447. EBB to Hugh Stuart Boyd

As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 3, 13–14.

Hope End.

Thursday. [19 April 1832] [1]

My dearest friend,

After all we have found it impossible to do as we intended & wished, about going to Malvern today or tomorrow. The Wyche is a steep fatiguing road, & the poney is considered not quite well enough to attempt it. Therefore it must be given up—& we must send our kind love to Annie & our kind remembrances to the Miss Mushets—instead of ourselves. I hope & think that dear Annie will have a pleasant visit—but not too pleasant.

These are the lines from Anacreon,

Makarizomen se tettix,

Hote dendreoon ep’ akroon

Oligeen droson pepookoos,

Basileus hopoos, aeideis [2] –

and there is a lightness & delicacy in them, which Synesius does not preserve in his copy. When I was turning over Anacreon’s leaves, I came to that pretty ingenious ode, beginning

Ee Tantalou pot’ estee. [3]

Did I ever observe to you, or did you ever observe to me, that it is a dilation of Romeo’s idea, “Would that I were a glove upon that hand.”? [4]

I have looked over the first Pythian again. The finest passage in it, is longer than Synesius’s ninth hymn.

I gave your message to Arabel almost immediately,—& of course she thinks you more “impudent” than ever. [5]

Ever yours affectionately

E B Barrett.

It seems to me that I have said nothing to you today–

<…> [6]

My love to Mrs Boyd.

Publication: Diary, p. 307.

Manuscript: Wellesley College.

1. Dated by Diary, p. 238, entry for 19 April.

2. “We congratulate you, cicada, that on the peaks of trees, having drunk a little dew, you sing like a king” (Ode XLIII, “Ad Cicadam,” lines 1–4).

3. “The daughter of Tantalus then stood” (Ode XX, “Ad Puellam,” line 1).

4. Romeo and Juliet, II, 2, 24.

5. “Mr. Boyd … sent me a long message to be delivered gravely, tho’ meant jokingly, to convince her of his little degree of respect for her veracity” (Diary, p. 237).

6. Nearly one line obliterated, apparently by EBB.

___________________