Robert Browning - Delphi Poets Series

by Robert Browning

  To offer the Piper, by word of mouth,

  Wherever it was men’s lot to find him,

  Silver and gold to his heart’s content,

  If he’d only return the way he went,

  And bring the children behind him.

  But when they saw ‘twas a lost endeavour,

  And Piper and dancers were gone for ever,

  They made a decree that lawyers never

  Should think their records dated duly

  If, after the day of the month and year,

  These words did not as well appear,

  “And so long after what happened here

  ”On the Twenty-second of July,

  “Thirteen hundred and seventy-six:”

  And the better in memory to fix

  The place of the children’s last retreat,

  They called it, the Pied Piper’s Street —

  Where any one playing on pipe or tabor

  Was sure for the future to lose his labour.

  Nor suffered they hostelry or tavern

  To shock with mirth a street so solemn;

  But opposite the place of the cavern

  They wrote the story on a column,

  And on the great church-window painted

  The same, to make the world acquainted

  How their children were stolen away,

  And there it stands to this very day.

  And I must not omit to say

  That in Transylvania there’s a tribe

  Of alien people who ascribe

  The outlandish ways and dress

  On which their neighbours lay such stress,

  To their fathers and mothers having risen

  Out of some subterraneous prison

  Into which they were trepanned

  Long time ago in a mighty band

  Out of Hamelin town in Brunswick land,

  But how or why, they don’t understand.

  XV.

  So, Willy, let me and you be wipers

  Of scores out with all men — especially pipers:

  And, whether they pipe us free from rats or from mice,

  If we’ve promised them aught, let us keep our promise.

  BELLS AND POMEGRANATES NO. VII: DRAMATIC ROMANCES AND LYRICS

  CONTENTS

  How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix

  Pictor Ignotus

  The Italian in England

  The Englishman in Italy

  The Lost Leader

  The Lost Mistress

  Home-Thoughts, From Abroad

  Home-Thoughts, from the Sea

  Nationality in Drinks

  The Bishop Orders his Tomb at Saint Praxed’s Church Rome

  Garden-Fancies

  I. — The Flower’s Name

  II. — Sibrandus Schafnaburgensis.

  The Laboratory

  The Confessional

  The Flight of the Duchess

  Earth’s Immortalities

  Fame

  Love

  Song

  The Boy and the Angel

  Meeting at Night

  Parting at Morning

  Saul

  Time’s Revenges

  The Glove

  How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix

  16 —

  I.

  I SPRANG to the stirrup, and Joris, and he;

  I galloped, Dirck galloped, we galloped all three;

  “Good speed!” cried the watch, as the gate-bolts undrew;

  “Speed!” echoed the wall to us galloping through;

  Behind shut the postern, the lights sank to rest,

  And into the midnight we galloped abreast.

  II.

  Not a word to each other; we kept the great pace

  Neck by neck, stride by stride, never changing our place;

  I turned in my saddle and made its girths tight,

  Then shortened each stirrup, and set the pique right,

  Rebuckled the cheek-strap, chained slacker the bit,

  Nor galloped less steadily Roland a whit.

  III.

  ‘Twas moonset at starting; but while we drew near

  Lokeren, the cocks crew and twilight dawned clear;

  At Boom, a great yellow star came out to see;

  At Düffeld, ‘twas morning as plain as could be;

  And from Mecheln church-steeple we heard the half-chime,

  So, Joris broke silence with, “Yet there is time!”

  IV.

  At Aerschot, up leaped of a sudden the sun,

  And against him the cattle stood black every one,

  To stare thro’ the mist at us galloping past,

  And I saw my stout galloper Roland at last,

  With resolute shoulders, each butting away

  The haze, as some bluff river headland its spray:

  V.

  And his low head and crest, just one sharp ear bent back

  For my voice, and the other pricked out on his track;

  And one eye’s black intelligence, — ever that glance

  O’er its white edge at me, his own master, askance!

  And the thick heavy spume-flakes which aye and anon

  His fierce lips shook upwards in galloping on.

  VI.

  By Hasselt, Dirck groaned; and cried Joris, “Stay spur!

  “Your Roos galloped bravely, the fault’s not in her,

  “We’ll remember at Aix” — for one heard the quick wheeze

  Of her chest, saw the stretched neck and staggering knees,

  And sunk tail, and horrible heave of the flank,

  As down on her haunches she shuddered and sank.

  VII.

  So, we were left galloping, Joris and I,

  Past Looz and past Tongres, no cloud in the sky;

  The broad sun above laughed a pitiless laugh,

  ‘Neath our feet broke the brittle bright stubble like chaff;

  Till over by Dalhem a dome-spire sprang white,

  And “Gallop,” gasped Joris, “for Aix is in sight!”

  VIII.

