Hernamewaswellknownandbecamewidelyfamiliarwhenher“CryoftheChildren“ranglikeaclarionthroughoutthecountry。
ThepoemwasfoundeduponanofficialreportbyRichardHengistHorne，thefriendwhomsomeyearspreviouslyshehadwonincorrespondence，andwithwhomshehadbecomesointimate，thoughwithoutpersonalacquaintance，thatshehadagreedtowriteadramaincollaborationwithhim，tobecalled“PsycheApocalypte“，andtobemodelledon“Greekinsteadofmoderntragedy。“
Horneapoetofgenius，andadramatistofremarkablepower
wasoneofthetruestfriendssheeverhad，and，sofarasherliterarylifeisconcerned，camenextininfluenceonlytoherpoet-husband。
Amongthefriendsshesawmuchofintheearlyfortieswasadistant“cousin“，JohnKenyonajovial，genial，gracious，andaltogetherdelightfulman，whoactedthepartofProvidencetomanytroubledsouls，and，inparticular，was“afairygodfather“toElizabethBarrettandto“theotherpoet“，asheusedtocallBrowning。ItwastoMr。Kenyon“Kenyon，withthefaceofaBenedictinemonk，butthemostjovialofgoodfellows，“
asafriendhasrecordedofhim；“KenyontheMagnificent“，ashewascalledbyBrowningthatMissBarrettowedherfirstintroductiontothepoetryofherfuturehusband。
Browning’spoetryhadforheranimmediateappeal。Withsureinsightshediscernedthespecialqualityofthepoeticwealthofthe“BellsandPomegranates“，amongwhichshethenandalwayscaredmostforthepenultimatevolume，the“DramaticRomancesandLyrics“。
Twoyearsbeforeshemettheauthorshehadwritten，in“LadyGeraldine’sCourtship“
“OrfromBrowningsome`Pomegranate’which，ifcutdeepdownthemiddle，Showsaheartwithinblood-tinctured，ofaveinedhumanity。“
Alittleearliershehadeven，unwittinglyoneitherside，beenacollaborateurwith“theauthorof`Paracelsus’。“
ShegaveHornemuchaidinthepreparationofhis“NewSpiritoftheAge“，andhehashimselftoldus“thatthemottoes，whicharesingularlyhappyandappropriate，wereforthemostpartsuppliedbyMissBarrettandRobertBrowning，thenunknowntoeachother。“
Onethingandanotherdrewthemnearerandnearer。Nowitwasapoem，nowanovelexpression，nowararesympathy。
Anintermittentcorrespondenceensued，andbothpoetsbecameanxioustoknoweachother。“Weartistshowwellpraiseagreeswithus，“
asBalzacsays。
Afewmonthslater，in1846，theycametoknowoneanotherpersonally。
Thestoryoftheirfirstmeeting，whichhasreceivedawideacceptance，isapocryphal。ThemeetingwasbroughtaboutbyKenyon。
ThiscommonfriendhadbeenaschoolfellowofBrowning’sfather，andsoitwasnaturalthathetookamorethanordinaryinterestinthebrilliantyoungpoet，perhapsallthemoresothatthereluctanttideofpopularitywhichhadpromisedtosetinwithsuchunparalleledsweepandweighthadsinceexperiencedasteadyebb。
Andsothefatesbroughtthesetwotogether。Theyoungerwasalreadyfarthestronger，buthehadanunboundedadmirationforMissBarrett。
Toher，hewaseventhenthechieflivingpoet。Sheperceivedhisultimategreatness；asearlyas1845had“afullfaithinhimaspoetandprophet。“
AsBrowningadmittedtoafriend，thelovebetweenthemwasalmostinstantaneous，athingoftheeyes，mind，andheart
eachstrivingforsupremacy，tillallweregratifiedequallyinacommonjoy。
Theyhadonebondofsterlingunion：passionforthearttowhichbothhaddevotedtheirlives。
Tothosewholoveloveforlove’ssake，who`sepassionnentpourlapassion，’
asProsperMerimeesays，therecouldscarcebeamoresacredspotinLondonthanthatfiftiethhouseinunattractiveWimpoleStreet，wherethesetwopoetsfirstmeteachother；andwhere，inthedarkenedroom，“Lovequivered，aninvisibleflame。“ElizabethBarrettwasindeed，inherownwords，“assweetasSpring，asOceandeep。“
She，too，wasalways，asshewroteofHarrietMartineau，inahopelessanguishofbodyandserenetriumphofspirit。
AsGeorgeSandsaysofoneofherfictitiouspersonages，shewasan“artisttothebackbone；thatis，onewhofeelslifewithfrightfulintensity。“Tothistookeenintensityoffeelingmustbeattributedsomethingofthatlongingforrepose，thatdeepcravingforrestfromwhatistooexcitingfromwithin，whichmadeheraffirmtheexquisiteappealtoherofsuchBiblicalpassagesas“TheLordofpeaceHimselfgiveyoupeace，“and“HegivethHisBelovedSleep，“
which，asshesaysinoneofhernumerousletterstoMissMitford，“strikeuponthedisquietedearthwithsuchaFOREIGNNESSofheavenlymusic。“
Norwashewhomshelovedasaman，aswellasreveredasapoet，unworthyofher。Hiswastherobustestpoeticintellectofthecentury；
histheserenestoutlook；his，almostthesoleunfalteringfootstepsalongtheperilouswaysofspeculativethought。Afairlife，irradiatewithfairerideals，conservedhisnativeintegrityfromthatincongruitybetweenpracticeandpreceptsocommonlyexemplified。
