Ofcourse，Browningisnotpersistentlyneglectfulofthisfundamentalnecessityfortheliteraryartist。Heisoftenasmasterlyinthisasinotherrespects。Butheisnotalways，notoftenenough，alivetotheparamountneed。Hewriteswith“theversebeingasthemooditpaints：“but，unfortunately，themoodisoftenpoeticallyunformative。Hehadnopassionforthequestforseductiveforms。Toomuchofhispoetryhasbeenbornprematurely。Toomuchofit，indeed，hasnotdiedandbeenbornagainforallimmortalverseisapoeticresurrection。
Perfectpoetryisthedeathlesspartofmortalbeauty。
Thegreatartistsneverperpetuategrossactualities，thoughtheyarethesupremerealists。ItisSchiller，Ithink，whosaysineffect，thattoliveagainintheserenebeautyofart，itisneedfulthatthingsshouldfirstdieinreality。
ThusBrowning’sdramaticmethod，even，issometimesdisastrousinitsuntruth，asinCaliban’sanalyticalreasoninganinitialabsurdity，asMr。Berdoehaspointedout，addingepigrammatically，`Calibanisasavage，withtheintrospectivepowersofaHamlet，andthetheologyofanevangelicalChurchman。’NotonlyCaliban，butseveralotherofBrowning’spersonagesAprile，Eglamour，etc。
arewhatGoethecalls`schwankendeGestalten’，mere“waveringimages“。
*Oneaccountsays`ChildeRoland’waswritteninthreedays；
another，thatitwascomposedinone。Browning’srapidityincompositionwasextraordinary。“TheReturnoftheDruses“waswritteninfivedays，anactaday；so，also，was“ABlotinthe’Scutcheon“。
Montaigne，inoneofhisessays，saysthattostopgracefullyissureproofofhighraceinahorse：certainlytostopintimeisimperativeuponthepoet。OfBrowningmaybesaidwhatPoewroteofanother，thathisgeniuswastooimpetuousfortheminutertechnicalitiesofthatelaborateART
soneedfulinthebuildingupofmonumentsforimmortality。
ButhasnotagreaterthanPoedeclaredthat“whatdistinguishestheartistfromtheamateuris`architectonike’inthehighestsense；
thatpowerofexecutionwhichcreates，forms，andconstitutes：
nottheprofoundnessofsinglethoughts，nottherichnessofimagery，nottheabundanceofillustration。“Assuredly，no“newdefinition“
canbeaneffectiveonewhichconflictswithGoethe’sincontrovertibledictum。
Butthismuchhavingbeenadmitted，IamonlytoowillingtoprotestagainsttheuncriticaloutcryagainstBrowning’smusicalincapacity。
Adeficiencyisnotincapacity，otherwiseColeridge，athishighestthemostperfectofourpoets，wouldbelowlyestimated。
“Bidshinewhatwould，dismissintotheshadeWhatshouldnotbeandtheretriumphstheparamountSurpriseo’themaster。“……
Browning’smusicisoftenerharmonicthanmelodic：andmusiciansknowhowthegeneralear，charmedwithimmediatelyappellantmelodies，resents，weariesof，orisdeaftotheharmoniesofamoreremote，amorecomplex，andaboveallamorenovelcreativemethod。
Heis，amongpoets，whatWagnerisamongmusicians；
asShakespearemaybelikenedtoBeethoven，orShelleytoChopin。
Thecommonassertionastohisincapacityformetricmusicisonthelevelofthoseaffirmationsastohisnotbeingwidelyacceptedofthepeople，whenthepeoplehavethechance；
orastotheindifferenceofthepublictopoetrygenerally
andthisinanagewhenpoetryhasneverbeensowidelyunderstood，loved，andvalued，andwhereinitisyearlygrowingmoreacceptableandmorepotent!
