Friday, March 23, 2012

March 23

Just a short note from Browning on March 23, 1846 to admonish Miss Barrett for saying that he hates to write to her:

"Oh, my Ba—how you shall hear of this to-morrow—that is all: I hate writing? See when presently I only write to you daily, hourly if you let me? Just this now—I will be with you to-morrow in any case—I can go away at once, if need be, or stay—if you like you can stop me by sending a note for me to Moxon's before 10 o'clock—if anything calls for such a measure.

Always the need for discretion!

Now briefly,—I am unwell and entirely irritated with this sad 'Luria'—I thought it a failure at first, I find it infinitely worse than I thought—it is a pure exercise of cleverness, even where most successful; clever attempted reproduction of what was conceived by another faculty, and foolishly let pass away. If I go on, even hurry the more to get on, with the printing,—it is to throw out and away from me the irritating obstruction once and forever. I have corrected it, cut it down, and it may stand and pledge me to doing better hereafter. I say, too, in excuse to myself, unlike the woman at her spinning-wheel, 'He thought of his flax on the whole far more than of his singing'—more of his life's sustainment, of dear, dear Ba he hates writing to, than of these wooden figures—no wonder all is as it is?"

Never finding the work good enough but always trying. Sound familiar?

1 comment:

  1. I don't know, RB is always having to bring her up. She thinks and thinks and sometimes comes up with nothing, like you hate writing to me. I know you have pointed out Ba has low self esteem which would account for these random things. Fortunately RB loves her a lot and brings up up.

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