2222. RB to EBB
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 12, 94–96.
[London]
Saturday Mg [21 February 1846] [1]
So all was altered, my love—and, instead of Miss T. and the other friend, I had your Brother & Procter—to my great pleasure– After, I went to that place, and soon got away, and am very well this morning in the sunshine,—which I feel with you, do I not? Yesterday after dinner we spoke of Mrs Jameson—and, as my wont is (Here your letter reaches me—let me finish this sentence now I have finished kissing you, dearest beyond all dearness—my own heart’s Ba!)—oh, as I am used, I left the talking to go on by itself, with the thought busied elsewhere, till at last my own voice startled me for I heard my tongue utter “Miss Barrett .. that is, Mrs Jameson says” .. or “does” .. “or does not”. I forget which! And if anybody noticed the gaucherie it must have been just your brother!
Now to these letters! I do solemnly, unaffectedly wonder how you can put so much pure felicity into an envelope so as that I shall get it as from the fount head. This to-day, those yesterday—there is, I see, and know, thus much goodness in line after line, goodness to be scientifically appreciated, proved there—but over and above, is it in the writing, the dots and traces, the seal, the paper; where does the subtle charm lie beyond all rational accounting for? The other day I stumbled on a quotation from J. Baptista Porta [2] —wherein he avers that any musical instrument made out of wood possessed of medicinal properties retains, being put to use, such virtues undiminished, and that, for instance, a sick man to whom you should pipe on a pipe of elder-tree would so receive all the advantage derivable from a decoction of its berries– From whence, by a parity of reasoning, I may discover, I think, that the very ink and paper were .. ah, what were they? The curious thinking won’t do for me and the wise head which is mine, so I will lie and rest in my ignorance of content and understand that without any magic at all you simply wish to make one person, which of your free goodness proves to be your RB,—to make me supremely happy, and that you have your wish—you do bless me! More and more—for the old treasure is piled undiminished and still the new comes glittering in– Dear, dear heart of my heart, life of my life, will this last, let me begin to ask? Can it be meant I shall live thus to the end? Then, dearest, care also for the life beyond, and put in my mind how to testify here that I have felt, if I could not deserve, that gift beyond all gifts! I hope to work hard, to prove I do feel, as I say—it would be terrible to accomplish nothing now.
With which conviction,—renewed conviction time by time, of your extravagance of kindness to me unworthy,—will it seem characteristically consistent when I pray you not to begin frightening me, all the same, with threats of writing less kindly? That must not be, love, for your sake now—if you had not thrown open those windows of heaven I should have no more imagined than that Syrian lord on whom the King leaned “how such things might be” [3] —but, once their influence showered, I should know, too soon & easily, if they shut up again! You have committed your dear, dearest self to that course of blessing, & blessing on, on, forever—so let all be as it is, pray, pray!
No, not all—no more, ever, of that strange suspicion—“insolent”—oh, what a word! nor suppose I shall particularly wonder at its being fancied applicable to that, of all other passages of your letter! It is quite as reasonable to suspect the existence of such a quality there as elsewhere: how can such a thing, could such a thing come,—from you to me?– But, dear Ba, do know me better! Do feel that I know you, I am bold to believe, and that if you were to run at me with a pointed spear I should be sure it was a golden sanative Machaon’s touch, [4] for my entire good, that I was opening my heart to receive! As for words, written or spoken—I, who sin forty times a day by light words, and untrue to the thought, I am certainly not used to be easily offended by other people’s words, people in the world. But your words! And about the “mission”, [5] —if it had not been a thing to jest at, I should not have begun, as I did,—as you felt I did– I know now, what I only suspected then, and will tell you all the matter on Monday if you care to hear—the “humanity,” however, would have been unquestionable if I had chosen to exercise it towards the poor weak incapable creature that wants somebody, and urgently, I can well believe–
As for your apologue, it is naught—as you felt, and so broke off—for the baron knew well enough it was a spray of the magical tree which once planted in his domain would shoot up, and out, and all round, and be glorious with leaves and musical with birds’ nests, and a fairy safeguard and blessing thenceforward and forever, when the foolish baton had been broken into ounces of gold, even if gold it were, and spent and vanished .. for, he said, such gold lies in the highway, men pick it up, more of it or less,—but this one slip of the flowering tree is all of it on this side Paradise—whereon he laid it to his heart and was happy (in spite of his disastrous chase the night before, when so far from catching an unicorn, he saw not even a respectable prize-heifer, worth the oil-cake and rape-seed it had doubtless cost to rear her—“insolence!”)
I found no opportunity of speaking to Mr K. about Monday—but nothing was said of last Wednesday, and he must know I did not go yesterday– So, Monday is laughing in sunshine surely! Bless you, my sweetest. I love you with my whole heart; ever shall love you.
RB
Address: Miss Barrett, / 50 Wimpole St.
Postmark: PD 10FN FE23 1846 B.
Docket, in EBB’s hand: 121 [altered from “120”].
Publication: RB-EBB, pp. 484–486.
Manuscript: Wellesley College.
1. Date provided by postmark.
2. RB refers to Natural Magick (1658) by Giambattista della Porta (ca. 1535–1615). In chapter vii of book 20 the author outlines the healing properties of harp music, as well as the potential curative powers of other musical instruments made from certain types of wood.
3. Cf. John 3:9. RB’s reference to the “lord on whom the king leaned” is from II Kings 7:2.
4. Machaon, a son of Æsculapius, was, like his father, a physician. He was with the Greeks at Troy, and removed the arrow from the wounded Menelaus (Iliad, IV, 193–219).
5. i.e., the “mission of humanity,” first mentioned in letter 2216.
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