Mostchildrenlovejinglingrhymes，andoneneednotbeaborngeniustoimprovisearhymingcoupletonanoccasion。
Itisquitecertainthatinnothingintheseearlypoemicules，insuchatleastashavebeenpreservedwithoutthepoet’sknowledgeandagainsthiswill，isthereanythingofgenuinepromise。
Hundredsofyoungstershavewrittenasgood，orbetter，OdestotheMoon，StanzasonaFavouriteCanary，LinesonaButterfly。
Whatismuchmoretothepointis，thatattheageofeighthewasablenotonlytoread，buttotakedelightinPope’stranslationofHomer。
Heusedtogoaboutdeclaimingcertaincoupletswithanairofintenseearnestnesshighlydivertingtothosewhooverheardhim。
AboutthistimealsohebegantotranslatethesimplerodesofHorace。
Oneoftheseviii。Bk。II。longafterwardssuggestedtohimthethemeofhis“InstansTyrannus“。Ithasbeenputonrecordthathissisterremembershim，asaverylittleboy，walkingroundandroundthedining-roomtable，andspanningoutthescansionofhisverseswithhishandonthesmoothmahogany。Hewasscarcemorethanachildwhen，oneGuyFawkes’day，heheardawomansinginganunfamiliarsong，whoseburdenwas，“FollowingtheQueenoftheGipsies，O!“Thisrefrainhauntedhimoftenintheafteryears。Thatbeautifulfantasticromance，“TheFlightoftheDuchess“，wasbornoutofaninsistentmemoryofthiswoman’ssnatchofsong，heardinchildhood。Hewastenwhen，afterseveral`passionsmalheureuses’，thisprecociousLotharioplungedintoaloveaffairwhoseintensitywasonlyequalledbyitshopelessness。
Atrifleoffifteenyears’seniorityandahusbandcomplicatedmatters，butitwasnottillaftertherecklessexpenditureofaHoratianodeuponanunclassicalmistressthathegaveuphope。TheoutcomeofthiswaswhattheelderBrowningregardedasastartlingeffusionofmuchByronicverse。
TheyoungRobertyearnedforwastesofoceanandillimitablesands，fordarkeyesandburningcaresses，fordespairthatnothingcouldquenchbutthesilentgrave，and，inparticular，forhollowmockinglaughter。
Hisfatherlookedaboutforasuitableschool，anddecidedtoentrusttheboy’sfurthereducationtoMr。Ready，ofPeckham。
Hereheremainedtillhewasfourteen。Butalreadyheknewthedominionofdreams。Hischiefenjoyment，onholidayafternoons，wastogainanunfrequentedspot，wherethreehugeelmsre-echoedthetonesofincoherenthumanmusicbornethitherwardbythewestwindsacrossthewastesofLondon。Herehelovedtolieanddream。
Alas，thoseelms，thathighremotecoign，havelongsincepassedtothe“hiddenway“whitherthesnowsofyesteryearhavevanished。
HewouldlieforhourslookingupondistantLondon
agoldencityofthewestliterallyenough，oftentimes，whenthesunlightcamestreaminginlongshaftsfrombehindthetowersofWestminsterandflasheduponthegoldcrossofSt。Paul’s。
Thecomingandgoingofthecloud-shadows，thesweepingofsuddenrains，thedullsilvernlightemanatingfromthehazeofmistshroudingthevastcity，withtheaddedtransitorygleamoftroubledwaters，thedriftingoffogs，atthatdistanceseeminglikegiganticveilsconstantlybeingmovedforwardandthenslowlywithdrawn，asthoughsomesinistercreatureoftheatmospherewerecastinganetamongallthedrossanddebrisofhumanlifeforfantasticsustenanceofitsownallthisendless，ever-changing，alwaysnovelphantasmagoriahadforhimanextraordinaryfascination。Oneofthememorablenightsofhisboyhoodwasanevewhenhefoundhisway，notwithoutperturbationofspiritbecauseoftheunfamiliarsolitarydark，tohislovedelms。
There，forthefirsttime，hebeheldLondonbynight。
Itseemedtohimthenmorewonderfulandappallingthanallthehostofstars。
Therewassomethingominousinthatheavypulsatingbreath：
visible，inawaningandwaxingofthetremulous，ruddyglowabovetheblackenmassedleaguesofmasonry；audible，inthelowinarticulatemoaningborneeastwardacrossthecrestsofNorwood。
Itwasthenandtherethatthetragicsignificanceoflifefirstdimlyawedandappealedtohisquestioningspirit：
thattherhythmofhumanityfirsttoucheddeeplyinhimacorrespondingchord。
Chapter2。
Itwascertainlyaboutthistime，asheadmittedonceinoneofhisrarereminiscentmoods，thatBrowningfelttheartisticimpulsestirringwithinhim，liketherisingofthesapinatree。
Herememberedhismother’smusic，andhopedtobeamusician：herecollectedhisfather’sdrawings，andcertainseductivelandscapesandseascapesbypainterswhomhehadheardcalled“theNorwichmen“，andhewishedtobeanartist：thenreminiscencesoftheHomericlinesheloved，ofhauntingverse-melodies，movedhimmostofall。
“Ishallnever，intheyearsremaining，Paintyoupictures，no，norcarveyoustatues，Makeyoumusicthatshouldall-expressme：……versealone，onelifeallowsme。“
