- 1864. NETTLESHIP (J. T.), Essays on Robert Browning's Poetry, 1868. -*GOSSE (E. W.), Robert Browning; Personalia, 1890.- RITCHIE (Anne Thackeray), Records of Tennyson, Ruskin, Browning, 1892. DUFFY (C. G.), Conversations with Carlyle. CURTIS (G. W.), From the Easy-Chair: Browning in Florence. BRONSON (K.), Browning in Asolo, in the Century, Vol. 37, p. 920; Browning in Venice, in the Century, Vol. 41, p. 572. PASTON (George), B. R. Haydon and his Friends, 1905. - TAYLOR (Mrs. Bayard), On Two Continents, 1905. INTRODUCTIONS TO BROWNING ALEXANDER (W. J.), An Introduction to the Poetry of Robert Browning. BERDOE (E.), The Browning Cyclopædia, a Guide to the Study of the Works of Robert Browning, 1892. -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 Po try.-DEFRIES (E. P.), Browning Primer. — FOTHERINGHAM (J.), Studies in the Poetry of Robert Browning. Holland (F. M.), Stories from Robert Browning. - KINGSLAND (W. G.), Robert Browning, Chief Poet of the Age. - MOLINEUX (M. Ä.), A Phrase-Book from th› Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning. MORISON (Jeanie), Sordello, an outline Analysis of Mr. Browning's Poem. — ORR (A. L.), A Handbook to the Works of Robert Browning. - SYMONS (A.), An Introduction to the Study of 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, 1896. BERDOE (E.), Browning's Message to his Time; his Religion, Philosophy and Science, 1890. BIRRELL (Augustine), Essays and Addresses, 1901. — * BIRRELL (Augustine), Obiter Dicta, Vol. I: On the Alleged Obscurity of Mr. Browning's Poetry, 1884. BROWNING SOCIETY (of London): Browning Studies; Selected Papers of Members of the Browning Society, edited by Edward Berdoe, 1895. * BOSTON BROWNING SOCIETY: Selected Papers, 1897. BROOKE (S. A.), The Poetry of Browning, 1902. BURTON (R.), Literary Likings: Renaissance in Browning's Poetry, 1902. CHAPMAN (J. J.), Emerson and Other Essays, 1898. CHURCH (R. W.), Dante and Other Essays: Sordello, 1888. DARMESTETER (Mary J.), in the Revue de Paris, Oct., 1898: Ménage de Poètes. - DOWDEN (E.), Studies in Literature: Mr. Tennyson and Mr. Browning; Transcendental Movement in Literature, 1878. DOWDEN (E.), Transcripts and Studies: Mr. Browning's Sordello, 1888. EVERETT (C. C.), Essays Theological and Literary, 1891. HODELL (C. W.), The Old Yellow Book; photo-reproduction, translation, essay, etc., 1908. HUTTON (R. H.), Literary Essays, 1871, 1888.-JAMES (Henry), Essays in London and Elsewhere. - JENKIN (Fleming). Papers Literary, Scientific, etc.: The Agamemnon and Trachiniae. *LAWTON (W. C.), Classical Element in Browning's Poetry. - MABIE (H. W.), Essays in Literary Interpretation, 1892. MORE (Paul E.), Shelburne Essays, Third Series: Browning's Popularity, 1906. MORLEY (John), Studies in Literature: The Ring and the Book, 1891. PATER (Walter), Essays from the Guardian, 1901 Robert Browning, 1887. PAYNE (W. M.), The Greater English Poets of the Nineteenth Century, 1907. PEARSON (C. W.), Literary and Biographical Essays, 1908. SAINTSBURY (George), Corrected Impressions, 1895. *SANTAYANA (George), Interpretations of Poetry and Religion, 1900.- *SCHELLING (F. E.), Two Essays on Robert. Browning. *STEDMAN (E. C.), Victorian Poets, 1875, 1887. STEPHEN (Leslie), Studies of a Biographer, Vol. III: The Browning Letters, 1899. *SWINBURNE, Introduction to the Works of George Chapman, pp. xiv-xix, 1875. THOMSON (James), Biographical and Critical Studies. WOODBERRY (G. E.), Makers of Literature: On Browning's Death (1890), 1900. ABBOTT (M. W.), Browning and Meredith, 1904. CLARKE (Helen A.), Browning's Italy, 1908; Browning's England, 1909. — CUNLIFFE (J. W.), Publications of the Modern Language Association, June, 1908.-DAWSON (W. J.), Makers of English Poetry (1890), 1906. — GILDER (R. W.), in the Century, Oct., 1905.-GOULD (E. P.), The Brownings and America.HORNBROOKE (F. B.), The Ring and the Book, 1910.-HUTTON (R. H.), Brief Literary Criticisms, 1910 INGE (W. R.), Studies of English Mystics, 1906. JONES (Henry), Browning as a Philosophical and Religious Teacher, 1891.