  “How they’ll greet us!” — and all in a moment his roan

  Rolled neck and croup over, lay dead as a stone;

  And there was my Roland to bear the whole weight

  Of the news which alone could save Aix from her fate,

  With his nostrils like pits full of blood to the brim,

  And with circles of red for his eye-sockets’ rim.

  IX.

  Then I cast loose my buffcoat, each holster let fall,

  Shook off both my jack-boots, let go belt and all,

  Stood up in the stirrup, leaned, patted his ear,

  Called my Roland his pet-name, my horse without peer;

  Clapped my hands, laughed and sang, any noise, bad or good,

  Till at length into Aix Roland galloped and stood.

  X.

  And all I remember is, friends flocking round

  As I sat with his head ‘twixt my knees on the ground;

  And no voice but was praising this Roland of mine,

  As I poured down his throat our last measure of wine,

  Which (the burgesses voted by common consent)

  Was no more than his due who brought good news from Ghent.

  Pictor Ignotus

  [Florence, 15 — .]

  I COULD have painted pictures like that youth’s

  Ye praise so. How my soul springs up! No bar

  Stayed me — ah, thought which saddens while it soothes! —

  Never did fate forbid me, star by star,

  To outburst on your night, with all my gift

  Of fires from God: nor would my flesh have shrunk

  From seconding my soul, with eyes uplift

  And wide to heaven, or, straight like thunder, sunk

  To the centre, of an instant; or around

  Turned calmly and inquisitive, to scan

  The license and the limit, space and bound,

  Allowed
to Truth made visible in man.

  And, like that youth ye praise so, all I saw,

  Over the canvas could my hand have flung,

  Each face obedient to its passion’s law,

  Each passion clear proclaimed without a tongue:

  Whether Hope rose at once in all the blood,

  A tip-toe for the blessing of embrace,

  Or Rapture drooped the eyes, as when her brood

  Pull down the nesting dove’s heart to its place;

  Or Confidence lit swift the forehead up,

  And locked the mouth fast, like a castle braved, —

  O human faces! hath it spilt, my cup?

  What did ye give me that I have not saved?

  Nor will I say I have not dreamed (how well!)

  Of going — I, in each new picture, — forth,

  As, making new hearts beat and bosoms swell,

  To Pope or Kaiser, East, West, South, or North,

  Bound for the calmly satisfied great State,

  Or glad aspiring little burgh, it went,

  Flowers cast upon the car which bore the freight,

  Through old streets named afresh from the event,

  Till it reached home, where learned Age should greet

  My face, and Youth, the star not yet distinct

  Above his hair, lie learning at my feet! —

  Oh, thus to live, I and my picture, linked

  With love about, and praise, till life should end,

  And then not go to Heaven, but linger here,

  Here on my earth, earth’s every man my friend,

  The thought grew frightful, ‘twas so wildly dear!

  But a voice changed it. Glimpses of such sights

  Have scared me, like the revels through a door

  Of some strange house of idols at its rites!

  This world seemed not the world it was, before:

  Mixed with my loving trusting ones, there trooped

  . . . Who summoned those cold faces that begun

  To press on me and judge me? Though I stooped

  Shrinking, as from the soldiery a nun,

  They drew me forth, and spite of me . . . enough!

  These buy and sell our pictures, take and give,

  Count them for garniture and household-stuff,

  And where they live needs must our pictures live

  And see their faces, listen to their prate,

  Partakers of their daily pettiness,

  Discussed of, — ”This I love, or this I hate,

  This likes me more, and this affects me less!”

  Wherefore I chose my portion. If at whiles

  My heart sinks, as monotonous I paint

  These endless cloisters and eternal aisles

  With the same series, Virgin, Babe, and Saint,

  With the same cold calm beautiful regard, —

  At least no merchant traffics in my heart;

  The sanctuary’s gloom at least shall ward

  Vain tongues from where my pictures stand apart:

  Only prayer breaks the silence of the shrine

  While, blackening in the daily candle-smoke,

  They moulder on the damp wall’s travertine,

  ’Mid echoes the light footstep never woke.

  So, die my pictures! surely, gently die!

  O youth, men praise so, — holds their praise its worth?

  Blown harshly, keeps the trump its golden cry?

  Tastes sweet the water with such specks of earth?

  The Italian in England

  THAT second time they hunted me

  From hill to plain, from shore to sea,

  And Austria, hounding far and wide

  Her blood-hounds thro’ the country-side,

  Breathed hot and instant on my trace, —

  I made six days a hiding-place

  Of that dry green old aqueduct

  Where I and Charles, when boys, have plucked

  The fire-flies from the roof above,

  Bright creeping thro’ the moss they love:

  — How long it seems since Charles was lost!

