3828. EBB to Georgina Cowper

As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 23, 17–19.

39. Devonshire Place.

Monday morning– [?4] [August 1856] [1]

My dear Mrs Cowper, [2]

In case I should miss seeing you, I enclose the ‘poems’ you asked for– [3] You will at least find in them the unmistakeable traces of genuineness– Do not grudge me my wish for myself, that I may know you better one day–

Most truly yours

Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

Publication: None traced.

Manuscript: Armstrong Browning Library.

Enclosures:

The Poem of Lucy Lee–

By Penini—not six.

Lucy Lee fell asleep,

And everyone came round her,

And said ‘Darling wings, darling wings’!

Because she was a fairy.

She had naked arms,

And naked little shoulders;

And everyone admired her

Very much indeed–

Lucy Lee fell asleep;

And all the people came

Every night, every morning,—

And still she kept asleep.

And her brother was very astonished,

And very much alarmed;

And he thought that she was dead,

Because she kept asleep.

‘Goodbye, goodbye’,

Everybody said,

When she kept asleep;

‘Goodbye, goodbye’.

And twelve men came up,

And put her in a cart,

And covered her up from the sun

Nice and cozy.

And one ran by the side,

To keep the clothes on,

Because the wind blew;

And sang a beautiful song–

Poor Lucy Lee,

With naked arms and shoulders!

She could not bear the cold

In her dress white & red.

The song was, ‘Cara mia,

‘Cara mia piccina!

Lucy Lee, Lucy Lee,

Come bellina, bellina!’

The Poem of the Willow Tree.

(same age)

The Willow-tree

Is like a fountain,

But it does’nt make a noise.

But still the top of the tree,

And the fall of the branches,

Is very like a fountain.

It’s Penini calls it a fountain,

Although he knows it’s a willow-tree;

But still he calls it a fountain.

One day I saw it before;

Once at Rome,

And once again at Florence.

But no one called it a fountain!

No one at all that I know of;

No one at all, except Penini.

I dare say there’s a willow-tree

A willow-tree at Paris!

And Napoleon admires it very much,

And calls it a fountain, like Penini!

My Rabbits– seven years old–

My rabbits are pretty and pretty–

They are white, with pink-painted eyes.

On the outside all a fluffy white,

To make their coats so warm.

I used to take them with my arms,

And kiss them with my love!

I could not catch them till they liked,

They run like little hares–

I gave them all the sweetest apples

That were growing in the world.

I could not bear my eyes upon

The pussy walking in the yard,—

Because I feared, because I feared

That he would jump upon the wall,

And eat my little rabbits.

But I was standing on the terrace,

As well as he upon the wall;

And I began to raise my voice

And sing, ‘O pretty little pussy,

‘In your day-dress, in your day-dress!

‘Are you going to wear a day-dress

‘To come here to my wedding fair

‘Of my pretty rabbits?’

But the pussy said, ‘Goodbye!

‘For I’m going to my wedding,

‘And you are going to yours!

‘And I’ll give my wedding-ring

‘To my little kittens;

‘And you’ll give your wedding-ring

‘To your little rabbits!

‘And I wish you a good wedding;

‘And I’ll give you a golden ring,

‘Which shall be always your’s!’

To May Sartoris, on her birthday– seven years old.

It is May Sartoris’s birthday,

This very day;

And here I’ve brought a present

For dearest, dearest May.

You are a flower, you are a flower,

For you are a May!

You are a May-flower!

You prick us with thorns

At the jokes you make,

To make us scream & laugh.

I hope you’ll laugh

And enjoy your birthday well–

I hope your pretty darling blossoms

Will be brighter than all others;

With beautiful silver flowers,

And beautiful golden thorns,

Dearest, dearest May.

The Flower– not seven

If I were but you, you little flower,

I would take the water they gave me,

When perhaps they would put me out in the yard,

Or out on the terrace, my dear!

And I would grow the flower I was,

Till they punished me with no water,

And they put me out in the very hot sun!

And then, I should grow yellow–

And then I should grow dry!

And all my leaves would fall away,

Until I die, die, die.

Then to Heaven I would go,

And there I would see the angels;

Who would take me up in their beautiful hands,

And say, ‘What a beautiful flower!’

1. This letter may have been written soon after the Brownings’ dinner with the Cowpers on 2 August (see the fourth to last paragraph in letter 3829).

2. Georgina Cowper (née Tollemache, afterwards Cowper-Temple, 1822–1901), later (1880) Lady Mount-Temple, was the ninth daughter of Richard Delap Tollemache (né Halliday), vice-admiral, R.N., and his wife, Elizabeth, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Aldborough. She married on 21 November 1848 William Francis Cowper (afterwards Cowper-Temple, 1811–88), later (1880) 1st Baron Mount-Temple. She was his second wife. Cowper was legally the second son of the 5th Earl Cowper and his wife, Amelia (see letter 3549, note 10), though it was (and is) widely believed that his father was Lord Palmerston, whom his mother married secondly in 1839. At the time of this letter, Cowper was M.P. for Hertford and served in Palmerston’s government as president of the Board of Health and as a member of the privy council.

3. See enclosures.

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