895. EBB to Thomas Westwood [1]
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 5, 202–203.
50 Wimpole Street
Jany. 7th 1842.
Miss Barrett—inferring Mr Westwood from the handwriting,—begs his acceptance of the unworthy little book he does her the honour of desiring to see. [2]
It is more unworthy than he could have expected when he expressed that desire—having been written in very early youth when the mind was scarcely free in any measure from trammels and Popes, &, what is worse, when flippancy of language was too apt to accompany immaturity of opinion. The miscellaneous verses are, still more than the chief poem, ‘childish things’ [3] in a strict literal sense—& the whole volume is of little interest even to its writer except for personal reasons—except for the traces of dear affections, since rudely wounded .. & of that love of poetry, which began with her sooner than so soon, & must last as long as life does without being subject to the changes of life. Little more therefore can remain for such a volume than to be humble & shrink from circulation. Yet Mr Westwood’s kind words win it to his hands. Will he receive at the same moment, the expression of touched & gratified feelings with which Miss Barrett read what he wrote on the subject of her later volumes, still very imperfect altho’ more mature & true to the truth within.—? Indeed she is thankful for what he said so kindly in his note to her–
Publication: LEBB, I, 94–95 (as 2 January 1842).
Manuscript: Wellesley College.
1. For details of EBB’s friendship with Westwood, see pp. 375-376.
2. An Essay on Mind. This copy is now at Wellesley (see Reconstruction, C34).
3. I Corinthians, 13:11.
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