orinthisquatrainonPoetry，byayounglivingpoet
“Shecomeslikethehushtbeautyofthenight，Butseestoodeepforlaughter；
HertouchisavibrationandalightFromworldsbeforeandafter“
thereismore“profundity“inanyofthesethaninlibrariesof“SludgetheMedium“literature。Merehardthinkingdoesnotinvolveprofundity，anymorethanneuroticexcitationinvolvesspiritualecstasy。`Deprofundis’，indeed，mustthepoetcome：
theremustthedeeprhythmoflifehaveelectrifiedhis“volatileessence“
toalivingrhythmicjoy。Inthisdeepsense，andthisonly，thepoetisborn，notmade。Hemaylearntofashionanewthatwhichhehathseen：thedepthofhisinsightdependsuponthedepthofhisspiritualheritage。Ifwonderdwellnotinhiseyesandsoultherecanbeno“farken“forhim。HereitseemsapttopointoutthatBrowningwasthefirstwriterofourdaytoindicatethistransmutive，thisinspiredandinspiringwonder-spirit，whichisthedeepestmotorintheevolutionofourmodernpoetry。Characteristically，heputshisutteranceintothemouthofadreamyGermanstudent，theshadowySchrammwhoisbutmetaphysicsembodied，metaphysicsfindingaptexpressionintobacco-smoke：“Keepbuteverlooking，whetherwiththebody’seyeorthemind’s，andyouwillsoonfindsomethingtolookon!Hasamandonewonderingatwomen？therefollowmen，deadandalive，towonderat。Hashedonewonderingatmen？
there’sGodtowonderat：andthefacultyofwondermaybe，atthesametime，oldandtiredenoughwithrespecttoitsfirstobject，andyetyoungandfreshsufficiently，sofarasconcernsitsnovelone。“
Thiswonderisakintothat`insanity’ofthepoetwhichisbutimpassionedsanity。Platosumsthematterwhenhesays，“Hewho，havingnotouchoftheMuse’smadnessinhissoul，comestothedoorandthinkshewillgetintothetemplebythehelpofArt
he，Isay，andhispoetry，arenotadmitted。“
InthatsamewoodbeyondDulwichtowhichallusionhasalreadybeenmade，thegerminalmotiveof“PippaPasses“flasheduponthepoet。
Nowonderthisresortwasforlongoneofhissacredplaces，andthathelamenteditsdisappearanceasferventlyasRuskinbewailedtheencroachmentoftheoceanofbricksandmortaruponthewoodedprivaciesofDenmarkHill。
Saveforacoupleofbriefvisitsabroad，Browningspenttheyears，betweenhisfirstappearanceasadramaticwriterandhismarriage，inLondonandtheneighbourhood。Occasionallyhetooklongwalksintothecountry。Oneparticularpleasurewastoliebesideahedge，ordeepinmeadow-grasses，orunderatree，ascircumstancesandthemoodconcurred，andtheretogivehimselfupsoabsolutelytothelifeofthemomentthateventheshybirdswouldalightcloseby，andsometimesventuresomelypoisethemselvesonsuspiciouswingsforabriefspaceuponhisrecumbentbody。IhaveheardhimsaythathisfacultyofobservationatthattimewouldnothaveappeareddespicabletoaSeminoleoranIroquois：hesawandwatchedeverything，thebirdonthewing，thesnaildraggingitsshellupthependulouswoodbine，thebeeaddingtohisgoldentreasureasheswunginthebellsofthecampanula，thegreenflydartinghitherandthitherlikeananimatedseedling，thespiderweavinghergossamerfromtwigtotwig，thewoodpeckerheedfullyscrutinisingthelichenonthegnarledoak-bole，thepassageofthewindthroughleavesoracrossgrass，themotionsandshadowsoftheclouds，andsoforth。
Thesewerehisgoldenholidays。Muchoftherestofhistime，whennotpassedinhisroominhisfather’shouse，wherehewrotehisdramasandearlypoems，andstudiedforhoursdaily，wasspentintheLibraryoftheBritishMuseum，inanendlesscuriosityintothemoreorlessunbeatentracksofliterature。TheseLondonexperienceswerevariedbywholedaysspentattheNationalGallery，andincommunionwithkindredspirits。Atonetimehehadrooms，orratheraroom，intheimmediateneighbourhoodoftheStrand，whitherhecouldgowhenhewishedtobeintowncontinuouslyforatime，orwhenhehadanysocialortheatricalengagement。
Browning’slifeatthisperiodwasdistraughtbymorethanoneepisodeoftheheart。Itwouldbestrangewereitotherwise。
Hehadinnoordinarydegreearichandsensuousnature，andhisresponsivenesswassoquickthatthebarriersofprudencewereapttobeasshadowytohimastotheauthorof“TheWitchofAtlas“。
Buthewastheearneststudentforthemostpart，and，aboveall，thepoet。
Hisotherpleasure，inhishappyvagrantdays，wastojoincompanywithanytramps，gipsies，orotherwayfarers，andingoodfellowshipgainmuchknowledgeoflifethatwasusefulatalatertime。
Rusticentertainments，particularlyperipatetic“TheatresRoyal“，hadasingularfascinationforhim，asforthatmatterhadrusticoratory，whetherofthealehouseorthepulpit。Atoneperiodhetookthekeenestinterestinsectariesofallkinds：
andoftenheincurredagentlereprooffromhismotherbecauseofhisnomadpropensitiesinsearchof“PASTORSnew“。
