The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-04-15
THE BROWNING LETTERS.
OF Elizabeth barrett
and Her Poet Lover.


tonight
This said. he wished to have me in his
sight
Once as friend; this fixed a day in
spring
To come and touch my banda simple
thing,
Yet | wept for 1t; this-the papers
light
Said, Lear, love thee; and sank ard
quailed
AS II Gods future thundeied on my past.
| This said, am thine, and So its ink has
paled
With lying at my heart that beat too fast:
And thls-o love, thy words have ill
awaited
II what this said dared repeat at lastl /
So wrote Miss Barrett In those son nets
which recorded from day TO day the tale
of dawning and triumphant love a-recc I'd
at first intended for herself alone and
which was never shown to Mr.. browning
| until after their marriage.
These letters have recently been pub-
lished under the title Letters of Robert
Brown ing and Elizabeth Barrett" max
| ing two large volumes. although the cor.
repondence extended over only eighteen
| months. New York: Harper & Bros
The book is the most important of the
month. 1t reveals the innermost history
of the most notable love in all literature.
1t unfolds the story of union which
stands unrivalled for equality, intsllec-
tualjty and purity. These two poets
reached the very heights of human loving
and have given us glimpses of the wonder
and beauty of the experience in "Sonnets
from the Portuguese, "One Word
More" by the Fireside.'-poems for
which all true lovere thank God
| The generosity OF this giver and the
confidence he places in his readers, dis
arm any criticism one might be inclined
to make upon the publicity of the gift !;
for Browning himself authorized 1t
("There they are; do with them as you
please when l am dead and gone"), and
thereby strengthens the tie, already pecu
Iiarly strong. between himself and the
sympathetic reader of his poems.
| In Zone Word More" are the lines:
"0od tie thanked, the meanest of his
Boasts two soul-sides, one to face the
| world with,
One to show woman when be loves
| her!"
| And YET the "soul-side' revealed in these
letters is not SO far different from that
revealed to Browning's readers-the
world he faces Could one not have
poems the trait of feariessness here
shown
81 am not without fear of some things
in this world-but the wrath of men-all
the men living put together, fear as |
fear the fly have just put out of the
window; but fear God, and am ready,
he knows to die this moment in taking
| his part against any piece OF injustice
and oppression; so aspire to de-
And what else would one expect from
the author of "Paraoeisus'' than senti-
ments such as these:
81 have never been at all frightened of
the world, nor mistrustful of my power
to deal with 1t, and get my purpose out
of it once l thought it worth while. :"
But that he did not think it worth
while" these extracts show
| so for my future way In the world,
l have always refused to care Anyone
who can live a couple of years and more.
ON bread and potatoes az did once on
| time, and who prefers blouse and
| blue shirt (such as / now write inn to all
manner of dress and gsntlemanly appoint
ment-suoh an one need not very much
concern himself beyond considering
the lilies how they grow
| ~ desire in this life to live and Just
write out certain things which are in
| me, and SO save my SOUL"
And again. speaking of money .making
| he refers to his manner OF living: THAT
would be the one poor sacrifice l could
| make you-one / would cheerfuliy make
Tut a sacrifice and the only one; this
careless, sweet habitude of living'-this
absolute independence of mine, waich,
II / had it not, my heart would starve
and die for l feel, and which l have
| fought SO many good battles to preserve
this light, rational life lead. and know
so well that Lead
| And again:-
"To consult my feelings on tho only
| poiuS WbASA thty uAo eSio'eA'S W SLN
world, you must endeavor to live az
cheaply as possible, down to my own
habitual simplicity and oheapness."
There are in these letters many illusions
to art, to ideals of work for both. many
to contemporary authors, to their owr
works and the criticisms of them in this
or that paper or magazine-but the chic
subject is love. subject 50 beautifully,
so nobly presented that it Is impossible tc
conceive that the writer's could harbor q
thought inconsistent with the highest
ideal of moral integrity. Each accuse.
the other of generosity in this sentiment
or that; each declares seltishness to be tn,
basis of the love for the other Neither
will make a demand upon or allow "a sac
riuce from the other. Browning writes: -
II deliberately choose the realization
of that dream (of sitting simply by you
for an hour every day. rather than an,
other excluding you, l am able to form