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

“In every shape. Thrust Beauty then aside

“And banish Evil! Wherefore? After all,

“Is Evil a result less natural

“Than Good? For overlook the seasons’ strife

“With tree and flower, — the hideous animal life,

“(Of which who seeks shall find a grinning taunt

“For his solution, and endure the vaunt

“Of nature’s angel, as a child that knows

“Himself befooled, unable to propose

“Aught better than the fooling) — and but care

“For men, for the mere People then and there, —

“In these, could you but see that Good and Ill

“Claimed you alike! Whence rose their claim but still

“From Ill, as fruit of Ill? What else could knit

“You theirs but Sorrow? Any free from it

“Were also free from you! Whose happiness

“Could be distinguished in this morning’s press

“Of miseries? — the fool’s who passed a gibe

“‘On thee,’ jeered he, `so wedded to thy tribe,

“`Thou carriest green and yellow tokens in

“‘Thy very face that thou art Ghibellin!’

“Much hold on you that fool obtained! Nay mount

“Yet higher — and upon men’s own account

“Must Evil stay: for, what is joy? — to heave

“Up one obstruction more, and common leave

“What was peculiar, by such act destroy

“Itself; a partial death is every joy;

“The sensible escape, enfranchisement

“Of a sphere’s essence: once the vexed — content,

“The cramped — at large, the growing circle — round,

“All ‘s to begin again — some novel bound

“To break, some new enlargement to entreat;

“The sphere though larger is not more complete.

“Now for Mankind’s experience: who alone

“Might style the unobstructed world his own?

“Whom palled Goito with its perfect things?

“Sordello’s self: whereas for Mankind springs

“Salvation by each hindrance interposed.

“They climb; life’s view is not at once disclosed

“To creatures caught up, on the summit left,

“Heaven plain above them, yet of wings bereft:

“But lower laid, as at the mountain’s foot.

“So, range on range, the girdling forests shoot

“‘Twixt your plain prospect and the throngs who scale

“Height after height, and pierce mists, veil by veil,

“Heartened with each discovery; in their soul,

“The Whole they seek by Parts — but, found that Whole,

“Could they revert, enjoy past gains? The space

“Of time you judge so meagre to embrace

“The Parts were more than plenty, once attained

“The Whole, to quite exhaust it: nought were gained

“But leave to look — not leave to do: Beneath

“Soon sates the looker — look Above, and Death

“Tempts ere a tithe of Life be tasted. Live

“First, and die soon enough, Sordello! Give

“Body and spirit the first right they claim,

“And pasture soul on a voluptuous shame

“That you, a pageant-city’s denizen,

“Are neither vilely lodged midst Lombard men —

“Can force joy out of sorrow, seem to truck

“Bright attributes away for sordid muck,

“Yet manage from that very muck educe

“Gold; then subject nor scruple, to your cruce

“The world’s discardings! Though real ingots pay

“Your pains, the clods that yielded them are clay

“To all beside, — would clay remain, though quenched

“Your purging-fire; who ‘s robbed then? Had you wrenched

“An ampler treasure forth! — As ‘t is, they crave

“A share that ruins you and will not save

“Them. Why should sympathy command you quit

“The course that makes your joy, nor will remit

“Their woe? Would all arrive at joy? Reverse

“The order (time instructs you) nor coerce

“Each unit till, some predetermined mode,

“The total be emancipate; men’s road

“Is one, men’s times of travel many; thwart

“No enterprising soul’s precocious start

“Before the general march! If slow or fast

“All straggle up to the same point at last,

“Why grudge your having gained, a month ago,

“The brakes at balm-shed, asphodels in blow,

“While they were landlocked? Speed their Then, but how

“This badge would suffer you improve your Now!”

His time of action for, against, or with

Our world (I labour to extract the pith

Of this his problem) grew, that even-tide,

Gigantic with its power of joy, beside

The world’s eternity of impotence

To profit though at his whole joy’s expense.

“Make nothing of my day because so brief?

“Rather make more: instead of joy, use grief

“Before its novelty have time subside!

“Wait not for the late savour, leave untried

“Virtue, the creaming honey-wine, quick squeeze

“Vice like a biting spirit from the lees

“Of life! Together let wrath, hatred, lust,

“All tyrannies in every shape, be thrust

“Upon this Now, which time may reason out

“As mischiefs, far from benefits, no doubt;

“But long ere then Sordello will have slipt

“Away; you teach him at Goito’s crypt,

“There ‘s a blank issue to that fiery thrill.

“Stirring, the few cope with the many, still:

“So much of sand as, quiet, makes a mass

“Unable to produce three tufts of grass,

“Shall, troubled by the whirlwind, render void

“The whole calm glebe’s endeavour: be employed!

“And e’en though somewhat smart the Crowd for this,

“Contribute each his pang to make your bliss,

“‘T is but one pang — one blood-drop to the bowl

“Which brimful tempts the sluggish asp uncowl

“At last, stains ruddily the dull red cape,

“And, kindling orbs grey as the unripe grape

“Before, avails forthwith to disentrance

“The portent, soon to lead a mystic dance

“Among you! For, who sits alone in Rome?

“Have those great hands indeed hewn out a home,

“And set me there to live? Oh life, life-breath,

“Life-blood, — ere sleep, come travail, life ere death!

“This life stream on my soul, direct, oblique,

“But always streaming! Hindrances? They pique:

“Helps? such… but why repeat, my soul o’ertops

“Each height, then every depth profoundlier drops?

“Enough that I can live, and would live! Wait

“For some transcendent life reserved by Fate

“To follow this? Oh, never! Fate, I trust

“The same, my soul to; for, as who flings dust,

“Perchance (so facile was the deed) she chequed

“The void with these materials to affect

“My soul diversely: these consigned anew

“To nought by death, what marvel if she threw

“A second and superber spectacle

“Before me? What may serve for sun, what still

“Wander a moon above me? What else wind

“About me like the pleasures left behind,

“And how shall some new flesh that is not flesh

“Cling to me? What ‘s new laughter? Soothes the fresh

“Sleep like sleep? Fate ‘s exhaustless for my sake

“In brave resource: but whether bids she slake

“My thirst at this first rivulet, or count

“No draught worth lip save from some rocky fount

“Above i’ the clouds, while here she ‘s provident

“Of pure loquacious pearl, the soft treetent

“Guards, with its face of reate and sedge, nor fail

“The silver globules and gold-sparkling grail

“At bottom? Oh, ‘t were too absurd to slight

“For the hereafter the to-day’s delight!

“Quench thirst at this, then seek next well-spring: wear

“Home-lilies ere strange lotus in my hair!