What do you think?
The complete poetical works of Browning
Excerpt from The Complete Poetical Works of Browning
Pisgah sights. I. Pisgah sights. II. Fears and scruples natural magic magical nature bifurcation numpholeptos appearances.
Pisgah sights. I. Pisgah sights. II. Fears and scruples natural magic magical nature bifurcation numpholeptos appearances.
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1895
About the author
Robert Browning
2,792 books462 followersRobert Browning (1812-1889) was a British poet and playwright whose mastery of dramatic verse, especially dramatic monologues, made him one of the foremost Victorian poets.
Browning began writing poetry at age 13. These poems were eventually collected, but were later destroyed by Browning himself. In 1833, Browning's "Pauline" was published and received a cool reception. Harold Bloom believes that John Stuart Mill's review of the poem pointed Browning in the direction of the dramatic monologue.
In 1845, Browning wrote a letter to the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, professing that he loved her poetry and her. In 1846, the couple eloped to Europe, eventually settling in Florence in 1847. They had a son Pen.
Upon Elizabeth Barrett Browning's death in 1861, Browning returned to London with his son. While in London, he published Dramatis Personae (1864) and The Ring and the Book (1869), both of which gained him critical priase and respect. His last book Asolando was published in 1889 when the poet was 77.
In 1889, Browning traveled to Italy to visit friends. He died in Venice on December 12 while visiting his sister.
Browning began writing poetry at age 13. These poems were eventually collected, but were later destroyed by Browning himself. In 1833, Browning's "Pauline" was published and received a cool reception. Harold Bloom believes that John Stuart Mill's review of the poem pointed Browning in the direction of the dramatic monologue.
In 1845, Browning wrote a letter to the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, professing that he loved her poetry and her. In 1846, the couple eloped to Europe, eventually settling in Florence in 1847. They had a son Pen.
Upon Elizabeth Barrett Browning's death in 1861, Browning returned to London with his son. While in London, he published Dramatis Personae (1864) and The Ring and the Book (1869), both of which gained him critical priase and respect. His last book Asolando was published in 1889 when the poet was 77.
In 1889, Browning traveled to Italy to visit friends. He died in Venice on December 12 while visiting his sister.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 9, 2023
i love the romantic era and browning is good but his wife is better
April 6, 2025
I have read the following poems by Robert Browning that can be found in this work (listed alphabetically with ratings):
“Abt Vogler”: The speaker, a musician who has just been playing some music, praises the superiority of music and musicians like himself. Rating: 3/5
“Andrea Del Satro”: A great painter speaks with his wife, explaining that he is a technically good painter with no soul and placing partial blame for this on her. Rating: 3.5/5
“Bad Dreams III”: This poem is the third of four nightmare poems that center on the end of a marriage. In this poem, the speaker has a dream in which he sees a magnificent forest and a beautiful city, but these two entities start to devour each other. Rating: 3/5
“The Bishop Orders His Tomb at Saint Praxed’s Church”: A dying bishop gives instructions to his “nephews” (who are really his sons) on how to bury him so that his burial would be more magnificent and envy-invoking than his predecessor’s. Rating: 3.5/5
“By the Fireside”: The speaker, now an older man, recounts a trip through the wilderness to an old chapel with his wife. Rating: 2.5/5
“Caliban upon Setebos”: Caliban, an enslaved character from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, outlines his theology: He believes that a god-like creator figure, who was himself the creation of a higher figure, is “cold and ill at ease” and often does things to spite his creations. Rating: 4/5
“Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”: This poem is told from the point of view of a quester who knows he is walking into certain death. It raises questions about the meaningfulness of human action. Rating: 4.5/5
“Cleon”: A poet writes to a king enumerating his thoughts on progress, joy, immortality, and their relationship to one another. Rating: 4/5
“Fra Lippo Lippi”: An artistically talented monk is caught in the town at night engaging in some un-monk-like activity, and he tells the guards who found him about his life. He shares his view of art, which (in contrast to the view of many of the higher-up monks) is that it should be realistic in is depictions. Rating: 3/5
“The Heretic’s Tragedy”: The speaker gives the gruesome account of the burning at the stake of John, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templars, who was falsely accused of a number of heresy. Rating: 4/5
“How It Strikes a Contemporary”: The narrator of this poem describes “the poet” as one who is both a sort of transcendent, wise figure and a humble, every-day person. Rating: 4/5
“Johannes Agricola in Meditation”: This work is an attack on the doctrine of predestination, told from the perspective of a man who believes in predestination. Rating: 4.5/5
“Love among the Ruins”: The speaker describes the ruins of a once-great city where he is going to meet a young woman. Rating: 3/5
“Master Hughes of Saxe-Gotha”: An organist criticizes the “cumbersome” work named Master Hughes and ponders truth and nature. Rating: 3/5
“Memorabilia”: Browning recalls an encounter in which he overheard someone talking about Percy Shelley, his hero. Rating: 2/5
“My Last Duchess”: A duke speaks with an envoy of a man whose daughter he intends to marry and reveals the problem—and dark solution—that he had with his last wife. Rating: 3.5/5
“Pauline: A Fragment of a Confession": A young man praises a past love and wishes he could once again become the person he used to be. Rating: 1/5
“Popularity”: The speaker uses the example of a beautiful dye that supplants all others and takes a long time to be made and discovered as a metaphor for the coming of a poet that will shed light on his generation like no one ever has. Rating: 4/5
“Prologue” (from Asolando): The speaker praises the clarity with which older men can see the world. Rating: 4.5/5
“Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister”: A hypocritical monk expresses his hatred for another monk. Rating: 4.5/5