HenowgavewaytothecompulsiveByronicvogue，withanoccasionalrelapsetothepolishedartificialismofhisfather’sidolamongBritishpoets。
Therewereseveralballadswrittenatthistime：ifIrememberaright，thepoetspecifiedthe“DeathofHarold“asthethemeofone。Longafterwardshereadtheseboyishforerunnersof“Overtheseaourgalleyswent“，and“HowtheyBroughttheGoodNewsfromGhenttoAix“，andwasamusedbytheirderivativeifdelicatemelodies。
Mrs。Browningwasveryproudoftheseearlybloomsofsong，andwhenhertwelve-year-oldson，tiredofvaineffortstoseduceapublisherfromthewarywaysofbusiness，surrenderedindisgusthisneatlycopiedoutandcarefullystitchedMSS。，shelostnoopportunitywhenMr。Browningwasabsent
toexpatiateupontheirmerits。AmongthepeopletowhomsheshowedthemwasaMissFlower。Thisladytookthemhome，perusedthem，discerneddormantgeniuslurkingbehindtheboyishhandwriting，readthemtohersisterafterwardstobecomeknownasSarahFlowerAdams，copiedthemoutbeforereturningthem，andpersuadedthecelebratedRev。
WilliamJohnsonFoxtoreadthetranscripts。Mr。FoxagreedwithMissFlowerastothepromise，butnotaltogetherastotheactualaccomplishment，noratallastotheadvisabilityofpublication。Theoriginalsaresupposedtohavebeendestroyedbythepoetduringtheeventfulperiodwhen，owingtoafortunategift，poetrybecameanewthingforhim：fromadream，vague，ifseductive，assummer-lightning，transformedtoadominatingreality。
Passingabookstalloneday，hesaw，inaboxofsecond-handvolumes，alittlebookadvertisedas“Mr。Shelley’sAtheisticalPoem：veryscarce。“
HehadneverheardofShelley，nordidhelearnforalongtimethatthe“DaemonoftheWorld“，andthemiscellaneouspoemsappendedthereto，constitutedaliterarypiracy。Badlyprinted，shamefullymutilated，thesediscardedblossomstouchedhimtoanewemotion。Popebecamefurtherremovedthanever：Byron，even，losthismagneticsupremacy。
Fromvagueremarksinreplytohisinquiries，andfromoneortwocasualallusions，helearnedthattherereallywasapoetcalledShelley；
thathehadwrittenseveralvolumes；thathewasdead。
Strangeasitmayseem，Browningdeclaredoncethatthenewsofthisunknownsinger’sdeathaffectedhimmorepoignantlythandid，ayearorlessearlier，thetidingsofByron’sheroicendatMissolonghi。
HebeggedhismothertoprocurehimShelley’sworks，arequestnoteasilycompliedwith，fortheexcellentreasonthatnotoneofthelocalbooksellershadevenheardofthepoet’sname。
Ultimately，however，Mrs。BrowninglearnedthatwhatshesoughtwasprocurableattheOlliers’inVereStreet，London。
Shewasverypleasedwiththeresultofhervisit。Thebooks，itistrue，seemedunattractive：buttheywouldpleaseRobert，nodoubt。
Ifthatpackethadbeenlostweshouldnothavehad“Pauline“：wemighthavehadadifferentBrowning。ItcontainedmostofShelley’swritings，allintheirfirstedition，withtheexceptionof“TheCenci“：
inaddition，therewerethreevolumesbyanevenlessknownpoet，JohnKeats，whichkindlyMrs。BrowninghadbeenpersuadedtoincludeinherpurchaseonMr。Ollier’sassurancethattheywerethepoetickindredofShelley’swritings，andthatMr。Keatswasthesubjectoftheelegiacpoeminthepurplepapercover，withtheforeign-lookingtypeandtheimprint“Pisa“atthefootofthetitle-page，entitled“Adonais“。
Whataneveningfortheyoungpoetthatmusthavebeen。HetoldafrienditwasaMaynight，andthatinalaburnum，“heavywithitsweightofgold，“
andinagreatcopper-beechattheendofaneighbour’sgarden，twonightingalesstroveoneagainsttheother。ForamomentitisapleasantfancytoimaginethattherethesoulsofKeatsandShelleyutteredtheirenfranchisedmusic，notinrivalrybutinwelcome。
Wecanrealise，perhaps，somethingofthestartleddelight，ofthesuddenelectrictremors，oftheyoungpoetwhen，witheagereyes，heturnedoverthepagesof“Epipsychidion“or“PrometheusUnbound“，“Alastor“or“Endymion“，ortheOdestoaNightingale，onMelancholy，onaGrecianUrn。
MorethanonceBrowningalludedtothisexperienceashisfirstpervasivejoy，hisfirstfreehappinessinoutlook。Ofteninafterlifehewasfain，likehis“wisethrush“，to“recapturethatfirstfinecarefreerapture。“
Itwasaneventfuleve。
“Andsuddenly，withoutheart-wreck，IawokeAsfromadream。“
Thenceforthhispoeticdevelopmentwasrapid，andcontinuous。
Shelleyenthralledhimmost。Thefireandspiritofthegreatpoet’sverse，wildandstrangeoften，buteverwithanexquisitenessofmusicwhichseemedtohisadmirer，thenandlater，supreme，thrilledhimtoaverypassionofdelight。Somethingofthemorerichlycoloured，themorehumanrhythmofKeatsaffectedhimalso。Indeed，alinefromtheOdetoaNightingale，incommonwithoneoftheloveliestpassagesin“Epipsychidion“，hauntedhimaboveallothers：