-KERNAHAN (Coulson), Wise Men and a Fool: One Aspect of Browning. LOCKWOOD (Frank C.), in Modern Poets and Christian Teaching, Vol. III, 1906. MACDONALD (George), Imagination and Other Essays: Browning's Christmas Eve (1883), 1886. SARRAZIN (G.), La Renaissance de la Poésie anglaise. SCUDDER (V. D.), Life of the Spirit: Browning as a Humorist, 1895.-WEATHERFORD (W. D.), Fundamental Principles in Browning's Poetry, 1907. - WALKER (Hugh), The Literature of the Victorian Era, 1910. TRIBUTES IN VERSE *LANDOR, Robert Browning. *GILDER (R. W.), Browning's Death.* CARMAN (Bliss), Songs from Vagabondia: The Two Bobbies. **CARMAN (Bliss), More Songs from Vagabondia: In a Copy of Browning. - PEET (Jeanie), Browning; in the Century, June, 1906. *VAN DYKE (Henry), The White Bees, 1909; from the Atlantic, Feb., 1907. - *POUND (Ezra), A Lume spento, 1908, and Personæ, 1909: Mesmerism: Fifine answers; etc.- LANIER (Clifford), Apollo and Keats on Browning, 1909. * LE GALLIENNE (Richard), New Poems, 1910: The Nightjar. BIBLIOGRAPHY FURNIVALL (F. J.), A Bibliography of Robert Browning from 1833 to 1881. ANDERSON (J. P.), Appendix to Sharp's Life of Browning. NICOLL and WISE, Literary Anecdotes of the Nineteenth Century: Materials for a Bibliography of 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: 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, That neither noontide nor starshine For joy of one day's voyage more, star, 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 : "Avoid it," cried our pilot, "check The shout, restrain the eager eye!" 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. Our temple-gates are opened wide, Our olive-groves thick shade are keeping For these majestic forms"-they cried. Oh, then we awoke with sudden start From our deep dream, and knew, too late, How bare the rock, how desolate, Which had received our precious freight Yet we called out-" Depart! Our gifts, once given, must here abide. Our work is done; we have no heart To mar our work,"-we cried. PORPHYRIA'S LOVER' 1835. THE rain set early in to-night, She shut the cold out and the storm, And kneeled and made the cheerless grate 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, 1 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 included in the Dramatic Lyries (1842); and is now classed among the Draniatic Romances. Most of Browning's poems are simply dramatic monologues, without stage directions, often without even the name of the speaker. The reader must remember that it is not Browning who is speaking or telling the story; and must first notice who is speaking, and under what circumstances. Once this is done, most of the alleged "obscurity" of Browning will be found to have disappeared forever. And, last, she sat down by my side And called 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 there, And spread, o'er all, her yellow hair, 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. PHENE Austrian Police BLUPHOCKS LUIGI and his mother Poor Girls MONSIGNOR and his attendants As prosperous ones are treated, those who live At hand here, and enjoy the higher lot, In readiness to take what thou wilt give, And free to let alone what thou refusest; For, Day, my holiday, if thou ill-usest Me, who am only Pippa,-old-year's sor row, Cast off last night, will come again to morrow: Whereas, if thou prove gentle, I shall borrow Sufficient strength of thee for new-year's sorrow. All other men and women that this earth Belongs to, who all days alike possess, Make general plenty cure particular dearth, Get more joy one way, if another, less: Thou art my single day, God lends to leaven What were all earth else, with a feel of heaven, Sole light that helps me through the year, thy sun's! Try now! Take Asolo's Four Happiest Ones And let thy morning rain on that superb Great haughty Ottima; can rain disturb Her Sebald's homage? All the while thy rain Beats fiercest on her shrub-house window pane He will but press the closer, breathe more warm Against her cheek; how should she mind the storm? And, morning past, if mid-day shed a gloom O'er Jules and Phene,-what care bride and groom Save for their dear selves? "T is their marriage day; And while they leave church and go home their way, |