Winking Through the Chinks: Eros and Ellipsis in Robert Browning's "Love Among the Ruins"

Abstract

In 1798, and with spooniness of which not many Victorians would ever consider him capable, Thomas Malthus celebrated love at its most pure that culminating glory which scarcely man who has once experienced [it] does not regard as sunny spot in his whole life, where his imagination loves to bask. (1) Over course of nineteenth century, quantity and popularity of lyric verse that seemed to hold out hope of just such basking in sunshine of pure love increased if in geometrical progression. Another type of poem, however, might cast doubtful or disfiguring shadow over Malthus' sunny spot. Which type of poem we are reading may not be made plain until poem's own point of culmination is reached. becomes place which poem starts. Almost century before T. S. Eliot took up theme, The is where we start from became poetic watchword of Edgar Allan Poe. In his essay of 1846 on The Philosophy of Composition, Poe argued that the end was where all works of art should begin. (2) back-to-front bias of Poe's argument was bound to create keen interest in nature and function of final lines of works. It especially encouraged that kind of concluding line which can be perceived growing logically out of title of work--resuming, reaffirming, extending. In 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne would Scarlet Letter with just such line: 'ON A FIELD, SABLE, THE LETTER A, GULES.' (3) Soon afterward, Robert Browning would Among Ruins (the poem that stood at beginning of his 1855 collection Men and Women) with what looked like another: is (4) Whereas Hawthorne's final line rolls out prepositional phrase through which to re-approach primary subject of work, Browning's final line discards one. In is best, rises proudly sable field to which poem's title, Among Ruins, seemed originally to be consigning it. Browning, it may easily supposed, bent on blazoning through text poem's red-letter word. Ali else might merely be dark background by which love is emphasized and enhanced--among ruins, Love--or nettles out of which love waits to be plucked, like bright casual flower that H. G. Wells in his picture of Among Wreckage imagines starting up amidst debris of catastrophe. (5) conversion of catastrophe indeed appears complete, ruins are triumphantly topped off with something shown to be good gold. Elsewhere in Browning, means love. (6) Here, however, love is gold's antithesis and superseder. For word visibly succeeds to gold on printed page; symmetry about poem's concluding stanza (or stanzas) (7) makes pivot out of word in turn. While first six lines are pitched toward final six lines of poem move powerfully toward because best has to be saved till last: In one year they sent million fighters forth South and North, And they built their gods brazen pillar high As sky, Yet reserved thousand chariots in full force-- Gold, of course. Oh heart! oh blood that freezes, blood that burns! Earth's returns For whole centuries of folly, noise and sin! Shut them in, With their triumphs and their glories and rest! Love is best. (ll. 73-84) This declaration is reinforced scenically when, in turret marking spot where ruined city's ruler stood to view games, rush to Love, thing, is in corresponding succession to historic rush for gold. Now, it is no monarch who stands there but a girl with eager eyes and yellow hair (l. 55). She is only golden prize for which poem's speaker has eyes. expectation of meeting her there whirls him round and he knows it cannot be long Ere we rush, ere we extinguish sight and speech / Each on each (ll. …