Robert Browning - The Complete Poems of Robert Browning - 22 Poetry Collections in One Edition

“Taurello’s very gift, her child was wont

“To sit beneath — constant as eve he came

“To sit by its attendant girls the same

“As one of them. For Palma, she would blend

“With this magnific spirit to the end,

“That ruled her first; but scarcely had she dared

“To disobey the Adelaide who scared

“Her into vowing never to disclose

“A secret to her husband, which so froze

“His blood at half-recital, she contrived

“To hide from him Taurello’s infant lived,

“Lest, by revealing that, himself should mar

“Romano’s fortunes. And, a crime so far,

“Palma received that action: she was told

“Of Salinguerra’s nature, of his cold

“Calm acquiescence in his lot! But free

“To impart the secret to Romano, she

“Engaged to repossess Sordello of

“His heritage, and hers, and that way doff

“The mask, but after years, long years: while now,

“Was not Romano’s sign-mark on that brow?”

Across Taurello’s heart his arms were locked:

And when he did speak ‘t was as if he mocked

The minstrel, “who had not to move,” he said,

“Nor stir — should fate defraud him of a shred

“Of his son’s infancy? much less his youth!”

(Laughingly all this) — ”which to aid, in truth,

“Himself, reserved on purpose, had not grown

“Old, not too old — ’t was best they kept alone

“Till now, and never idly met till now;”

— Then, in the same breath, told Sordello how

All intimations of this eve’s event

Were lies, for Friedrich must advance to Trent,

Thence to Verona, then to Rome, there stop,

Tumble the Church down, institute a-top

The Alps a Prefecture of Lombardy:

— ”That ‘s now! — no prophesying what may be

“Anon, with a new monarch of the clime,

“Native of Gesi, passing his youth’s prime

“At Naples. Tito bids my choice decide

“On whom…”

”Embrace him, madman!” Palma cried,

Who through the laugh saw sweat-drops burst apace,

And his lips blanching: he did not embrace

Sordello, but he laid Sordello’s hand

On his own eyes, mouth, forehead.

Understand,

This while Sordello was becoming flushed

Out of his whiteness; thoughts rushed, fancies rushed;

He pressed his hand upon his head and signed

Both should forbear him. “Nay, the best ‘s behind!”

Taurello laughed — not quite with the same laugh:

“The truth is, thus we scatter, ay, like chaff

“These Guelfs, a despicable monk recoils

“From: nor expect a fickle Kaiser spoils

“Our triumph! — Friedrich? Think you, I intend

“Friedrich shall reap the fruits of blood I spend

“And brain I waste? Think you, the people clap

“Their hands at my out-hewing this wild gap

“For any Friedrich to fill up? ‘T is mine —

“That ‘s yours: I tell you, towards some such design

“Have I worked blindly, yes, and idly, yes,

“And for another, yes — but worked no less

“With instinct at my heart; I else had swerved,

“While now — look round! My cunning has preserved

“Samminiato — that ‘s a central place

“Secures us Florence, boy, — in Pisa’s case.

“By land as she by sea; with Pisa ours,

“And Florence, and Pistoia, one devours

“The land at leisure! Gloriously dispersed —

“Brescia, observe, Milan, Piacenza first

“That flanked us (ah, you know not!) in the March;

“On these we pile, as keystone of our arch,

“Romagna and Bologna, whose first span

“Covered the Trentine and the Valsugan;

“Sofia’s Egna by Bolgiano ‘s sure!”…

So he proceeded: half of all this, pure

Delusion, doubtless, nor the rest too true,

But what was undone he felt sure to do,

As ring by ring he wrung off, flung away

The pauldron-rings to give his sword-arm play —

Need of the sword now! That would soon adjust

Aught wrong at present; to the sword intrust

Sordello’s whiteness, undersize: ‘t was plain

He hardly rendered right to his own brain —

Like a brave hound, men educate to pride

Himself on speed or scent nor aught beside,

As though he could not, gift by gift, match men!

Palma had listened patiently: but when

‘T was time expostulate, attempt withdraw

Taurello from his child, she, without awe

Took off his iron arms from, one by one,

Sordello’s shrinking shoulders, and, that done,

Made him avert his visage and relieve

Sordello (you might see his corslet heave

The while) who, loose, rose — tried to speak, then sank:

They left him in the chamber. All was blank.

And even reeling down the narrow stair

Taurello kept up, as though unaware

Palma was by to guide him, the old device

— Something of Milan — ”how we muster thrice

“The Torriani’s strength there; all along

“Our own Visconti cowed them” — thus the song

Continued even while she bade him stoop,

Thrid somehow, by some glimpse of arrow-loop,

The turnings to the gallery below,

Where he stopped short as Palma let him go.

When he had sat in silence long enough

Splintering the stone bench, braving a rebuff

She stopped the truncheon; only to commence

One of Sordello’s poems, a pretence

For speaking, some poor rhyme of “Elys’ hair

“And head that ‘s sharp and perfect like a pear,

“So smooth and close are laid the few fine locks

“Stained like pale honey oozed from topmost rocks

“Sun-blanched the livelong summer” — from his worst

Performance, the Goito, as his first:

And that at end, conceiving from the brow

And open mouth no silence would serve now,

Went on to say the whole world loved that man

And, for that matter, thought his face, tho’ wan,

Eclipsed the Count’s — he sucking in each phrase

As if an angel spoke. The foolish praise

Ended, he drew her on his mailed knees, made

Her face a framework with his hands, a shade,

A crown, an aureole: there must she remain

(Her little mouth compressed with smiling pain

As in his gloves she felt her tresses twitch)

To get the best look at, in fittest niche

Dispose his saint. That done, he kissed her brow,

— ”Lauded her father for his treason now,”

He told her, “only, how could one suspect

“The wit in him? — whose clansman, recollect,

`Was ever Salinguerra — she, the same,

“Romano and his lady — so, might claim

“To know all, as she should” — and thus begun

Schemes with a vengeance, schemes on schemes, “not one

“Fit to be told that foolish boy,” he said,

“But only let Sordello Palma wed,

“ — Then!”

’T was a dim long narrow place at best:

Midway a sole grate showed the fiery West,

As shows its corpse the world’s end some split tomb —

A gloom, a rift of fire, another gloom,

Faced Palma — but at length Taurello set

Her free; the grating held one ragged jet

Of fierce gold fire: he lifted her within

The hollow underneath — how else begin

Fate’s second marvellous cycle, else renew

The ages than with Palma plain in view?

Then paced the passage, hands clenched, head erect,

Pursuing his discourse; a grand unchecked

Monotony made out from his quick talk

And the recurring noises of his walk;

— Somewhat too much like the o’ercharged assent

Of two resolved friends in one danger blent,

Who hearten each the other against heart;

Boasting there ‘s nought to care for, when, apart