Lay,andletcometheproperthroewouldthrillIntotheecstasyandoutthrobpain。”
VI。GiuseppeCaponsacchi,v。972。”blind?
Ay,asamanwouldbeinsidethesun,DeliriouswiththeplentitudeoflightShouldinterfusehimtothefinger-ends”——
X。ThePope,1564。”Youhavethesunrisenow,joinstruthtotruth。”
X。ThePope,1763。”Onemakesfoolslookfoolisherfifty-foldByputtingintheirplacethewiselikeyou,TotakethefullforceofanargumentWouldbuffettheirstolidityinvain。”
XI。Guido,858。
Heretheinfinitive”Totake”mightbeunderstood,atfirstlook,asthesubjectof”Wouldbuffet”;butitdependson”putting”,etc。,andthesubjectrelative”that”issuppressed:”anargument[that]
wouldbuffettheirstolidityinvain。””Willyouheartruthcandonoharmnorgood?”
XI。Guido,1915。”Iwho,withoutletforescapetoheaven,WouldtarryifsuchflightallowedmyfoeToraisehishead,relievedofthatfirmfootHadpinnedhimtothefierypavementelse!”
XI。Guido,2099。
i。e。,”thatfirmfoot[that]hadwouldhavepinned。”……”ponder,ereyepass,EachincidentofthisstrangehumanplayPrivilyactedonatheatre,WasdeemedsecurefromeverygazebutGod’s,”——
XII。TheBookandtheRing,v。546。”Asyebecomespectatorsofthisscene——
*****——
AsoulmadeweakbyitspatheticwantOfjustthefirstapprenticeshiptosin,WouldthenceforthmakethesinningsoulsecureFromallfoessaveitself,that’struliestfoe,”——
XII。TheBookandtheRing,v。559。
i。e。,”sin,[that]would。””Washeproud,——atruescionofthestockWhichboretheblazon,shallmakebrightmypage”——
XII。TheBookandtheRing,v。821。
2。Theuseoftheinfinitivewithouttheprepositive”to”,isfrequentlyextendedbeyondpresentusage,especiallyin`Sordello’
and`TheRingandtheBook’。Thefollowingareexamples:——”Whofails,throughdeedshowe’erdiverse,RE-TRACK
Mypurposestill,mytask?”
Sordello,p。168。”failedAdelaideSEEthenWhowasthenaturalchief,themanofmen?”
Sordello,p。175。”butwhen’Twastimeexpostulate,attemptwithdrawTaurellofromhischild,”……
Sordello,p。180。
Herearetwoinfinitives,withtheprepositiveomitted,”expostulate”and”attempt”,bothdependentonthenoun”time”,andanother,”withdraw”,withouttheprepositive,dependenton”attempt”:”butwhen’twastime[to]expostulate,[to]attempt[to]withdraw”,etc。”Forthusheventured,totheverge,Pushavainmummery。”……
Sordello,p。190。
i。e。,forthusheventured[to]pushtothevergeavainmummery。”asyetHehadinconsciouslycontrivedFORGET
I’thewhole,todwello’thepoints”……
Sordello,p。190。”Grownbestial,dreaminghowBECOMEdivine。”
Sordello,p。191。”AndthewholemusicitwasframedAFFORD,”——
Sordello,p。203。”Wassuchalighting-upoffaith,inlife,Onlyallowedinitiate,setman’sstepInthetruewaybyhelpofthegreatglow?”
R。andB。X。ThePope,v。1815。
i。e。onlyallowed[to]initiate,[to]setman’sstep,etc。”IfImightreadinsteadofprintmyspeech,——
Ay,andenlivenspeechwithmanyaflowerRefusesobstinatelyblowinprint。”
R。andB。IX。Johannes-BaptistaBottinius,v。4。
Herethesubjectrelativeof”refuses”isomitted,andtheverbfollowedbyaninfinitivewithouttheprepositive:”manyaflower[that]refusesobstinately[to]blowinprint。”
3。Insteadofthemodernanalyticform,thesimpleformofthepastsubjunctivederivedfromtheAnglo-Saxoninflectionalform,andidenticalwiththatofthepastindicative,isfrequentlyemployed,thecontextonlyshowingthatitisthesubjunctive。SeeAbbott’s`ShakespearianGrammar’,361etseq。”WouldwesomeprizemightholdTomatchthosemanifoldPossessionsofthebrute,——gainmost,aswedidbest!”
RabbiBenEzra,St。xi。
i。e。,asweshoulddobest。”ThuswereabolishedSpringandAutumnboth,”
I。TheRingandtheBook,1358。
i。e。,wouldbeabolished。”HispeevishnesshadpromptlyputasideSuchhonorandrefusedtheprofferedboon,”……
II。HalfRomeR。andB。,369。
i。e。,wouldhavepromptlyputaside。”Whatdailypittancepleasedtheplundererdole。”
X。ThePopeR。andB。,561。
i。e。,asthecontextshows,[it]mightpleasetheplunderer[to]dole。”successiontotheinheritanceWhichboldercrimehadlostyou:”
IV。TertiumQuidR。andB。,1104。
i。e。,wouldhavelostyou。
Buttheverbs”be”and”have”arechieflysoused,andnotoftenbeyondwhatpresentusageallows。*——
*Tennysonuses”saw”=`viderem’,inthefollowingpassage:——”ButsinceIdidnotseetheHolyThing,IswareavowtofollowittillIsaw。”
SirPercivalein`TheHolyGrail’——
4。Theuseofthedative,orindirectobject,without”to”or”for”。
Suchdativesareveryfrequent,andscarcelyneedillustration。
Thepoethassimplycarriedtheuseofthembeyondthepresentgeneralusageofthelanguage。Butthere’sanoticeableoneinthePope’sMonologue,in`TheRingandtheBook’,vv。1464-1466:
TheArchbishopofArezzo,towhompoorPompiliahasapplied,inherdistress,forprotectionagainstherbrutalhusband,thinksitpoliticnottotakeherpart,butsendherbacktohimandenjoinobedienceandsubmission。ThePope,inhisMonologue,representsthecraftyArchbishopassaying,whenPompiliacries,”Protectmefromthewolf!””No,thyGuidoisrough,heady,strong,Dangeroustodisquiet:lethimbide!
