Apparitions
(_Prologue
to
"The
Two
Poets
of
Croisic."_)
Such
a
starved
bank
of
moss
Till,
that
May-morn,
Blue
ran
the
flash
across:
Violets
were
born!
Sky--what
a
scowl
of
cloud
Till,
near
and
far,
Ray
on
ray
split
the
shroud:
Splendid,
a
star!
World--how
it
walled
about
Life
with
disgrace,
Till
God's
own
smile
came
out:
That
was
thy
face!
Robert Browning
Robert Browning (born May 7, 1812, London—died Dec. 12, 1889, Venice) major English poet of the Victorian age, noted for his mastery of dramatic monologue and psychological portraiture. His most noted work was The Ring and the Book (1868–69), the story of a Roman murder trial in 12 books. Through all the vicissitudes of critical reputation, however, Browning’s major contribution to the canon of children’s literature, “The Pied Piper of Hamelin,” has retained its popular audience. At the time of his death in 1889, he was one of the most popular poets in England.