The Days of a Man [1869 



"Lyrics "Lyrics of Life" by Robert Browning, 



of Life" "Confound the thing," said my neighbor, frowning; 



"I've read at 'em, dug at 'em over and over, 

 But hang me if I can discover 

 A glimmer of meaning from cover to cover!" 



My neighbor's disposed to be dull, however. 

 I sent to Boston at once and got one. 

 The frontispiece is attractive, very; 

 Six little girls, the largest is reading. 

 If she understands it, then ought one 

 Older than all of them put together 

 And still have a dozen years to spare. 



Nevertheless, our critic finds himself almost as 

 baffled as his neighbor, though he does make some 

 exceptions : 



Count Gismond, Evelyn Hope, The Glove, 



A flight on Fame, and some stanzas on Love 



How they brought the news from Aix to Ghent, 



Though the errand which sent 



Roland away on such headlong speeding 



I've yet to learn, 'tis not told in the reading. 



But that is all, let the Lyrics be hooted; 

 Never were sentences so involuted 

 And twisted and turned, so all unsuited 

 For simple folks! Let the Lyrics be bruited 

 And burned and booted and tossed sky high ! 

 The No, not all of them! Beautiful Evelyn, 



critic Nothing more tender for souls to revel in 



relents Reading that over has made civil, and 



I spare 'em all for Beautiful Evelyn! 



Entering the university, I found Browning gener- 

 ally appreciated there. Anderson especially took 

 great satisfaction in him, and we used to read to- 

 gether "The Flight of the Duchess," "A Toccata 

 of Galuppi's," "Love among the Ruins/' "Andrea 



C 72 ] 