Agreatwriteristobeadjudgedbyhistriumphs，notbyhisfailures：
as，totakeupMontaigne’ssimileagain，afamousrace-horseisrememberedforitssuccessesandnotfortheraceswhichitlost。
Thetendencywithcertaincriticsistoreversetheprocess。
InsteadofsayingwiththearchbishopinHorne’s“GregoryVII。“，“HeowesitalltohisMemnonianvoice!Hehasnogenius：“
orofdeclaring，asProsperosaysofCalibanin“TheTempest“，“Heisasdisproportionedinhismannersasinhisshape：“
howmuchbettertoaffirmofhimwhatBenJonsonwroteofShakespeare，“Heeredeemedhisviceswithhisvertues：therewasevermoreinhimtobeepraysedthantobeepardoned。“Inthebalanceoftriumphsandfailures，however，istobesoughttherelativemeasureofgenius
whoseequipoiseshouldbethefirstmatterofascertainmentincomparativecriticism。
ForthosewhowoulddiscriminatebetweenwhatMr。TraillsuccinctlytermshisGENERICgreatnessasthinkerandmanofletters，andhisSPECIFICpoweraspoet，itisnecessarytodisabusethemindofBrowning’s“message“。Thequestionisnotoneofweightymessage，butofartisticpresentation。Topraiseapoembecauseofitsoptimismislikecommendingapeachbecauseitlovesthesunshine，ratherthanbecauseofitsdistinguishingbloomandsavour。
Theprimaryconcernoftheartistmustbewithhisvehicleofexpression。
Intheinstanceofapoet，thisvehicleislanguageemotionedtothewhite-heatofrhythmicmusicbyimpassionedthoughtorsensation。
Schopenhauerdeclaresitisallaquestionofstylenowwithpoetry；
thateverythinghasbeensung，thateverythinghasbeendulycursed，thatthereisnothingleftforpoetrybuttobetheglowingforgeofwords。
Heforgetsthatinquintessentialartthereisnothingofthepast，nothingold：eventhefuturehaspartthereinonlyinthatthepresentisalwaysencroachingupon，becoming，thefuture。
Thefamouspessimisticphilosopherhas，incommonwithothercritics，made，ineffect，thesameremarkthatStyleexhalestheodourofthesoul：
yethehimselfhasindicatedthatthestrengthofShakespearelayinthefactthat`hehadnotaste，’that`hewasnotamanofletters。’
Whenevergeniushasdisplayedepicforceithasestablishedaneworder。
Inthegeneraldisintegrationandreconstructionofliteraryidealsthusinvolved，itiseasiertobeconfusedbythenovelflashingofstrangelightsthantodiscernthecentralvivifyingaltar-flame。
ItmayprovethatwhatseemtoustheregrettableaccidentsofBrowning’sgeniusarenomalfortunateflaws，butasgermanetheretoashisHerculeanruggednessesaretoShakespeare，asthelabouredinversionsofhisblankversearetoMilton，ashisaustereconcisionistoDante。
Meanwhile，tothemoreexigentamongusatanyrate，theflawsseemflaws，andinnowiseessential。
Butwhenwefindweightymessageandnobleutteranceinunion，aswedointhemagnificentremainderaftereventheseverestablationofthepoorandmediocreportionofBrowning’slife-work，howbeneficentseemthegenerousgods!Ofthisremaindermostaptlymaybequotedtheselinesfrom“TheRingandtheBook“，“Goldasitwas，is，shallbeevermore；
Primenaturewithanaddedartistry。“
Howgladly，inthisdubioushourwhen，asaneminentwriterhasphrasedit，acolossalHand，whichsomecallthehandofDestinyandothersthatofHumanity，isputtingoutthelightsofHeavenonebyone，likecandlesafterafeasthowgladlywelistentothispoetwithhisserenefaithinGod，andimmortallife，andthesoul’sunendingdevelopment!“Hopehardinthesubtlethingthat’sSpirit，“
hecriesinthePrologueto“Pacchiarotto“：andthis，inmanifoldphrasing，ishis`leit-motif’，hisfundamentalidea，inunbrokenlinefromthe“Pauline“ofhistwenty-firsttothe“Asolando“ofhisseventy-sixthyear。
Thissuperbphalanxoffaithwhatshallprevailagainstit？
Howwinsomeitis，moreover：this，andthehumanityofhissong。
Profoundlyherealisedthatthereisnomoresignificantstudythanthehumanheart。“Thedevelopmentofasoul：littleelseisworthstudy，“
hewroteinhisprefaceto“Sordello“：soinhisoldage，inhislast“Reverie“
“AstherecordfromyouthtoageOfmyown，thesinglesoul
Sotheworld’swidebook：onepageDecipheredexplainsthewholeOfourcommonheritage。“
Hehadfaithalsothat“therecordfromyouthtoage“ofhisownsoulwouldoutlastanypresentindifferenceorneglectthatwhatevertidemightbearhimawayfromourregardforatimewoulderelongflowagain。
Thereactionmustcome：itis，indeed，alreadyathand。
Butonealmostfanciesonecanhearthegatheringoftheremotewatersoncemore。Wemay，withStrafford，“feelsureThatTime，whointhetwilightcomestomendAllthefantasticday’scaprice，consignTothelowgroundoncemoretheignobleTerm，AndraisetheGeniusonhisorbagain，
ThatTimewilldomeright。“……
Indeed，Browninghasthegrandmanner，forallitismorethatoftheScandinavianJarlthanoftheItaliancountorSpanishgrandee。