Italy. Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861). Introductory. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. 1876-79. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes. Italy: Vols. XI-XIII

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
Italy: Vols. XI–XIII. 1876–79.

Introductory

Italy

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861)


(From Casa Guidi Windows) OUR Italy ’s
The darling of the earth,—the treasury, piled
With reveries of gentle ladies, flung
Aside, like ravelled silk, from life’s worn stuff,—
With coins of scholars’ fancy, which, being rung	5
On workday counter, still sound silver-proof,—
In short, with all the dreams of dreamers young,
Before their heads have time for slipping off
Hope’s pillow to the ground. How oft, indeed,
We all have sent our souls out from the north,	10
On bare white feet which would not print nor bleed,
To climb the Alpine passes and look forth,
Where the low murmuring Lombard rivers lead
Their bee-like way to gardens almost worth
The sight which thou and I see afterward	15
From Tuscan Bellosguardo, wide awake,
When standing on the actual, blessed sward
Where Galileo stood at nights to take
The vision of the stars, we find it hard,
Gazing upon the earth and heaven, to make	20
A choice of beauty.