Robert Browning Poems : Inapprehensiveness

WE two stood simply friend-like side by side,
Viewing a twilight country far and wide,
Till she at length broke silence. "How it towers
Yonder, the ruin o'er this vale of ours!
The West's faint flare behind it so relieves
Its rugged outline--sight perhaps deceives,
Or I could almost fancy that I see
A branch wave plain--belike some wind-sown tree
Chance-rooted where a missing turret was.
What would I give for the perspective glass
At home, to make out if 't is really so!
Has Ruskin noticed here at Asolo
That certain weed-growths on the ravaged wall
Seem" ... something that I could not say at all,
My thought being rather--as absorbed she sent
Look onward after look from eyes distent
With longing to reach Heaven's gate left ajar--
"Oh, fancies that might be, oh, facts that are!
What of a wilding? By you stands, and may
So stand unnoticed till the Judgment Day,
One who, if once aware that your regard
Claimed what his heart holds,--woke, as from its sward
The flower, the dormant passion, so to speak--
Then what a rush of life would startling wreak
Revenge on your inapprehensive stare
While, from the ruin and the West's faint flare,
You let your eyes meet mine, touch what you term
Quietude--that's an universe in germ--
The dormant passion needing but a look
To burst into immense life!"
"No, the book
Which noticed how the wall-growths wave" said she
"Was not by Ruskin."
I said "Vernon Lee?"

Submited by

Wednesday, May 4, 2011 - 02:05

Poesia Consagrada :

No votes yet

Robert Browning

Robert Browning's picture
Offline
Title: Membro
Last seen: 14 years 10 weeks ago
Joined: 04/27/2011
Posts:
Points: 192

Add comment

Login to post comments

other contents of Robert Browning

Topic Title Replies Views Last Postsort icon Language
Poesia Consagrada/Biography Robert Browning Biography 0 2.694 05/04/2011 - 02:59 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : Youth and Art 0 1.710 05/04/2011 - 02:52 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : A Woman's Last Word 0 1.815 05/04/2011 - 02:51 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : Why I Am a Liberal 0 1.954 05/04/2011 - 02:50 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : White Witchcraft 0 1.813 05/04/2011 - 02:49 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : Which? 0 1.811 05/04/2011 - 02:48 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : A Wall 0 1.720 05/04/2011 - 02:47 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : Up at a Villa—Down in the City 0 2.443 05/04/2011 - 02:46 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : Tray 0 1.936 05/04/2011 - 02:45 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : A Toccata of Galuppi's 0 1.990 05/04/2011 - 02:44 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : A Tale 0 1.786 05/04/2011 - 02:44 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : Summum Bonum 0 1.937 05/04/2011 - 02:43 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : Speculative 0 1.965 05/04/2011 - 02:42 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : Songs From Pippa Passes 0 2.180 05/04/2011 - 02:41 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : Rosny 0 1.692 05/04/2011 - 02:40 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : Rabbi Ben Ezra 0 2.073 05/04/2011 - 02:39 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : Prospice 0 2.363 05/04/2011 - 02:36 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : A Pretty Woman 0 1.524 05/04/2011 - 02:35 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : The Pope and the Net 0 1.806 05/04/2011 - 02:30 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : The Pied Piper of Hamelin 0 2.185 05/04/2011 - 02:29 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : Pheidippides 0 2.138 05/04/2011 - 02:27 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : A Pearl, a Girl 0 1.842 05/04/2011 - 02:25 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : The Patriot 0 1.944 05/04/2011 - 02:25 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : Now 0 1.820 05/04/2011 - 02:24 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Robert Browning Poems : Natural Magic 0 1.753 05/04/2011 - 02:23 English