'Bianca Among The Nightingales' by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

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The cypress stood up like a church
That night we felt our love would hold,
And saintly moonlight seemed to search
And wash the whole world clean as gold;
The olives crystallized the vales'
Broad slopes until the hills grew strong:
The fireflies and the nightingales
Throbbed each to either, flame and song.
The nightingales, the nightingales.Upon the angle of its shade
The cypress stood, self-balanced high;
Half up, half down, as double-made,
Along the ground, against the sky.
And we, too! from such soul-height went
Such leaps of blood, so blindly driven,
We scarce knew if our nature meant
Most passionate earth or intense heaven.
The nightingales, the nightingales.We paled with love, we shook with love,
We kissed so close we could not vow;
Till Giulio whispered, 'Sweet, above
God's Ever guarantees this Now.'
And through his words the nightingales
Drove straight and full their long clear call,
Like arrows through heroic mails,
And love was awful in it all.
The nightingales, the nightingales.O cold white moonlight of the north,
Refresh these pulses, quench this hell!
O coverture of death drawn forth
Across this garden-chamber... well!
But what have nightingales to do
In gloomy England, called the free.
(Yes, free to die in!...) when we two
Are sundered, singing still to me?
And still they sing, the nightingales.I think I hear him, how he cried
'My own soul's life' between their notes.
Each man has but one soul supplied,
And that's immortal. Though his throat's
On fire with passion now, to her
He can't say what to me he said!
And yet he moves her, they aver.
The nightingales sing through my head.
The nightingales, the nightingales.He says to her what moves her most.
He would not name his soul within
Her hearing,-rather pays her cost
With praises to her lips and chin.
Man has but one soul, 'tis ordained,
And each soul but one love, I add;
Yet souls are damned and love's profaned.
These nightingales will sing me mad!
The nightingales, the nightingales.I marvel how the birds can sing.
There's little difference, in their view,
Betwixt our Tuscan trees that spring
As vital flames into the blue,
And dull round blots of foliage meant
Like saturated sponges here
To suck the fogs up. As content
Is he too in this land, 'tis clear.
And still they sing, the nightingales.My native Florence! dear, forgone!
I see across the Alpine ridge
How the last feast-day of Saint John
Shot rockets from Carraia bridge.
The luminous city, tall with fire,
Trod deep down in that river of ours,
While many a boat with lamp and choir
Skimmed birdlike over glittering towers.
I will not hear these nightingales.I seem to float, we seem to float
Down Arno's stream in festive guise;
A boat strikes flame into our boat,
And up that lady seems to rise
As then she rose. The shock had flashed
A vision on us! What a head,
What leaping eyeballs!-beauty dashed
To splendour by a sudden dread.
And still they sing, the nightingales.Too bold to sin, too weak to die;
Such women are so. As for me,
I would we had drowned there, he and I,
That moment, loving perfectly.
He had not caught her with her loosed
Gold ringlets... rarer in the south...
Nor heard the 'Grazie tanto' bruised
To sweetness by her English mouth.
And still they sing, the nightingales.She had not reached him at my heart
With her fine tongue, as snakes indeed
Kill flies; nor had I, for my part,
Yearned after, in my desperate need,
And followed him as he did her
To coasts left bitter by the tide,
Whose very nightingales, elsewhere
Delighting, torture and deride!
For still they sing, the nightingales.A worthless woman! mere cold clay
As all false things are! but so fair,
She takes the breath of men away
Who gaze upon her unaware.
I would not play her larcenous tricks
To have her looks! She lied and stole,
And spat into my love's pure pyx
The rank saliva of her soul.
And still they sing, the nightingales.I would not for her white and pink,
Though such he likes-her grace of limb,
Though such he has praised-nor yet, I think,
For life itself, though spent with him,
Commit such sacrilege, affront
God's nature which is love, intrude
'Twixt two affianced souls, and hunt
Like spiders, in the altar's wood.
I cannot bear these nightingales.If she chose sin, some gentler guise
She might have sinned in, so it seems:
She might have pricked out both my eyes,
And I still seen him in my dreams!
- Or drugged me in my soup or wine,
Nor left me angry afterward:
To die here with his hand in mine
His breath upon me, were not hard.
(Our Lady hush these nightingales!)But set a springe for him, 'mio ben',
My only good, my first last love!-Though Christ knows well what sin is, when
He sees some things done they must move
Himself to wonder. Let her pass.
I think of her by night and day.
Must I too join her... out, alas!...
With Giulio, in each word I say!
And evermore the nightingales!Giulio, my Giulio!-sing they so,
And you be silent? Do I speak,
And you not hear? An arm you throw
Round some one, and I feel so weak?
- Oh, owl-like birds! They sing for spite,
They sing for hate, they sing for doom!
They'll sing through death who sing through night,
They'll sing and stun me in the tomb-The nightingales, the nightingales!

