3203. EBB to Sarianna Browning
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 19, 97–98.
[Florence]
[ca. 20 May 1853] [1]
My dearest Sarianna I am delighted that you are going to Fontain[e]bleau– It was what we longed for & were disappointed in last year. The scenery is said to be exquisite,—& I like a forest .. a real forest, with wolves in it. As to the weather .. I assure you we had a much brighter spring in Paris last year than we have had here—a few hot days, but I shut the window in a fit of shivering this morning, .. & there is rain, rain. Certainly such weather must mean earthquakes at least. We have had a small one already, with several more decided concussions at Leghorn & Siena. [2] The prophets talk awfully about a continuance of clouds throughout Europe during five years– Not my prophets though!– Not the mesmerical & medium race of prophets. So there’s the more hope for us.
But, you know, Penini does not read much yet– He only began to read very lately .. because we kept him back & would’nt teach him .. so that other children less intelligent may be forwarder than he, in the particular of reading. As to writing I dont know how he learnt—& really the way he writes straightly without lines, is astonishing, I think. But the sweetness & the goodness of him are the precious things to me– Oh, he is a darling, Sarianna! It’s lucky he is so good of himself, for how we should ever have the heart to restrain & deny him I cant imagine, the child has such captivating ways– For instance, when he was doing his reading-lesson with me this morning (just for five minutes) there was a word which he would’nt attend to so as to find out what it was—“You tell me, dear Mama.” No, I did’nt mean to tell him indeed. In a moment I was covered with kisses .. “Do help me, mine darling Ba, and I will memember, & I will be velly dood! Only lis one word.” Who could resist that, I wonder? For my part, I am mortal.
He was enchanted with his dear nonno’s picture [3] .. which went round a circle of admirers, besides himself, & nonno shall have a letter of thanks next time. You may remember that the child was always a sort of improvisatore, & he continues to produce various “poems” (so called by the author) as he sits on your knee. You have only to ask for a poem—& here’s one for instance—word for word.
“Pretty little cow;
Let us eat some grass!
And when God not likes it,
Then we wont.”
Observe the divine poetical sympathy with animal nature .. “let us eat some grass’[’].
Dont vex yourself, dearest Sarianna, about
<…> [4]
by no means affected by his misfortune [5] .. unless it be in his general judgement .. you will suggest .. when I tell you that he holds the Parisian climate to be the most perfect in Europe. This after many years experience.
Ah. Sarianna! I wonder at you! If you meant anything
<…>
My love to the Cottrells [sic, for Corkrans]. How kind they are, indeed. The weather is not cold here of course, but extraordinarily bad for Italy.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Fitzwilliam Museum.
1. Approximately dated by EBB’s reference to the earthquake in Siena (see note 2).
2. An earthquake occurred in Siena the afternoon of 17 May 1853 (see Mario Baratta, I Terremoti d’Italia, Torino, 1901, p. 415). For this and many other annotations that draw upon Italian sources in the present volume, the editors gratefully acknowledge the scholarly assistance of Simonetta Berbeglia, of Arezzo, Italy.
3. Presumably a drawing or watercolour by RB, Sr.
4. Three-fourths of a page has been excised, affecting text here and below.
5. Probably a reference to EBB’s uncle, Robert Hedley, whose son John had recently been dismissed from the army. EBB had informed Sarianna of this fact in letters 3197 and 3200.
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