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English poet Robert Browning is considered one of the most important poets of the Victorian era (1837–1901). Part of the romantic movement in literature, his usually optimistic poems praise action and condemn passivity. In Browning’s characteristic writing style, known as dramatic monologue, he assumed the voice of historical or imaginary characters, usually at some crucial moment in their lives.
Browning was the son of a clerk in the Bank of England. He did not attend school and was privately educated by his parents. In 1833 he published his first poem “Pauline”, which was written under the influence of Shelley. Between 1841 and 1847, he published many other poems and seven plays. He married Elizabeth Barrett in 1846 and lived with her in Italy until her death in 1861.
After the death of his wife, he spent the rest of his life in London. In contrast with Tennyson, Browning was bold and unconventional in matter and style. He is noteworthy for the dramatic monologue, i.e., a poem in which there is one imaginary speaker addressing an imaginary audience. In his dramatic monologues, he penetrates to depth the psychology of his characters and through their own speeches, he analyzes and dissects his characters and reveals the innermost secret of their lives.
Unlike Tennyson who felt melancholy in the process of his spiritual search, Browning was always optimistic. He, like Tennyson, also preached God and Immortality, but he looked boldly at the evils in human beings without losing faith.
My Last Duchess • Written in heroic couplets, the poem “My Last Duchess” is one of the most representative of his dramatic monologues. The speaker is Duke of Ferrara (a city in Italy), who is negotiating with the envoy sent by a count for the marriage of the count’s daughter.
He is showing the portrait of his late naïve and beautiful wife whom he has killed. The nonchalance in his tone fully reveals the arrogance and cruelty of an Italian tyrant in the age of the Renaissance.
Home-thoughts From Abroad Oh, to be in England, Now that April’s there, And whoever wakes in England Sees, some morning, unaware, That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf, While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough In England-now!
And after April, when May follows, And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows! Hark, where my blossomed pear-tree in the hedge Leans to the field and scatters on the clover Blossoms and dewdrops—at the bent spray’s edge— That’s the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over, Lest you should think he never could recapture
The first fine careless rapture! And though the fields look rough with hoary dew, All will be gay when noontide wakes anew The buttercups, the little children’s dower Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower!
海外乡思 啊，但愿此刻身在英格兰，趁这四月天， 一个早晨醒来，谁都会突然发现： 榆树四周低矮的枝条和灌木丛中， 小小的嫩叶已显出一片葱茏， 听那苍头燕雀正在果园里唱歌， 在英格兰啊，在此刻！
四月过去，五月接踵来到， 燕子都在衔泥，白喉鸟在筑巢！ 我园中倚向篱笆外的梨树 把如雨的花瓣和露珠 洒满了树枝之下的苜蓿田； 聪明的鸫鸟在那儿唱，把每只歌都唱两遍，
为了免得你猜想，它不可能重新捕捉 第一遍即兴唱出的美妙欢乐！ 尽管露水笼罩得田野灰白暗淡， 到中午一切又将喜气盎然， 苏醒的金凤花是孩子们的“嫁妆”， 这华而俗的甜瓜花哪儿比得上它灿烂明亮！
罗伯特· 布朗宁是英国维多利亚时期诗歌的代表．自幼酷爱艺术，在音乐，绘画等方面很有造诣．布朗宁对英国文学最大的贡献是创造了“戏剧独白”(dramatic monologue)这种诗歌形式．这种诗往往设定一个独白者，在特定的戏剧情景中，向假象的听者讲述自己生活的片段，诗中一般采用生动活泼的口语体，因而使诗的节奏自然流畅．布朗宁的戏剧独白诗对现代主义诗歌产生了一定的影响．
布朗宁和他的妻子伊丽莎白·布朗宁长期侨居意大利，但时常想念自己的祖国．春天来临，万物充满了生机，他触景生情，随即写下这首思乡曲．这是他描写祖国景色的四首诗中的一篇．布朗宁和他的妻子伊丽莎白·布朗宁长期侨居意大利，但时常想念自己的祖国．春天来临，万物充满了生机，他触景生情，随即写下这首思乡曲．这是他描写祖国景色的四首诗中的一篇． • 诗的起句包涵着诗人对祖国的热爱．海外游子在看到意大利春机盎然，不禁感慨万千，多么希望身在自己的祖国(oh, to be in England/ Now that April’s there)，那里郁郁葱葱，“苍头燕雀正在果园里唱歌”．在第一节的最后一行，诗人发出了赞叹：“在英格兰啊，在此刻！”
如果说第一节着重诉诸读者的视觉，那么在第二节诗人则着重诉诸读者的听觉，他让我们仔细地倾听鸫鸟的歌唱：“聪明的鸫鸟在那儿唱，把每只歌都唱两遍，／为了免得你猜想，它不可能重新捕捉／第一遍即兴唱出的美妙欢乐！”在这首诗的最后四行，诗人重新使用视觉意象，把孩童喜爱的金凤花(buttercups)同意大利的花里胡哨的甜瓜花对比，觉得祖国的一切是那样的亲切，那样的鲜艳美丽．这首诗没有一点思乡的哀愁和惆怅，却流露出极为乐观的情绪，这正是布朗宁表达对祖国怀念的方式．如果说第一节着重诉诸读者的视觉，那么在第二节诗人则着重诉诸读者的听觉，他让我们仔细地倾听鸫鸟的歌唱：“聪明的鸫鸟在那儿唱，把每只歌都唱两遍，／为了免得你猜想，它不可能重新捕捉／第一遍即兴唱出的美妙欢乐！”在这首诗的最后四行，诗人重新使用视觉意象，把孩童喜爱的金凤花(buttercups)同意大利的花里胡哨的甜瓜花对比，觉得祖国的一切是那样的亲切，那样的鲜艳美丽．这首诗没有一点思乡的哀愁和惆怅，却流露出极为乐观的情绪，这正是布朗宁表达对祖国怀念的方式．