Editor 1 Interpretation

Bianca Among The Nightingales: A Masterpiece of Poetry

Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "Bianca Among The Nightingales" is a poem that captures the beauty and wonder of nature, the complexities of human emotions, and the power of the imagination. It is a masterpiece of poetry that has captivated readers for over a century and continues to inspire and move us today. In this literary criticism and interpretation, we will explore the many layers of meaning and significance in this timeless work of art.

The Poem and Its Context

"Bianca Among The Nightingales" is one of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's most famous poems, and it was first published in 1850 in her collection "Poems." The poem is written in the form of a dramatic monologue, where the speaker, Bianca, describes her encounter with a flock of nightingales in a garden. The poem is divided into six stanzas, each containing eight lines, and it has a rhyme scheme of ABABBCBC.

The poem is set in Italy, where Elizabeth Barrett Browning lived for most of her adult life after she met and married Robert Browning in 1846. The garden described in the poem is likely based on the garden of their home in Florence, where she spent many hours surrounded by nature and where she was inspired to write some of her most famous poems.

Nature and Imagination

One of the central themes of "Bianca Among The Nightingales" is the connection between nature and imagination. The speaker, Bianca, is deeply moved by the beauty and music of the nightingales, and she imagines herself as one of them, singing and soaring through the air. She says:

O nightingales, ye have a trick Of bleeding music from the throat, With shapes like roses pied and thick As honeycomb and ripe for both; And when they fall on me, scarce spent, I feel as though my spirit bent In fragrance and in music too!

Here, Bianca is experiencing a profound connection with the nightingales, and she is using her imagination to enter into their world and share in their beauty and music. Through her imagination, she is able to transcend her own limitations and become one with the natural world.

Love and Longing

Another important theme in "Bianca Among The Nightingales" is love and longing. The speaker, Bianca, is shown to be deeply in love with someone who is not present, and she uses the nightingales as a way to express her feelings of longing and desire. She says:

Oh, love me, love me, love me! - 'Tis the piteous, piteous cry Of the poor souls that huddle nigh Night-long under the moon's clear eye.

Here, Bianca is expressing her desperation for the love of the person she desires, and she is using the nightingales as a way to convey the depth of her emotions. The nightingales are seen as symbols of love and longing, and they serve as a powerful metaphor for the speaker's own feelings and desires.

Music and Poetry

One of the most striking aspects of "Bianca Among The Nightingales" is its use of musical language and imagery. The nightingales are described as "bleeding music from the throat," and their songs are compared to "shapes like roses pied and thick / As honeycomb and ripe for both." The language used to describe the nightingales is rich and evocative, and it creates a vivid sensory experience for the reader.

At the same time, the poem itself is a work of poetry, and it is written in a highly musical and rhythmic style. The rhyme scheme and meter of the poem create a sense of harmony and balance, and the repetition of certain phrases and images reinforces the poem's central themes and ideas.

Conclusion

In conclusion, "Bianca Among The Nightingales" is a masterful work of poetry that explores a wide range of themes and ideas. Through its use of nature imagery, imagination, and musical language, the poem captures the beauty and wonder of the natural world, the complexities of human emotions, and the power of the imagination. It is a timeless work of art that continues to inspire and move us today, and it is a testament to Elizabeth Barrett Browning's genius and artistry as a poet.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Bianca Among the Nightingales: A Masterpiece of Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, one of the greatest poets of the Victorian era, is known for her exceptional works that explore the themes of love, faith, and social justice. Among her many works, "Bianca Among the Nightingales" stands out as a masterpiece that showcases her poetic prowess and her ability to create vivid imagery that transports the reader to another world.

The poem, which was first published in 1850, is a dramatic monologue that tells the story of Bianca, a young woman who is surrounded by the beauty and music of the nightingales. The poem is divided into three stanzas, each of which explores a different aspect of Bianca's experience.

In the first stanza, Bianca is introduced as a young woman who is "pale with pain" and "worn with sorrow." She is described as being "like a statue carved in stone" and is surrounded by the "sweet nightingales" who sing to her in the moonlight. The imagery in this stanza is particularly striking, as Browning uses the contrast between Bianca's pain and the beauty of the nightingales to create a sense of tension and conflict.

In the second stanza, Bianca begins to speak, revealing her innermost thoughts and feelings. She describes the nightingales as her "only friends" and speaks of how their music has helped her to forget her pain and sorrow. She also speaks of her longing to be free from her suffering and to join the nightingales in their song. The language in this stanza is particularly powerful, as Browning uses repetition and imagery to create a sense of longing and desperation.

In the final stanza, Bianca's story reaches its climax as she reveals that she is dying. She speaks of how the nightingales have been her only comfort in life and how she longs to join them in death. The imagery in this stanza is particularly poignant, as Browning uses the contrast between Bianca's death and the beauty of the nightingales to create a sense of tragedy and loss.

Overall, "Bianca Among the Nightingales" is a masterpiece of Victorian poetry that showcases Elizabeth Barrett Browning's exceptional talent as a poet. The poem is a powerful exploration of the themes of love, loss, and death, and is a testament to the enduring power of poetry to move and inspire readers.

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