  Six days the soldiers crossed and crossed

  The country in my very sight;

  And when that peril ceased at night,

  The sky broke out in red dismay

  With signal fires; well, there I lay

  Close covered o’er in my recess,

  Up to the neck in ferns and cress,

  Thinking on Metternich our friend,

  And Charles’s miserable end,

  And much beside, two days; the third,

  Hunger o’ercame me when I heard

  The peasants from the village go

  To work among the maize; you know,

  With us in Lombardy, they bring

  Provisions packed on mules, a string

  With little bells that cheer their task,

  And casks, and boughs on every cask

  To keep the sun’s heat from the wine;

  These I let pass in jingling line,

  And, close on them, dear noisy crew,

  The peasants from the village, too;

  For at the very rear would troop

  Their wives and sisters in a group

  To help, I knew. When these had passed,

  I threw my glove to strike the last,

  Taking the chance: she did not start,

  Much less cry out, but stooped apart,

  One instant rapidly glanced round,

  And saw me beckon from the ground:

  A wild bush grows and hides my crypt;

  She picked my glove up while she stripped

  A branch off, then rejoined the rest

  With that; my glove lay in her breast:

  Then I drew breath: they disappeared:

  It was for Italy I feared.

  An hour, and she returned alone

  Exactly where my glove was thrown.

  Meanwhile came many thoughts: on me

  Rested the hopes of Italy;

  I had devised a certain tale

  Which, when ‘twas told her, could not fail

  Persuade a peasant of its truth;

  I meant to call a freak of youth

  This hiding, and give hopes of pay,

  And no temptation to betray.

  But when I saw that woman’s face,

  Its calm simplicity of grace,

  Our Italy’s own attitude

  In which she walked thus far, and stood,

  Planting each naked foot so firm,

  To crush the snake and spare the worm —

  At first sight of her eyes, I said,

  “I am that man upon whose head

  “They fix the price, because I hate

  “The Austrians over us: the State

  “Will give you gold — oh, gold so much! —

  “If you betray me to their clutch,

  “And be your death, for aught I know,

  “If once they find you saved their foe.

  “Now, you must bring me food and drink,

  “And also paper, pen and ink,

  “And carry safe what I shall write

  “To Padua, which you’ll reach at night

  “Before the Duomo shuts; go in,

  “And wait till Tenebræ begin;

  “Walk to the third confessional,

  “Between the pillar and the wall,

  “And kneeling whisper, whence comes peace?

  “Say it a second time, then cease;

  “And if the voice inside returns,

  “From Christ and Freedom; what concerns

  “The cause of Peace? — for answer, slip

  “My letter where you placed your lip;

  “Then come back happy we have done

  “Our mother service — I, the son,

  “As you the daughter of our land!”

  Three mornings more, she took her stand

  In the same place, with the same eyes:

  I was no surer of sun-rise

  That
of her coming. We conferred

  Of her own prospects, and I heard

  She had a lover — stout and tall,

  She said — then let her eyelids fall,

  “He could do much” — as if some doubt

  Entered her heart, — then, passing out,

  “She could not speak for others — who

  “Had other thoughts; herself she knew:”

  And so she brought me drink and food.

  After four days, the scouts pursued

  Another path; at last arrived

  The help my Paduan friends contrived

  To furnish me: she brought the news.

  For the first time I could not choose

  But kiss her hand, and lay my own

  Upon her head — ”This faith was shown

  “To Italy, our mother; — she

  “Uses my hand and blesses thee.”

  She followed down to the sea-shore;

  I left and never saw her more.

  How very long since I have thought

  Concerning — much less wished for — aught

  Beside the good of Italy,

  For which I live and mean to die!

  I never was in love; and since

  Charles proved false, what shall now convince.

  My inmost heart I have a friend?

  However, if I pleased to spend

  Real wishes on myself — say, Three —

  I know at least what one should be.

  I would grasp Metternich until

  I felt his red wet throat distil

  In blood thro’ these two hands: and next,

  — Nor much for that am I perplexed —

  Charles, perjured traitor, for his part,

  Should die slow of a broken heart

  Under his new employer: last

  — Ah, there, what should I wish? For fast

  Do I grow old and out of strength.

  If I resolved to seek at length

  My father’s house again, how scared

  They all would look, and unprepared!

  My brothers live in Austria’s pay

  — Disowned me long ago, men say;

  And all my early mates who used

  To praise me so — perhaps induced

  More than one early step of mine —

  Are turning wise: while some opine

  “Freedom grows License,” some suspect

  “Haste breeds Delay,” and recollect

  They always said, such premature

  Beginnings never could endure!

  So, with a sullen “All’s for best,”

  The land seems settling to its rest.

  I think then, I should wish to stand

  This evening in that dear, lost land,

  Over the sea the thousand miles,

  And know if yet that woman smiles

  With the calm smile; some little farm

  She lives in there, no doubt: what harm