“Thamuris Marching” (excerpt from “Aristophanes Apology”): The poet describes the confident march of Thamuris, a poet who had boasted that he could beat the Greek Muses in a poetry contest, to that contest, before he lost and was punished severely by the Muses. Rating: 3/5
“A Toccata of Galuppi’s”: The speaker imagines the effect of Galuppi’s (a pianist) playing on some attenders of a ball in Venice. The crowd is happy for the moment, but the music also hints at the soullessness of the city. Rating: 3/5
“Two in the Campagna”: The speaker touches on an ecstatic feeling of wanting absolute oneness with his love, but expresses just how fleeting that height of emotion can be. Rating: 3/5
“Abt Vogler”: The speaker, a musician who has just been playing some music, praises the superiority of music and musicians like himself. Rating: 3/5
“Andrea Del Satro”: A great painter speaks with his wife, explaining that he is a technically good painter with no soul and placing partial blame for this on her. Rating: 3.5/5
“Bad Dreams III”: This poem is the third of four nightmare poems that center on the end of a marriage. In this poem, the speaker has a dream in which he sees a magnificent forest and a beautiful city, but these two entities start to devour each other. Rating: 3/5
“The Bishop Orders His Tomb at Saint Praxed’s Church”: A dying bishop gives instructions to his “nephews” (who are really his sons) on how to bury him so that his burial would be more magnificent and envy-invoking than his predecessor’s. Rating: 3.5/5
“By the Fireside”: The speaker, now an older man, recounts a trip through the wilderness to an old chapel with his wife. Rating: 2.5/5
“Caliban upon Setebos”: Caliban, an enslaved character from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, outlines his theology: He believes that a god-like creator figure, who was himself the creation of a higher figure, is “cold and ill at ease” and often does things to spite his creations. Rating: 4/5
“Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”: This poem is told from the point of view of a quester who knows he is walking into certain death. It raises questions about the meaningfulness of human action. Rating: 4.5/5
“Cleon”: A poet writes to a king enumerating his thoughts on progress, joy, immortality, and their relationship to one another. Rating: 4/5
“Fra Lippo Lippi”: An artistically talented monk is caught in the town at night engaging in some un-monk-like activity, and he tells the guards who found him about his life. He shares his view of art, which (in contrast to the view of many of the higher-up monks) is that it should be realistic in is depictions. Rating: 3/5
“The Heretic’s Tragedy”: The speaker gives the gruesome account of the burning at the stake of John, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templars, who was falsely accused of a number of heresy. Rating: 4/5
“How It Strikes a Contemporary”: The narrator of this poem describes “the poet” as one who is both a sort of transcendent, wise figure and a humble, every-day person. Rating: 4/5
“Johannes Agricola in Meditation”: This work is an attack on the doctrine of predestination, told from the perspective of a man who believes in predestination. Rating: 4.5/5
“Love among the Ruins”: The speaker describes the ruins of a once-great city where he is going to meet a young woman. Rating: 3/5
“Master Hughes of Saxe-Gotha”: An organist criticizes the “cumbersome” work named Master Hughes and ponders truth and nature. Rating: 3/5
“Memorabilia”: Browning recalls an encounter in which he overheard someone talking about Percy Shelley, his hero. Rating: 2/5
“My Last Duchess”: A duke speaks with an envoy of a man whose daughter he intends to marry and reveals the problem—and dark solution—that he had with his last wife. Rating: 3.5/5
“Pauline: A Fragment of a Confession": A young man praises a past love and wishes he could once again become the person he used to be. Rating: 1/5
“Popularity”: The speaker uses the example of a beautiful dye that supplants all others and takes a long time to be made and discovered as a metaphor for the coming of a poet that will shed light on his generation like no one ever has. Rating: 4/5
“Prologue” (from Asolando): The speaker praises the clarity with which older men can see the world. Rating: 4.5/5
“Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister”: A hypocritical monk expresses his hatred for another monk. Rating: 4.5/5
“Thamuris Marching” (excerpt from “Aristophanes Apology”): The poet describes the confident march of Thamuris, a poet who had boasted that he could beat the Greek Muses in a poetry contest, to that contest, before he lost and was punished severely by the Muses. Rating: 3/5
“A Toccata of Galuppi’s”: The speaker imagines the effect of Galuppi’s (a pianist) playing on some attenders of a ball in Venice. The crowd is happy for the moment, but the music also hints at the soullessness of the city. Rating: 3/5
“Two in the Campagna”: The speaker touches on an ecstatic feeling of wanting absolute oneness with his love, but expresses just how fleeting that height of emotion can be. Rating: 3/5
December 5, 2012
I didn't read this whole thing. I'm not much of a poetry buff. But this collection contains Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, which Stephen King claims is the inspiration for his Dark Tower series.
So much, seven books in all, from so little. Then he added an eighth book. And there's the Graphic Series as well.
I've read that one poem a couple times. Dabbled with some others. But this book has mostly sat around and it's time to shelf it for now...
So much, seven books in all, from so little. Then he added an eighth book. And there's the Graphic Series as well.
I've read that one poem a couple times. Dabbled with some others. But this book has mostly sat around and it's time to shelf it for now...
Read
February 1, 2014Complete from 1833 to 1868 and shorter poems thereafter . Oxford university press London Humphrey Milford . This edition includes publishers note 1940 which includes Brownings own latest revised edition .
Beautiful poetry .. To quote .. However bounded ; happiness must be ,
To feed the first by gleanings from the last , attain it's qualities , and slow and fast
Become what they behold , such peace in strife
By transmission is the use of life ...
Beautiful poetry .. To quote .. However bounded ; happiness must be ,
To feed the first by gleanings from the last , attain it's qualities , and slow and fast
Become what they behold , such peace in strife
By transmission is the use of life ...
Want to Read
July 3, 2011Published in 1895, with a handwritten note dated 1907 on the inner cover.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews