Onthefly-leafofacopyofthisinitialwork，thepoet，sixyearsafteritspublication，wrote：“WritteninpursuanceofafoolishplanIforget，orhavenowishtoremember；
　　theworldwasnevertoguessthatsuchanopera，suchacomedy，suchaspeechproceededfromthesamenotableperson……
　　OnlythiscrabremainsoftheshapelyTreeofLifeinmyfool’sParadise。“
　　Itwasinconformitywiththisplanthathenotonlyissued“Pauline“anonymously，butenjoinedsecrecyuponthosetowhomhecommunicatedthefactofhisauthorship。
　　Whenhereadthepoemtohisparents，uponitsconclusion，bothweremuchimpressedbyit，thoughhisfathermadeseverestricturesuponitslackofpolish，itsterminalinconcision，anditsvaguenessofthought。
　　Thathewasnotmoreseverewasacceptedbyhissonashighpraise。
　　Theauthorhad，however，littlehopeofseeingitinprint。
　　Mr。Browningwasnotanxioustoprovideapublisherwithapresent。
　　Soonedaythepoetwasgratifiedwhenhisaunt，handinghimtherequisitesum，remarkedthatshehadheardhehadwrittenafinepoem，andthatshewishedtohavethepleasureofseeingitinprint。
　　Tothiskindlyactmuchwasdue。Browning，ofcourse，couldnotnowhavebeendissuadedfromthecareerhehadforecastforhimself，buthisprogressmighthavebeenretardedorthwartedtolessfortunategrooves，haditnotbeenforthecircumstancesresultantfromhisaunt’stimelygift。
　　TheMS。wasforthwithtakentoSaunders&Otley，ofConduitStreet，andthelittlevolumeofseventypagesofblankverse，comprisingonlyathousandandthirtylines，wasissuedbytheminJanuary1833。
　　Itseemstous，whoreaditnow，somanifestlyaworkofexceptionalpromise，and，toacertainextent，ofhighaccomplishment，thatwereitnotforthefactthatthepublicauditoryforanewpoetiseverextraordinarilylimited，itwouldbedifficulttounderstandhowitcouldhavebeenoverlooked。
　　“Pauline“hasauniquesignificancebecauseofitsautopsychicalhints。
　　TheBrowningwhomweallknow，aswellastheyouthfuldreamer，ishererevealed；heretoo，aswellasthediscipleofShelley，wehavetheauthorof“TheRingandtheBook“。Initthelongseriesculminatingin“Asolando“isforeshadowed，astheoakisobservableinthesapling。ThepoemisprefacedbyaLatinmottofromthe`OccultPhilosophy’ofCorneliusAgrippa，andhasalsoanoteinFrench，setforthasbeingbyPauline，andappendedtoherlover’smanuscriptafterhisdeath。ProbablyBrowningplaceditinthemouthofPaulinefromhisrooteddeterminationtospeakdramaticallyandimpersonally：
　　andinFrench，soastoheightentheeffectofverisimilitude。*
　　*“Imuchfearthatmypoorfriendwillnotbealwaysperfectlyunderstoodinwhatremainstobereadofthisstrangefragment，butitislesscalculatedthananyotherparttoexplainwhatofitsnaturecanneverbeanythingbutdreamandconfusion。
　　Idonotknow，moreover，whetherinstrivingatabetterconnectionofcertainparts，onewouldnotruntheriskofdetractingfromtheonlymerittowhichsosingularaproductioncanpretend
　　thatofgivingatolerablypreciseideaofthemannergenre
　　whichitcanmerelyindicate。Thisunpretendingopening，thisstirofpassion，whichfirstincreases，andthengraduallysubsides，thesetransportsofthesoul，thissuddenreturnuponhimself，andaboveall，myfriend’squitepeculiarturnofmind，havemadealterationsalmostimpossible。Thereasonswhichheelsewhereasserts，andothersstillmorecogent，havesecuredmyindulgenceforthispaper，whichotherwiseIshouldhaveadvisedhimtothrowintothefire。IbelievenonethelessinthegreatprincipleofallcompositioninthatprincipleofShakespeare，ofRaphael，andofBeethoven，accordingtowhichconcentrationofideasisduemuchmoretotheirconceptionthantotheirexecution；
　　Ihaveeveryreasontofearthatthefirstofthesequalitiesisstillforeigntomyfriend，andImuchdoubtwhetherredoubledlabourwouldenablehimtoacquirethesecond。Itwouldbebesttoburnthis，butwhatcanIdo？“Mrs。Orr。
　　“Pauline“isaconfession，fragmentaryindetailbutsyntheticinrange，ofayoungmanofhighimpulsesbutweakdetermination。
　　Initsover-emphasisuponerrorsofjudgment，aswellasuponrealifexaggeratedmisdeeds，ithasallthecrudenessofyouth。
