Robert Browning - Porphyria's Lover
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The rain set early in tonight,
The sullen wind was soon awake,
It tore the elm-tops down for spite,
And did its worst to vex the lake:
I listened with heart fit to break.
When glided in Porphyria; straight
She shut the cold out and the storm,
And kneeled and made the cheerless grate
Blaze up, and all the cottage warm;
Which done, she rose, and from her form
Withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl,
And laid her soiled gloves by, untied
Her hat and let the damp hair fall,
And, last, she sat down by my side
And called me. When no voice replied,
She put my arm about her waist,
And made her smooth white shoulder bare,
And all her yellow hair displaced,
And, stooping, made my cheek lie there,
And spread, o'er all, her yellow hair,
Murmuring how she loved me--she
Too weak, for all her heart's endeavor,
To set its struggling passion free
From pride, and vainer ties dissever,
And give herself to me forever.
But passion sometimes would prevail,
Nor could tonight's gay feast restrain
A sudden thought of one so pale
For love of her, and all in vain:
So, she was come through wind and rain.
Be sure I looked up at her eyes
Happy and proud; at last I knew
Porphyria worshiped me: surprise
Made my heart swell, and still it grew
While I debated what to do.
That moment she was mine, mine, fair,
Perfectly pure and good: I found
A thing to do, and all her hair
In one long yellow string I wound
Three times her little throat around,
And strangled her. No pain felt she;
I am quite sure she felt no pain.
As a shut bud that holds a bee,
I warily oped her lids: again
Laughed the blue eyes without a stain.
And I untightened next the tress
About her neck; her cheek once more
Blushed bright beneath my burning kiss:
I propped her head up as before
Only, this time my shoulder bore
Her head, which droops upon it still:
The smiling rosy little head,
So glad it has its utmost will,
That all it scorned at once is fled,
And I, its love, am gained instead!
Porphyria's love: she guessed not how
Her darling one wish would be heard.
And thus we sit together now,
And all night long we have not stirred,
And yet God has not said a word!
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Added: on January 21st, 2006 at 12:21 PM | Viewed: 13678 times | Comments (18)
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Porphyria's Lover - Comments and Information
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Poet: Robert Browning
Poem: Porphyria's Lover
Year: Published/Written in 1834
Poem of the Day on:
Dec 1 2003
Comment 18 of 18, added on October 16th, 2008 at 3:54 PM.
"I warily oped her lids: again
Laughed the blue eyes without a stain"- i believe he was worried he did kill her but when he opened her there was no stain (it is known that when you die your eyes become stained).
"And I untightened next the tress
About her neck; her cheek once more
Blushed bright beneath my burning kiss"- after letting go the color comes back to her face and if her heart had stopped there would be no circulation.
"I propped her head up as before,
Only, this time my shoulder bore
Her head, which droops upon it still:"- at this point she is still passed out so her head will still droop but, does not mean she is dead.
"The smiling rosy little head,
So glad it has its utmost will"- at this point her head wouldnt be smiling or rosey if she were to be dead.
"So glad it has its utmost will,
That all it scorned at once is fled,
And I, its love, am gained instead!
Porphyria's love: she guessed not how
Her darling one wish would be heard."-this is where i think it gets interesting; in the victorian age not just women but men were deprived. they were both not allowed to experiment in in sexual behaviors. i think she was looking to be over-powered and he was looking to over-power someone. EROTIC ASPHYXIATION! she was pleased with the outcome and also glad she could find someone willing to fulfill her desires. " she guessed not how, Her darling one wish would be heard".
my last argument:
"And thus we sit together now,
And all night long we have not stirred,
And yet God has not said a word!"- if you try to argue that she dead because all night she didnt stir well, he didnt either. maybe he killed himself also. I dont think thats true either. because if he killed her and on top of it killed himself then , quotes god as not saying a word then no sin has been done. murder is a sin in the christian religion and suicide is even worse. and i think thatif he did both God would have said something, if you catch my drift.and to argue erotic asphixiation, afterwards they didnt feel guilty for what they have done.
so conclude this looooong comment, i think he didnt kill her at all but it was erotic asphyxiation in play.
matt
Comment 17 of 18, added on April 4th, 2006 at 12:33 AM.
For more than a century Robert Browning's classical poem Porphyria's Lover has been misinterpreted. It has been totally misread as representing wanton acts of depraved sexuality. Nothing could be further from the truth. Porphyria's Lover is about euthanasia, plain and simple. Again, as with my take on After Apple Picking by Robert Frost, which can be found at http://whendarknessfell.tripod.com/ the literary world has chosen to ignore what I have, via another carefully written essay, correctly argued; go to http://porphyriaslover.tripod.com/ In reference to the perceived feasibility of my argument I am herewith soliciting learned opinion by inviting comments, pro or con. Please contribute and be a part of some revolutionary thinking. Cheers, J.T. Best
J.T. Best from New Zealand
Comment 16 of 18, added on January 21st, 2006 at 12:21 PM.
After reading this poem, I got a sense that Porphyria was a wealthy, stately woman who loved the narrator(a lesser individual, possibly a employee of hers'). He loved her and thought she was just using to satisfy her passions, but he realized she loved him too. Since, she would not give up her life for him yet, wanted to be with him, he put an end to her misery. He thought he did her a favour and he did not feel guilty for it.
Queendaeva from Canada
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"I warily oped her lids: again
Laughed the blue eyes without a stain"- i believe he was worried he did kill her but when he opened her there was no stain (it is known that when you die your eyes become stained).
"And I untightened next the tress
About her neck; her cheek once more
Blushed bright beneath my burning kiss"- after letting go the color comes back to her face and if her heart had stopped there would be no circulation.
"I propped her head up as before,
Only, this time my shoulder bore
Her head, which droops upon it still:"- at this point she is still passed out so her head will still droop but, does not mean she is dead.
"The smiling rosy little head,
So glad it has its utmost will"- at this point her head wouldnt be smiling or rosey if she were to be dead.
"So glad it has its utmost will,
That all it scorned at once is fled,
And I, its love, am gained instead!
Porphyria's love: she guessed not how
Her darling one wish would be heard."-this is where i think it gets interesting; in the victorian age not just women but men were deprived. they were both not allowed to experiment in in sexual behaviors. i think she was looking to be over-powered and he was looking to over-power someone. EROTIC ASPHYXIATION! she was pleased with the outcome and also glad she could find someone willing to fulfill her desires. " she guessed not how, Her darling one wish would be heard".
my last argument:
"And thus we sit together now,
And all night long we have not stirred,
And yet God has not said a word!"- if you try to argue that she dead because all night she didnt stir well, he didnt either. maybe he killed himself also. I dont think thats true either. because if he killed her and on top of it killed himself then , quotes god as not saying a word then no sin has been done. murder is a sin in the christian religion and suicide is even worse. and i think thatif he did both God would have said something, if you catch my drift.and to argue erotic asphixiation, afterwards they didnt feel guilty for what they have done.
so conclude this looooong comment, i think he didnt kill her at all but it was erotic asphyxiation in play.
matt