Heneedssomebonetomumble,helpamuseThedarknessofhisdenwith:so,thefawnWhichlimpsupbleedingtomyfootandlies,——Cometomedaughter!——thusIthrowhimback!”
i。e。,thusIthrowback[to]himthefawnwhichlimpsupbleedingtomyfootandlies。Theparenthesis,”Cometome,daughter”,beinginterposed,andwhichisintroducedaspreparatorytohispurpose,addstothedifficultyoftheconstruction。
Thereare,afterall,butcomparativelyfewinstancesinBrowning’spoetry,wherethesefeaturesofhisdictioncanbefairlycondemned。Theyoftenimpartacrispnesstotheexpressionsinwhichtheyoccur。
Thecontrivingspiritofthepoet’slanguageoftenresultsingreatcomplexityofconstruction。Complexityofconstructionmaybeafault,anditmaynot。Itmaybejustifiedbythecomplexityofthethoughtwhichitbearsalong。”Clearquack-quackiseasilyuttered。”Butwhereanauthor’sthoughtisnimble,far-reaching,ellipticalthroughitsenergy,anddiscursive,theexpressionofitmustbemoreorlesscomplexorinvolved;
hewillemploysubordinateclauses,andparentheses,throughwhichtoexpresstheoutstanding,restricting,andtoningrelationsofhisthought,thatis,ifheisamasterofperspective,andrankshisgroupedthoughtsaccordingtotheirrelativeimportance。
Thepoet’sapostrophetohiswifeinthespirit-world,whichclosesthelongprologueto`TheRingandtheBook’vv。1391-1416,andinwhichheinvokesheraidandbenediction,intheworkhehasundertaken,presentsagreatercomplexityofconstructionthanistobemetwithanywhereelseinhisworks;andofthispassageitmaybesaid,asitmaybesaidofanyotherhavingacomplexconstruction,supposingthistobetheonlydifficulty,thatit’shardratherthanobscure,anddemandsclosereading。But,notwithstandingitscomplexstructureandthefreightofthoughtconveyed,thepassagehasaremarkableLIGHTSOMENESSofmovement,andisafinespecimenofblankverse。Theunobtrusive,butdistinctlyfelt,alliterationwhichrunsthroughit,contributessomethingtowardthislightsomeness。ThefirsttwoverseshaveaTennysonianring:——”OlyricLove,half-angelandhalf-birdAndallawonderandawilddesire,——
Boldestofheartsthateverbravedthesun,Tooksanctuarywithintheholierblue,5Andsangakindredsoulouttohisface,——
Yethumanatthered-ripeoftheheart——
WhenthefirstsummonsfromthedarklingearthReachedtheeamidthychambers,blanchedtheirblue,Andbaredthemoftheglory——todropdown,10Totoilforman,tosufferortodie,——
Thisisthesamevoice:canthysoulknowchange?
Hailthen,andhearkenfromtherealmsofhelp!
NevermayIcommencemysong,mydueToGodwhobesttaughtsongbygiftofthee,15Exceptwithbentheadandbeseechinghand——
Thatstill,despitethedistanceandthedark,Whatwas,againmaybe;someinterchangeOfgrace,somesplendouroncethyverythought,Somebenedictionancientlythysmile:
20——Neverconclude,butraisinghandandheadThitherwhereeyes,thatcannotreach,yetyearnForallhope,allsustainment,allreward,Theirutmostupandon,——soblessingbackInthosethyrealmsofhelp,thatheaventhyhome,25Somewhitenesswhich,Ijudge,thyfacemakesproud,Somewannesswhere,Ithink,thyfootmayfall!”*
*Inthelastthreeversesof`TheRingandtheBook’
thepoetagainaddresseshis”LyricLove”toexpressthewishthattheRing,whichhehasroundedoutoftheroughoreoftheRomanmurdercase,mightbutlie”inguardianship”outsidehers,”Thyraregoldringofversethepoetpraised
LinkingourEnglandtohisItaly。”
ThereferenceistotheinscriptiononCasaGuidi,ViaMaggiore,9。Florence:
QUISCRISSEEMORI
ELISABETTABARRETTBROWNING
CHEINCUOREDIDONNACONCILIAVA
SCIENZADIDOTTOESPIRITODIPOETA
EFECEDELSUOVERSOAUREOANELLO
FRAITALIAEINGHILTERRA
PONEQUESTOMEMORIA
FIRENZEGRATA
1861。