　　Analmostfantasticself-consciousnessisthecentralmotive：
　　itisamatterofquestionifthisbeabsolutelyvicarious。
　　Tomeitseemsthattheauthorhimselfwasatthetimeconfusedbythecomplicatedflashingofthelightsoflife。
　　Theautobiographicalandautopsychicallinesandpassagesscatteredthroughthepoemareofimmediateinterest。
　　GenerouslythepoetrepayshisdebttoShelley，whomheapostrophisesas“Sun-treader“，andinvokesinstrainsofloftyemotion
　　“Sun-treaderlifeandlightbethineforever。“Themusicof“Alastor“，indeed，isaudibleeverandagainthroughout“Pauline“。
　　Nonethelessisthereanewmusic，anewpoeticvoice，in“Thouwiltrememberonewarmmorn，whenWinterCreptagedfromtheearth，andSpring’sfirstbreathBlewsoftfromthemoisthillstheblack-thornboughs，Sodarkinthebarewood，whenglisteningInthesunshinewerewhitewithcomingbuds，LikethebrightsideofasorrowandthebanksHadvioletsopeningfromsleeplikeeyes。“
　　IfwehaveanimaginaryBrowning，aShelleyanphantasm，in“IseemedthefatefromwhichIfled；IfeltAstrangedelightincausingmydecay；
　　Iwasafiend，indarknesschainedforeverWithinsomeocean-wave：“
　　wehavetherealBrowningin“SoIwillsingonfastasfanciescomeRudelytheversebeingasthemooditpaints。
　　Iammadeupofanintensestlife，“
　　andallthesucceedinglinesdownto“Theirspiritdweltinme，andIshouldrule。“
　　Eventhenthepoet’sinnerlifewasanimatedbyhisloveofthebeautifulGreekliterature。Tellinghowin“thefirstdawnoflife，“
　　“whichpassedalonewithwisestancientbooks，“Pauline’sloverincorporatedhimselfinwhatsoeverhereadwasthegodwanderingafterbeauty，thegiantstandingvastagainstthesunset-light，thehigh-crestedchiefsailingwithtroopsoffriendstoTenedos
　　hissecond-selfcries，“Itellyou，noughthaseverbeensoclearastheplace，thetime，thefashionofthoselives。“Neverforhim，then，hadtherebeenthatalchemyofthesoulwhichturnstheinchoatedriftoftheworldintogoldenore，notthenhadcometohimtheelectricawakeningflashfrom“workofloftyart，norwoman’sbeauty，norsweetnature’sface“
　　“Yet，Isay，nevermornbrokeclearasthoseOnthedimclusteredislesinthebluesea：
　　Thedeepgroves，andwhitetemples，andwetcaves
　　Andnothingeverwillsurprisemenow
　　WhostoodbesidethenakedSwift-footed，WhoboundmyforeheadwithProserpine’shair。“
　　Further，theallusiontoPlato，andthemoreremoteonetoAgamemnon，the“oldloreLovedforitself，andallitshowstheKingTreadingthepurplecalmlytohisdeath，“
　　andthebeautifulAndromedapassage，affordampleindicationofhowdeeplyBrowninghaddrunkofthatvitalstreamwhosewatersarethesurestconserveroftheideallovelinesswhichweallofus，insomedegree，cherishinvariousguises。
　　Yet，asineverylongpoemthathehaswrittenand，itmustbeadmitted，intoomanyoftheshorterpiecesofhislaterperiod
　　thereisanalloyofprose，ofsomethingthatisnotpoetry，soin“Pauline“，writtenthoughitwasinthefirstflushofhisgeniusandundertheinspiringstimulusofShelley，thereaderencountersprosaicpassages，decasyllabicallyarranged。“’Twasinmyplantolookonreallife，whichwasallnewtome；mytheorieswerefirm，soIleftthem，tolookuponmen，andtheircares，andhopes，andfears，andjoys；and，asIponderedonthemall，Isoughthowbestlife’sendmightbeattained，anendcomprisingeveryjoy。“
　　Again：“Thencameapause，andlongrestraintchaineddownmysoul，tillitwaschanged。Ilostmyself，andwereitnotthatIsoloathethattime，IcouldrecallhowfirstIlearnedtoturnmymindagainstitself……atlengthIwasrestored，yetlongtheinfluenceremained；andnoughtbutthestilllifeIled，apartfromall，whichleftmysoultoseekitsolddelights，coulde’erhavebroughtmethusfarbacktopeace。“Noreader，alerttothesubtleandhauntingmusicofrarefiedblankverseandunlessitberarefieditshouldnotbeputforwardaspoetry，couldpossiblyaccepttheselinesasexpressionallypoetical。
　　Itwouldseemasthough，fromthefirst，Browning’searwaskeenerfortheapprehensionthanforthesustainedevocationofthemusicofverse。