

1862. Established himself at 19 Warwick Crescent, London, where he lived twenty-five years.

1863. _The Poetical Works of Robert Browning._ In three volumes. Chapman and Hall.

1863. _Selections from the Poetical Works of Robert Browning._ [Editors, B.W. Proctor and John Forster.]

1864. _Dramatis Personae._ 1866. Browning's father died and Sarianna came to live with her brother.

1868. _The Poetical Works of Robert Browning._ In six volumes. Smith, Elder and Company.

1868-9. _The Ring and the Book._ In four volumes.

1871. _Balaustion's Adventure._ 1871. _Prince Hohenstiel-Schw.a.n.gau, Saviour of Society._ 1872. _Fifine at the Fair._ 1873. _Red Cotton Night-Cap Country._ 1875. _Aristophanes' Apology._ 1875. _The Inn Alb.u.m._ July 1876. _Pacchiarotto and How He Worked in Distemper._ 1877. _The Agamemnon of aeschylus translated._ 1878. _La Saisiaz; The Two Poets of Croisic._ Aug. 1878. Browning first revisited Italy.

1879. _Dramatic Idyls._ 1880. _Dramatic Idyls._ Second Series.

1881. The London Browning Society established.

1883. _Jocoseria._ 1884. _Ferishtah's Fancies._ 1887. Browning moved to De Vere Gardens.

1887. _Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning._ Riverside edition: Houghton, Mifflin and Company.

1888-9. _The Poetical Works of Robert Browning._ In sixteen volumes. Smith, Elder and Company. [All the works collected by the author except _Asolando_.]

Dec. 12, 1889. _Asolando._ Dec. 12, 1889. Robert Browning died in the Palazzo Rezzonica, his son's home in Venice.

Dec. 31, 1889. Buried in Westminster Abbey.

SELECTIONS

FROM THE

POEMS AND PLAYS

OF

ROBERT BROWNING

SONGS FROM PARACELSUS

I

"HEAP Ca.s.sIA, SANDAL-BUDS, AND STRIPES"

Heap ca.s.sia, sandal-buds, and stripes Of labdanum, and aloe-b.a.l.l.s, Smeared with dull nard an Indian wipes From out her hair; such balsam falls Down sea-side mountain pedestals, 5 From tree-tops where tired winds are fain, Spent with the vast and howling main, To treasure half their island-gain.

And strew faint sweetness from some old Egyptian's fine worm-eaten shroud 10 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, Moldering her lute and books among, 15 As when a queen, long dead, was young.

II

"OVER THE SEA OUR GALLEYS WENT"

Over the sea our galleys went With cleaving prows in order brave To a speeding wind and a bounding wave-- A gallant armament; 20 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 bull-hides, Seethed in fat and suppled in flame, 25 To bear the playful billows' game.

So each good ship was rude to see, Rude and bare to the outward view, But each upbore a stately tent Where cedar pales in scented row 30 Kept out the flakes of the dancing brine, And an awning drooped the mast below, In fold on fold of the purple fine, That neither noontide nor starshine Nor moonlight cold which maketh mad, 35 Might pierce the regal tenement.

When the sun dawned, oh, gay and glad We set the sail and plied the oar; But when the night-wind blew like breath, For joy of one day's voyage more, 40 We sang together on the wide sea, Like men at peace on a peaceful sh.o.r.e; Each sail was loosed to the wind so free, Each helm made sure by the twilight star, And in a sleep as calm as death, 45 We, the voyagers from afar, 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. 50 So the stars wheeled round, and the darkness pa.s.sed, 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. 55 "Avoid it," cried our pilot, "check The shout, restrain the eager eye!"

But the heaving sea was black behind For many a night and many a day, And land, though but a rock, drew nigh; 60 So we broke the cedar pales away, Let the purple awning flap in the wind, And a statue bright was on every deck!

We shouted, every man of us, And steered right into the harbor thus, 65 With pomp and paean glorious.

A hundred shapes of lucid stone!

All day we built its shrine for each, A shrine of rock for everyone, Nor paused till in the westering sun 70 We sat together on the beach To sing because our task was done.

When lo! what shouts and merry songs!

What laughter all the distance stirs!

A loaded raft with happy throngs 75 Of gentle islanders!