Therewasevenatimewhenheseriouslydeliberatedwhetherheshouldnotcombineliteratureandreligiousministry，asFaradaycombinedevangelicalfervourwithscientificenthusiasm。
“’Twasagirlwitheyesliketwodreamsofnight“thatsavedhimfromhimself，anddefraudedtheChurchIndependentofastalwartorator。
Itwas，asalreadystated，whilehestrolledthroughDulwichWoodonedaythatthethoughtoccurredtohimwhichwastofinddevelopmentandexpressionin“PippaPasses“。“Theimageflasheduponhim，“writeshisintimatefriend，Mrs。SutherlandOrr，“ofsomeonewalkingthusalonethroughlife；
oneapparentlytooobscuretoleaveatraceofhisorherpassage，yetexercisingalastingthoughunconsciousinfluenceateverystepofit；
andtheimageshapeditselfintothelittlesilk-winderofAsolo，FelippaorPippa。“
Ithasalwaysseemedtomearadicalmistaketoinclude“PippaPasses“
amongBrowning’sdramas。Notonlyisitabsolutelyunactable，butessentiallyundramaticintheconventionalsense。Truedramaticwritingconcernsitselffundamentallywiththeaptconjunctionofevents，andthemorenearlyitapproximatestotheverityoflifethemorelikelyisittobeofimmediateappeal。Thereisa`vraieverite’
whichonlythepoet，evolvingfromdramaticconceptsratherthanattemptingtoconcentratetheseinaquick，movingverisimilitude，canattempt。
ThepassinghitherandthitherofPippa，likeabeneficentFate，awanderingchorusfromahigheramidthediscordantmedleyofalowerworld，changingthecircumstancesandeventhenaturesofcertainmoreorlessheedlesslistenersbythewildfreeliltofherhappysongofinnocence，isofthis`vraieverite’。Itissoobviouslytrue，spiritually，thatitisunrealinthecommonplaceofordinarylife。
Itsveryeffectivenessistooaptforthedramatist，whocanillaffordtotamperfurtherwiththeindifferentbanalitiesofactualexistence。
Thepoet，unhamperedbytheexigenciesofdramaticrealism，cansafely，andartistically，achieveanequallyexact，evenahigherverisimilitude，bymeanswhichare，orshouldbe，beyondadoptionbythedramatistproper。
Butoverandaboveany`nicediscrimination’，“PippaPasses“issimplyapoem，alyricalmasquewithintersperseddramaticepisodes，andsubsidiaryinterludesinprose。Thesuggestionrecentlymadethatitshouldbeactedisawhollyerrantone。Thefinestpartofitisunrepresentable。
Therestwouldconsistmerelyofaseriesoftableaux，withconversationalaccompaniment。
Theopeningscene，“thelargemeanairychamber，“wherePippa，thelittlesilk-winderfromthemillsatAsolo，springsfrombed，onherNewYear’sDay`festa’，andsoliloquisesasshedresses，isastrueasitislovelywhenviewedthroughtherainbowglowofthepoeticatmosphere：
buthowcoulditsucceedonthestage？Itisnotmerelythatthemonologueistoolong：itistooinapt，initspoeticrichness，foritspurpose。
Itisthepoet，notPippa，whoevokesthissweetsunrise-music，thisstrainofthe“longbluesolemnhoursserenelyflowing。“
Thedramaticpoetmayoccupyhimselfwiththatdeeperinsight，andthewiderexpressionofit，whichisproperlyaltogetherbeyondthescopeoftheplaywright。Inaword，hemayirradiatehisthemewiththelightthatneverwasonseaorland，norwillhetherebysacrificeaughtofessentialtruth：buthiscomrademustseetoitthatheiscontentwiththewideliberalairofthecommonday。
Thepoeticalchemistmayturnaswordintopuregold：
theplaywrightwillconcernhimselfwiththedueusageoftheweaponasweknowit，andattributetoitnotranscendentvalue，nomiraculousproperties。WhatispermissibletoBlake，paintingAdamandEveamongemboweringrosesandlilies，whilethesun，moon，andstarssimultaneouslyshine，isimpermissibletotheportrait-painterorthelandscapist，whohastoidealiseactualitytothepointonlyofartisticrealism，andnottotransmuteitattheoutsetfromhappily-perceivedconcretefactstoaglorifiedabstractconcept。
Inthisopeningmonologuethemuch-admiredsong，“AllserviceranksthesamewithGod，“isnosongatall，properly，butsimplyabeautifulshortpoem。
Fromthedramatist’spointofview，couldanythingbemoreshapedfordisasterthanthesecondofthetwostanzas？
“Saynot`asmallevent’!Why`small’？
Costsitmorepainthanthis，yecallA`greatevent’，shouldcometopass，Thanthat？UntwinemefromthemassOfdeedswhichmakeuplife，onedeedPowershallfallshortinorexceed!“
Thewholeofthislovelyprologueistheproductionofadramaticpoet，notofapoetwritingadrama。Ontheotherhand，IcannotagreewithwhatIreadsomewhererecentlythatSebald’ssong，attheopeningofthemostsuperbdramaticwritinginthewholerangeofVictorianliterature，is，inthecircumstances，whollyinappropriate。ItseemstomeentirelyconsistentwiththecharacterofOttima’srecklesslover。
HeisakintothegallantinoneofDumas’romances，wholingeredatopofthewalloftheprisonwhencehewasescapinginordertowhistletheconcludingbarofablithechansonoffreedom。