Robert Browning - Delphi Poets Series
Page 220
Mere unintelligence prepared the way
For either seed’s upsprouting: you repelled
Their notion that both kinds could sow themselves.
True! but admit ‘t is understanding delves
And drops each germ, what else but folly thwarts
The doer’s settled purpose? Let the sage
Concede a use to evil, though there starts
Full many a burgeon thence, to disengage
With thumb and finger lest it spoil the yield
Too much of good’s main tribute! But our main
Tough-tendoned mandrake-monster — purge the field
Of him for once and all? It follows plain
Who set him there to grow beholds repealed
His primal law: his ordinance proves vain:
And what beseems a king who cannot reign,
But to drop sceptre valid arm should wield?
VI.
“Still there’s a parable” — retorts my friend —
“Shows agriculture with a difference!
What of the crop and weeds which solely blend
Because, once planted, none may pluck them thence?
The Gardener contrived thus? Vain pretence!
An enemy it was who unawares
Ruined the wheat by interspersing tares.
Where’s our desiderated forethought? Where’s
Knowledge, where power and will in evidence
‘T is Man’s-play merely! Craft foils rectitude,
Malignity defeats beneficence.
And grant, at very last of all, the feud
‘T wixt good and evil ends, strange thoughts intrude
Though good be garnered safely and good’s foe
Bundled for burning. Thoughts steal: ‘even so —
Why grant tares leave to thus o’ertop, o’ertower
Their field-mate, boast the stalk and flaunt the flower,
Triumph one sunny minute? Knowledge, power
And will thus worked? Man’s fancy makes the fault!
Man, with the narrow mind, must cram inside
His finite God’s infinitude, — earth’s vault
He bids comprise the heavenly far and wide,
Since Man may claim a right to understand
What passes understanding. So, succinct
And trimly set in order, to be scanned
And scrutinized, lo — the divine lies linked
Fast to the human, free to move as moves
Its proper match: awhile they keep the grooves,
Discreetly side by side together pace,
Till sudden comes a stumble incident
Likely enough to Man’s weak-footed race,
And he discovers — wings in rudiment,
Such as he boasts, which full-grown, free-distent
Would lift him skyward, fail of flight while pent
Within humanity’s restricted space.
Abjure each fond attempt to represent
The formless, the illimitable! Trace
No outline, try no hint of human face
Or form or hand!”
VII.
Friend, here’s a tracing meant
To help a guess at truth you never knew.
Bend but those eyes now, using mind’s eye too,
And note — sufficient for all purposes —
The ground-plan — map you long have yearned for — yes,
Made out in markings — more what artist can? —
Goethe’s Estate in Weimar, — just a plan!
A. is the House, and B. the Garden-gate,
And C. the Grass-plot — you’ve the whole estate
Letter by letter, down to Y. the Pond,
And Z. the Pig-stye. Do you look beyond
The algebraic signs, and captious say
“Is A. the House? But where’s the Roof to A.,
Where’s Door, where’s Window? Needs must House have such!”
Ay, that were folly. Why so very much
More foolish than our mortal purblind way
Of seeking in the symbol no mere point
To guide our gaze through what were else inane,
But things — their solid selves? “Is, joint by joint,
Orion man-like, — as these dots explain
His constellation? Flesh composed of suns —
How can such be?” exclaim the simple ones.
Look through the sign to the thing signified —
Shown nowise, point by point at best descried,
Each an orb’s topmost sparkle: all beside
Its shine is shadow: turn the orb one jot —
Up flies the new flash to reveal ‘t was not
The whole sphere late flamboyant in your ken!
VIII.
“What need of symbolizing? Fitlier men
Would take on tongue mere facts — few, faint and far,
Still facts not fancies: quite enough they are,
That Power, that Knowledge, and that Will, — add then
Immensity, Eternity: these jar
Nowise with our permitted thought and speech.
Why human attributes?”
A myth may teach:
Only, who better would expound it thus
Must be Euripides not Æschylus.
IX.
Boundingly up through Night’s wall dense and dark,
Embattled crags and clouds, outbroke the Sun
Above the conscious earth, and one by one
Her heights and depths absorbed to the last spark
His fluid glory, from the far fine ridge
Of mountain-granite which, transformed to gold,
Laughed first the thanks back, to the vale’s dusk fold
On fold of vapour-swathing, like a bridge
Shattered beneath some giant’s stamp. Night wist
Her work done and betook herself in mist
To marsh and hollow there to bide her time
Blindly in acquiescence. Everywhere
Did earth acknowledge Sun’s embrace sublime
Thrilling her to the heart of things: since there
No ore ran liquid, no spar branched anew,
No arrowy crystal gleamed, but straightway grew
Glad through the inrush — glad nor more nor less
Than, ‘neath his gaze, forest and wilderness,
Hill, dale, land, sea, the whole vast stretch and spread,
The universal world of creatures bred
By Sun’s munificence, alike gave praise —
All creatures but one only: gaze for gaze,
Joyless and thankless, who — all scowling can —
Protests against the innumerous praises? Man,
Sullen and silent.