Comelyinallrespects，withhisblack-brownwavyhair，finely-cutfeatures，readyandwinsomesmile，alertluminouseyes，quick，spontaneous，expressivegesturesaninclinationofthehead，aliftoftheeyebrows，amodulationofthelips，anassertiveordeprecatorywaveofthehand，conveyingsomuchandavoiceatthattimeofasingularpenetratingsweetness，hewas，evenwithoutthatlightofthefutureuponhisforeheadwhichshewassoswifttodiscern，amantocaptivateanywomanofkindrednatureandsympathies。Overandabovetheseadvantages，hepossessedararequalityofphysicalmagnetism。Byvirtueofthishecouldeitherattractirresistiblyorstronglyrepel。
IhaveseveraltimesheardpeoplestatethatahandshakefromBrowningwaslikeanelectricshock。Trulyenough，itdidseemasthoughhissterlingnatureranginhisgeniallydominantvoice，and，again，asthoughhisvoicetransmittedinstantaneouswavesofanelectriccurrentthrougheverynerveofwhat，forwantofabetterphrase，Imustperforcecallhisintenselyalivehand。Irememberoncehowalady，afflictedwithnerves，inthedubiousenjoymentofherfirstexperienceofa“literaryafternoon“，rosehurriedlyand，inreplytoherhostess’inquiryastohermotive，explainedthatshecouldnotsitanylongerbesidetheelderlygentlemanwhowastalkingtoMrs。So-and-so，ashisnearpresencemadeherquiverallover，“likeamildattackofpins-and-needles，“asshephrasedit。Shewaschagrinedtolearnthatshehadbeendiscomposednotby`atooexuberantfinancier’，asshehadsurmised，butby，as“Waring“calledBrowning，the“subtlestassertoroftheSoulinsong。“
WiththesamequickinsightasshehadperceivedRobertBrowning’spoeticgreatness，ElizabethBarrettdiscernedhispersonalworth。
Hewasessentiallymanlyinallrespects：somanly，thatmanyfrailsoulsofeithersexphilanderedabouthisover-robustness。
Fromthetwilightgloomofanaestheticcliquecameasmallvoicebelittlingthegreatmanas“quitetoo`loud’，painfullyexcessive。“
Browningwasmanlyenoughtolaughatallghoulishcriesofanykindwhatsoever。Onceinawaythelionwouldlookroundandbyaraisedbreathmakethejackalswriggle；aswhenthepoetwrotetoacorrespondent，whohaddrawnhisattentiontocertainabusivepersonalitiesinsomereviewornewspaper：
“DearSirIamsureyoumeanverykindly，butIhavehadtoolonganexperienceoftheinabilityofthehumangoosetodootherthancacklewhenbenevolentandhisswhenmalicious，andnoamountofgoosecriticismshallmakemeliftaheelagainstwhatwaddlesbehindit。“
Herselfonewhosehappiestexperienceswereindreamland，MissBarrettwaskeenlysusceptibletothestronghumanityofBrowning’ssong，norlesskeenlyattractedbyhisstrenuousandfearlessoutlook，hispoeticpracticality，andevenbyhisbluntnessofinsightincertainmatters。Itwasnoslightthingtoherthatshecould，inMr。Lowell’swords，sayofherselfandofhim
“We，whobelievelife’sbasesrestBeyondtheprobeofchemictest。“
Sherejoiced，despiteherownloveforremoteimaginings，toknowthathewasofthosewhotoquoteagainfromthesamefinepoet
“……wastednottheirbreathinschemesOfwhatmanmightbeinsomebubble-sphere，AsifhemustbeotherthanheseemsBecausehewasnotwhatheshouldbehere，PostponingTime’sslowprooftopetulantdreams；“
that，inaword，while`hecouldbelievethepromiseofto-morrow，’hewasatthesametimesupremelyconsciousof`thewondrousmeaningofto-day。’
Both，fromtheiryouthonward，hadtravelled`ontrailsdivineofunimaginedlaws。’Itwassufficientforherthathekepthiseyesfixedonthegoalbeyondthewayhefollowed：itdidnotmatterthathewasblindtothedimadumbrationsofnovelbyways，ofstrangeCalvarysbythewayside，sooftenvisibletoher。
Theirfirstmeetingwasspeedilyfollowedbyasecondbyathird
andthen？Whenweknownot，buterelong，eachfoundthathappinesswasinthebestowaloftheother。
Thesecretwasforsometimekeptabsolutelyprivate。FromthefirstMr。Barretthadbeenjealousofhisbeloveddaughter’snewfriend。
Hedidnotcaremuchfortheman，hewithalltheprejudicesandbanefulconservatismoftheslave-owningplanter，theotherwithardentdemocraticsentimentsandadetestationofallformsofiniquity。
Nordidheunderstandthepoet。Hecouldreadhisdaughter’sflowingversewithpleasure，buttherewastohisearamerejumbleofsoundandsenseinmuchoftheworkoftheauthorof“TheTombatSt。Praxed’s“
and“SibrandusSchafnaburgensis“。Ofaselfishlygenialbutalsoofaviolentandoftensullennature，heresentedmoreandmoreanyfriendshipwhichthreatenedtoloosenthechainofaffectionandassociationbindinghisdaughtertohimself。