Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Elizabeth Barrett Browningwas one of the most prominent English poets of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth6 March 1806
drawn face hero light man ready stands
And each man stands with his face in the light of his own drawn sword. Ready to do what a hero can.
clean hands wash
He's just, your cousin, ay, abhorrently; He'd wash his hands in blood, to keep them clean
developed seemed stood sun
He, in his developed manhood, stood A little sunburnt by the glare of life; While I, it seemed no sun had shone on me
developed scholars-and-scholarship
He, in his developed manhood, stood, a little sunburn by the glare of life.
among beat books cases creeping felt fossils found giant high hour mouse pulling ribs secret small sun victorious
Books, books, books had found the secret of a garret-room piled high with cases in my father's name; Piled high, packed large, /where, creeping in and out among the giant fossils of my past, like some small nimble mouse between the ribs of a mastodon, I nibbled here and there at this or that box, pulling through the gap, in heats of terror, haste, victorious joy, the first book first. And how I felt it beat under my pillow, in the morning's dark. An hour before the sun would let me read! My books!
measure until work
Measure not the work until the day's out and the labor's done.
apart church close dream grave heart life press
Life treads on life, and heart on heart: We press too close in church and mart, To keep a dream or grave apart
life breathe deepest-life
He who breathes deepest lives most.
gate ground iron teeth
The iron gate ground its teeth to let me pass!
flies hurt pitiful poor says tease
Hurt a fly! He would not for the world: he's pitiful to flies even. ''Sing,'' says he, ''and tease me still, if that's your way, poor insect.''
felt sure
I felt so young, so strong, so sure of God.
death knowledge suffering
Knowledge by suffering entereth, And life is perfected by death.
breadth count depth ends feeling height ideal love sight soul thee
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways./ I love thee to the depth and breadth and height / My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight / For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
common rose till touch touches warm
Our Euripides, the human, / With his droppings of warm tears, / And his touches of things common / Till they rose to touch the spheres.