2912. EBB to Anne Braun
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 17, 21–23.
Florence.
May 1– [1851] [1]
My dear Mrs Braun,
We have been so confounded with confusion .. in such depths of indecision, for the beginning, and of business for the end, that I have really some excuse for not having answered your kind note until now. But indeed I must explain to you that I never was so inconsiderate as to intend to throw upon you, dear Mrs Braun, the trouble & fatigue of searching for a house for us. The wording of my letter must have been obscure, to have made you fancy such a thing. I meant only to ask for general counsel & direction, and not at all for particular hard work on your part,—knowing perfectly that whatever might be your kindness for me, you were not very strong & were quite incapable of climbing up & down stairs on the most wearisome of searches.– And now, do you know, we have given up Rome for this year? Yes, given up Rome, though we had actually fixed the day for Rome, partly engaged the vettura, & half packed the ‘impedimenta.’ I am afraid it is’nt in the stars that I should see Rome, so fatally have obstacles developped themselves this twice or rather thrice that we have set our faces upon travelling thither. The obstacles were too real this last time. We were late for the festas, late in the season, .. were afraid of the heat for our child. And then, it appeared difficult to comprise in one summer, journies south & north, to Paris & England, as well as Rome & Naples, .. and our English friends drew us. So I console myself for the loss of Rome with Venice—we go to Venice, by an undulating road through Parma & Mantua .. stay there, perhaps a fortnight, .. strike across the country to Milan, .. then, by the Splugen, drop into Switzerland, & cultivate the œconomies at Interlacken, .. take the Rhine to Cologne perhaps .. & the railroad, to Paris—settle a little in Paris, & then perform our visit of a few weeks to England .. which I look forward to with dread & bitterness but shall feel happier after having accomplished, for some reasons. It seems very uncertain whether I can live at Paris, the opinions of the climate being very contrarious, yet the majority tending to prove that I cant. If I cant, we shall return to Florence for good, perhaps .. probably—but certainly we shall come here next year, and our present scheme is to spend next spring in Rome. We have taken our Florentine apartment on for another year, & shall let it, if possible. You see it’s the playing out of the experience drawn from the old fable of the dog & the meat: we dont like to let go our slice of sirloin, to snap at the shadow of it in the river. [2] We appreciate our delightful rooms in Florence, for which we pay only a hundred francesconi the year, (our landlord [3] in a spasm of terror at the idea of losing us, having lowered the rent ..) and it is a comfort to have a home here to fall back upon, if Paris should fail us. Will you my dear Mrs Braun, take charge of your precious gifts to us, till we can claim them? Be so kind.
Also, do not forget us. I have a new poem coming out in England upon Italian subjects, which probably wont make anybody like me better. Like me in the meanwhile as much as you can. We write in warm regards & wishes for all good to you & Dr Braun. May you yourself be well & strong, .. & not forgetful of
your ever affectionate friend
Elizabeth B. Browning
Address, on integral page: A Madame / Madme Braun / Casa Tarpeia / Roma.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: University of Texas.
1. Year provided by postmark.
2. From Æsop’s fable of “The Dog and the Shadow.”
3. Count Giovanni Salvatico Guidi; see letter 2731, notes 4 and 5.
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