I heard last night a little child go singing
    'Neath Casa Guidi windows, by the church,
O bella liberti, O bella!
    
                                 from 'Casa Guidi Windows'

Elizabeth Barrett Browning's reputation has sometimes been overshadowed both by the achievements of her husband, Robert Browning, and by the romantic story of their elopement. This selection recovers the best work of this independent, passionate and intelligent poet, presenting it on its own terms. Browning emerges as an acute observer of the political dramas taking place in Italy and the private dramas of relationships. Brought up to a life of confinement, Browning (1806-1861) matured into a champion of personal and social freedom, a poetic innovator who wrote some of the nineteenth century's most politically engaged and subtly erotic poetry.

Malcolm Hicks's introduction and notes clarify the contemporary context and contain suggestions for further reading.

Table of Contents

Introduction



Suggestions for Further Reading



A Note on the Text



From The Battle of Marathon

From An Essay on Mind

The Soul's Expression

Lady Geraldine's Courtship

The Lost Bower

To Flush, My Dog

Catarina to Camoens

Wine of Cyprus

The Romance of the Swan's Nest

Hector in the Garden

Mountaineer and Poet

A Woman's Shortcomings

Change upon Change

Sonnets from the Portuguese

From Casa Guidi Windows

From Aurora Leigh

An August Voice

Lord Walter's Wife

Bianca among the Nightingales

Amy's Cruelty



Notes to the Text