O lyric love, half angel and half bird,
And all a wonder and a wild desire,-
Boldest of hearts that ever braved the sun,
Took sanctuary within the holier blue,
And sang a kindred soul out to his face,-
Yet human at the ripe-red of his heart,
Never may I commence my song, my due
To God who best taught song by gift of thee
Except with bent head and beseeching hand-
Never conclude, but raising hand and head
Thither where eyes, that cannot reach yet yearn
For all hope, all sustainment, all reward
Some whiteness which I judge, thy face makes proud
Some wanness where I think thy foot may fall!
Robert Browning
Notes on "O lyric love, half angel and half bird"
Robert Browning (1812-1889) was not a love poet as such. For the most part, he wrote historical and narrative poems and various experimental poetry in the form of dramatic monologues. His
romantic courtship and secret marriage to Elizabeth Barrett Browning
made him a celebrated figure of romantic love poetry however. This poem, O lyric love, was written after her death. It
was used as a dedication for a 20,000 line epic historic poem, The Ring and the Book, which told the story of a murder
trial that had taken place in Rome in 1698. "O lyric Love" is the concluding passage of Book I of The Ring and the Book.
The poem is dedicated to Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
She had died in 1861, but she had encouraged his efforts to write "The Ring and the Book.
It is his way of thanking her. The first line has achieved quite some popularity as a quote in its own right.
Robert Browning (1812-1889) was a prolific poet of the victorian age. He did not achieve fame, however, until relatively late in life. His unconventional style and experimentation tended to confuse Victorian readers. His fascination with horror tales is in some ways reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe.
He is perhaps most famous today for his marriage to Elizabeth Barrett. He published a volume that included love poems, Men and Women, in 1855. Some of these poems were later recognized as masterpieces. His 20,000 line The Ring and the Book published in 1868 and 1869, was evidently inspired by Elizabeth Barrett, and achieved the fame that had eluded him earlier.
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