The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-27
THE POETRY OF ROBERT DROWNING.

1927 10 49, RCoO" -
our human nature that when we hear a
person, a book. or, in fact. anything extrav-
agantly praised our antagonism is aroused.
Mr.. Stopford A. Brooke is not a violent
advocate. He never offends by claiming
perfection for his subject. One of the
charms OF his "Tennyson-His Art and Re
lation TO Modern Life" published eight or
ten years ago. is its fairness. it's restrained
tone OF appreciation. The feeling is that
he might have written more glowingly had
he allowed himself the privilege of a purely
personal estimate. Much the same impress
sion is given by his new book. 1.-The Poetry
Of Robert Browning" Mr.. Brooke does not
gush over the poet. He does not set him
on the highest pinnacle of the muses. tenn
pie and bid us worship or be everlastingly
condemned, but he does place him, for a
number of years, at least. on what he calls
one of the two peaks of Parnassus. On
the other peak, of course, is Tennyson.
Browning students have wondered why
Tennyson received recognition so long be-
fore Browning did; why Tennyson was
widely known and deeply loved for fifty
years before his death, and for
barely ten. Mr.. Brooke explains this prob
lem well. The explanation is too long and
many-sided to be quoted here, but one
point may be mentioned. 1t is, perhaps,
the point which will touch the Browning
lover in a tender place-a point which he
will impulsively wish to contradict, but
which his better judgment will say is true.
"Tennyson is the closest to human nature
In its noble, common and loving form, as
Browning Is the closest to what is COM
pick, subtle and uncommon in human ma
ture." On the face of ii this makes Tenny-
son the superior, and some will not agree
to that, but Mr.. Brooke is right when he
presses his advantage and insists that abil-
ity to be understood by all is The mark OF
superiority. Keats put it best when he
said:
And they shall be accounted poet-kings
Who simply tell the most heart-easing things.
Browning tells heart-easing things, but he
does not tell them simply, and there is the
rub. Naturally this leads to a discussion
Of Browning's style, obscurity, careless
workmanship and other faults which have
been the theme of the critics for years.
There is nothing especially new or striking
said here, but it is worth reading. Thai
which draws and holds Browning admirers
is the poets theory of human life. OF this
MIR. Brooke says:
HE asks what is the secret OF the world,
of man and mans true purpose. path and
fate He proposes to understand God and
His works and all Gods intercourse with
the human SOUL We are here, he thinks,
to grow enough TO be able to take our part
in another life or lives. But we are sur
rounded by limitations which battle and
retard our growth. That is miserable, but
not so much as We think, for the failures
these limitations cause prevent us-and this
is a main point in Browning's view-from
being content with our condition on the
earth. There is that within us which is
always endeavoring to transcend those linn
itations, and which believes in their final
dispersal. This aspiration rises to some
thing higher than any possible actual on
earth. 1t is never worn out; 1t is the di-
vine in US. AMI when it seems to decay God
renews it by spiritual influences from with
in and without, coming to us from nature
as seen by us, from humanity as felt by us.
and from himself, who dwells in us. :
The worst failure, the deepest misery, is
better than contentment with the success
of earth; and, seen in this light, the fail
ures of earth. the misery of earth, are good
things, the cause of a chastened JOY"
This theory of life, the brave battling
with failure, the persistent striving in spite
of defeat. is Browning's great attraction.
He is the poet of aspiration, of encourage
ment. He has no scorn for failure, no
sneers for the fallen. nc reproaches for
the crippled. All that he insists upon is
that you keep on trying.
Mr.. Brooke traces Browning's theory
from his earliest TO his latest poem, and
the tracing is pleasant to follow. Every
page is interesting, whether you entirely
agree or not. One is not expected to &C.
cept unhesitatingly some one else's inter-
probation of a poem, even if that some one
be capable as Mr.. Brooke. 1t may be au-
dacious to take issue with him concerning
certain Of B~rowning's women, but we feel
he is unjust to Lady Carlisle, TO Ultima,
and. in a way, to Constance. He says that
Lady Carlisle was either not in love or a
fool. 1t does not seem to occur to Mr..
Brooke that she might be both. Love some
times has that effect. There is a long dis
lance between a girl who speaks freely OF
her affection. such a one as Shakspeare's
Miranda, for instance, and the silent Lady
Carlisle; but il does not seem fair to say
the latter is impossible.
AS for Ultima, her whole story is revolt
ing-is one which we would like to be
spared-but, since ii is there. let us do il
justice. MIR. Brooke says her seif-sacrifice
at the end is out of keeping with her coarse
nature all through. May not a coarse ma
ture have a thread of fineness in 1t? Nc
one is wholly bad. Why may not this burst
of greatness in Ottima be the one good
the one preservative thing? But it is ar
ugly thing 10 discuss or to occupy the mino
with. 1t is curiously true, as Mr.. Brooke
says, that parts of the "Pippa Passes
poem are like the realism of fifty years
after. He says: THE whole seen,
between Sebald and Ultima might
have been written by a powerful
relentless novelist" The theory ad
vanced OF Constance Is a new one. Mr.
Brooke says her giving up Herbert to tn,
Queen was an act of jealousy, not of self,
sacrifice. This is not easy to believe. Grant
that Constance's offense is great, grant
that she deserves harshness. that her Who'll,
attitude is false, her standard utterl,
wrong. yet there are extenuating circum
stances. Her environment was not calcu
lated TO make her true. The air Of tn,
court was made of intrigue, double dealing
hypocrisy. She had been trained TO d.
things circuitously. automatically, never
in a straightforward way. Norbert's di