Stand thou forth then, state
Thy wrong, thou sole aggrieved — disconsolate —
While every beast, bird, reptile, insect, gay
And glad acknowledges the bounteous day!
X.
Man speaks now: “What avails Sun’s earth-felt thrill
To me? Sun penetrates the ore, the plant —
They feel and grow: perchance with subtler skill
He interfuses fly, worm, brute, until
Each favoured object pays life’s ministrant
By pressing, in obedience to his will,
Up to completion of the task prescribed,
So stands and stays a type. Myself imbibed
Such influence also, stood and stand complete —
The perfect Man, — head, body, hands and feet,
True to the pattern: but does that suffice?
How of my superadded mind which needs
— Not to be, simply, but to do, and pleads
For — more than knowledge that by some device
Sun quickens matter: mind is nobly fain
To realize the marvel, make — for sense
As mind — the unseen visible, condense
— Myself — Sun’s all-pervading influence
So as to se
rve the needs of mind, explain
What now perplexes. Let the oak increase
His corrugated strength on strength, the palm
Lift joint by joint her fan-fruit, ball and balm, —
Let the coiled serpent bask in bloated peace, —
The eagle, like some skyey derelict,
Drift in the blue, suspended, glorying, —
The lion lord it by the desert-spring, —
What know or care they of the power which pricked
Nothingness to perfection? I, instead,
When all-developed still am found a thing
All-incomplete: for what though flesh had force
Transcending theirs — hands able to unring
The tightened snake’s coil, eyes that could outcourse
The eagle’s soaring, voice whereat the king
Of carnage couched discrowned? Mind seeks to see,
Touch, understand, by mind inside of me,
The outside mind — whose quickening I attain
To recognize — I only. All in vain
Would mind address itself to render plain
The nature of the essence. Drag what lurks
Behind the operation — that which works
Latently everywhere by outward proof —
Drag that mind forth to face mine? No! aloof
I solely crave that one of all the beams
Which do Sun’s work in darkness, at my will
Should operate — myself for once have skill
To realize the energy which streams
Flooding the universe. Above, around,
Beneath — why mocks that mind my own thus found
Simply of service, when the world grows dark,
To half-surmise — were Sun’s use understood,
I might demonstrate him supplying food,
Warmth, life, no less the while? To grant one spark
Myself may deal with — make it thaw my blood
And prompt my steps, were truer to the mark
Of mind’s requirement than a half-surmise
That somehow secretly is operant
A power all matter feels, mind only tries
To comprehend! Once more — no idle vaunt
‘Man comprehends the Sun’s self!’ Mysteries
At source why probe into? Enough: display,
Make demonstrable, how, by night as day,
Earth’s centre and sky’s outspan, all’s informed
Equally by Sun’s efflux! — source from whence
If just one spark I drew, full evidence
Were mine of fire ineffably enthroned —
Sun’s self made palpable to Man!”
XI.
Thus moaned
Man till Prometheus helped him, — as we learn, —
Offered an artifice whereby he drew
Sun’s rays into a focus, — plain and true,
The very Sun in little: made fire burn
And henceforth do Man service — glass-conglobed
Though to a pin-point circle — all the same
Comprising the Sun’s self, but Sun disrobed
Of that else-unconceived essential flame
Borne by no naked sight. Shall mind’s eye strive
Achingly to companion as it may
The supersubtle effluence, and contrive
To follow beam and beam upon their way
Hand-breadth by hand-breadth, till sense faint — confessed
Frustrate, eluded by unknown unguessed
Infinitude of action? Idle quest!
Rather ask aid from optics. Sense, descry
The spectrum — mind, infer immensity!
Little? In little, light, warmth, life are blessed —
Which, in the large, who sees to bless? Not I
More than yourself: so, good my friend, keep still
Trustful with — me? with thee, sage Mandeville!
WITH DANIEL BARTOLI.
I.
Don , the divinest women that have walked
Our world were scarce those saints of whom we talked.
My saint, for instance — worship if you will!
‘Tis pity poets need historians’ skill:
What legendary’s worth a chronicle?
II.
Come, now! A great lord once upon a time
Visited — oh a king, of kings the prime,
To sign a treaty such as never was:
For the king’s minister had brought to pass
That this same duke — so style him — must engage
Two of his dukedoms as an heritage
After his death to this exorbitant
Craver of kingship. “Let who lacks go scant,
Who owns much, give the more to!” Why rebuke?
