The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-05
WI.

1t Is we'll known that. with the exception of
the sonnets alleged to be from the Portuguese"
which really recorded the writer's own feelings
during Mr.. Browning's courtship Of her, her
poems are marred by obscuritIes Of thought and
imperfections of form. That her rhymes were
inexact. especially in such poems as The Dead
Pam" she did not deny. but her defence was
that the inexactness was due to a deliberate at
tempt to widen tho artistic capabilities OF tho
English language. Partly. perhaps. as the re-
suit of her acquaintance with italian litera-
ture. she had a marked loneliness for dissylla-
bic rhymes. and. since pure rhymes of this
kind are not plentiful in English, she tried
tho experiment OF using assonances in
stead. Hence such rhymes as silence and ISL
ands, piston and procession, panther and saun-
ter. examples which could be indefinitely multi
piled. 1t may be that q writer with q very
sensitive ear would not have attempted such an
experiment, and it is certainly a fact that public
taste has not approved 1t. The editor of these
volumes however, submits that tho experiment
itself is as legitimate as are the experiments
in hexameters and hendecasyllabic OF Long.
fellow and Tennyson. and. whether approved
or not, 1t should be criticised as an experiment,
not as mere carelessness. Mrs. Browning her.
self touches on this subject, which has by no
means lost its interest. In a letter dated Aug.
IS, 1874: "Now l must explain to you that
most Of the incorrectnesses you speak
of may be 'incorrectnesses. but are not
ncgiiJences. / have q theory about double
rhymes. for which ! shall be attacked by tho
critics. but which / could justify on high au-
thority, or at least analo! y. In fact. those
volumes Of mine have moro double rhymes
than any two books Of English poems that ever,
to my knowledge, were printed; / mean of Eng
lish poems not comic. Now, of double rhymes
In use, which are perfect rhymes. you are aware
how few there are. and yet you are also aware
OF what an admirable effect, in making n rhythm
various and vigorous double rhyming is In
English poetry. Therefore. 1 have used a GER
tain license; and. after much thoughtful study
of the Elizabethan writers. have v~entured
it with the public. And do you tell
ME. you who object TO tho use of a different
rotcet in a double rhyme. uhv you rhyme las
everybody docs, without blame from anybody
given to heaven when you object to my
rhyming remember and 'chamberl' The an.
alogy, surely. is all on my side, and / beliere
that the spirit of the English language is also.
i write all this because you will find many other
sins of the sort besides those in the Cyprus
Wine;' and because l wish you to consider the
subject as a point for consideration seriously.
and not to blame me as a writer OF careless
verses. II deal too much in licenses 1t is not
because l am idle, but because 1 am speculative
for freedoms sake. 1t Is possible, you know. to
be wrong conscicntiously and / stand up for
my conscience only"
One OF Miss Barretts friends, a Mr.. Boyd, was
n somewhat austere critic OF her work. To some
OF his structures she replies as follows: "As to
The Lost Bower / am ~penitent about having
caused you SO much disturbance. / sometimes
fancy that a little varying OF the accents. though
at the obvious expense of injuring the smooth
ness OF every line considered separately, gives
i Na ntn ~ - - --l ~