631.5. John Kenyon to EBB
Addendum to The Brownings’ Correspondence, vol. 4.
[London]
12 May 1838
Dear Miss Barrett
When you have a quarter of an hour’s leisure will you look over these lines.– I had proposed to leave out Stanza 8—as lagging—and as interrupting the repitition [sic] of “the deck—” and if I kept it—I thought of making the three last lines of the stanza—run thus—
But clasp once more that faithful hand
In love, that only dies with breath,
And plucks new force from thought of death–
Of those where none is good—what is the best choice.?
I struck out another Stanza—which was this—after Stanza 10—
“Abydos saw the failing [1] light.”
“Hard heart were his, whom history
Of that young Pair should fail to move,
One—dead! one—left behind—to die!
But earth hath deeper ties of love,
And deeper vows invoke yon life,
That links to Sister—Child—and Wife.”
The inducement to this stanza is that the drawing refers to the Wife—and another female and a child–
The dissuasion is the thought that it destroyed unity of impression by introducing too fully a divided intent—also that it might be questioned, either according to the temper or the logic of the leader—whether there could be any deeper ties—than those which unite too young lovers—and thus those which caused Hero to die for attachment’s sake.
I had put holier ties—but that would be doing injustice perhaps to poor Hero and Leander.
The printed note will explain itself– I wish this East Wind would away with itself– Always truly yrs
John Kenyon
Pray make as many corrections as you can.
Or if you prefer to cut out p. 147—you may insert the shorter printed note– I have had this more generally done– The errata may come in after the index.
Does your father remember George Pryme—Pryme with the Nose at Trinity? It may amuse you at an interval of proof correcting—to cut open these leaves.
Address, on integral page: To / Miss Barrett.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Armstrong Browning Library.
1. “drooping” has been written below this word.
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