So bids the devil, so obeys the duke.
III.
Now, as it happened, at his sister’s house
— Duchess herself — indeed the very spouse
Of the king’s uncle, — while the deed of gift
Whereby our duke should cut his rights adrift
Was drawing, getting ripe to sign and seal —
What does the frozen heart but uncongeal
And, shaming his transcendent kin and kith,
Whom do the duke’s eyes make acquaintance with?
A girl. “What, sister, may this wonder be?”
“Nobody! Good as beautiful is she,
With gifts that match her goodness, no faint flaw
I’ the white: she were the pearl you think you saw,
But that she is — what corresponds to white?
Some other stone, the true pearl’s opposite,
As cheap as pearls are costly. She’s — now, guess
Her parentage! Once — twice — thrice? Foiled, confess!
Drugs, duke, her father deals in — faugh, the scents! —
Manna and senna — such medicaments
For payment he compounds you. Stay — stay — stay!
I’ll have no rude speech wrong her! Whither away,
The hot-head? Ah, the scapegrace! She deserves
Respect — compassion, rather! Right it serves
My folly, trusting secrets to a fool!
Already at it, is he? She keeps cool —
Helped by her fan’s spread. Well, our state atones
For thus much license, and words break no bones!”
(Hearts, though, sometimes.)
IV.
Next morn ‘t was “Reason, rate,
Rave, sister, on till doomsday! Sure as fate,
I wed that woman — what a woman is
Now that I know, who never knew till this!”
So swore the duke. “I wed her: once again —
Rave, rate, and reason — spend your breath in vain!
V.
At once was made a contract firm and fast,
Published the banns were, only marriage, last,
Required completion when the Church’s rite
Should bless and bid depart, make happy quite
The coupled man and wife for evermore:
Which rite was soon to follow. Just before —
All things at all but end — the folk o’ the bride
Flocked to a summons. Pomp the duke defied:
“Of ceremony — so much as empowers,
Nought that exceeds, suits best a tie like ours — ”
He smiled — ”all else were mere futility.
We vow, God hears us: God and you and I —
Let the world keep at distance! This is why
We choose the simplest forms that serve to bind
Lover and lover of the human kind,
No care of what degree — of kings or clowns —
Come blood and breeding. Courtly smiles and frowns
Miss of their mark, would idly soothe or strike
My style and yours — in one style merged alike —
God’s man and woman merely. Long ago
‘T was rounded in my e
ars ‘Duke, wherefore slow
To use a privilege? Needs must one who reigns
Pay reigning’s due: since statecraft so ordains —
Wed for the commonweal’s sake! law prescribes
One wife: but to submission license bribes
Unruly nature: mistresses accept
— Well, at discretion!’ Prove I so inept
A scholar, thus instructed? Dearest, be
Wife and all mistresses in one to me,
Now, henceforth, and forever!” So smiled he.
VI.
Good: but the minister, the crafty one,
Got ear of what was doing — all but done —
Not sooner, though, than the king’s very self,
Warned by the sister on how sheer a shelf
Royalty’s ship was like to split. “I bar
The abomination! Mix with muck my star?
Shall earth behold prodigiously enorbed
An upstart marsh-born meteor sun-absorbed?
Nuptial me no such nuptials!” “Past dispute,
Majesty speaks with wisdom absolute,”
Admired the minister: “yet, all the same,
I would we may not — while we play his game,
The ducal meteor’s — also lose our own,
The solar monarch’s: we relieve your throne
Of an ungracious presence, like enough:
Baulked of his project he departs in huff,
And so cuts short — dare I remind the king? —
Our not so unsuccessful bargaining.
The contract for eventual heritage
Happens to pari passu reach the stage
Attained by just this other contract, — each
Unfixed by signature though fast in speech.
Off goes the duke in dudgeon — off withal
Go with him his two dukedoms past recall.
You save a fool from tasting folly’s fruit,
Obtain small thanks thereby, and lose to boot
Sagacity’s reward. The jest is grim:
The man will mulct you — for amercing him?
Nay, for . . . permit a poor similitude!
A witless wight in some fantastic mood
Would drown himself: you plunge into the wave,
Pluck forth the undeserving: he, you save,
Pulls you clean under also for your pains.
Sire, little need that I should tax my brains
To help your inspiration!” “Let him sink!
Always contriving” — hints the royal wink —
“To keep ourselves dry while we claim his clothes.”
VII.
Next day, the appointed day for plighting troths
At eve, — so little time to lose, you see,
Before the Church should weld indissolubly
Bond into bond, wed these who, side by side,
Sit each by other, bold groom, blushing bride, —
At the preliminary banquet, graced